Recently, I wrote about themed races ( Race Happy Too! ), naming them akin to your run of the mill road race. Another running-related race would be the mud run. Mud runs seem to attract more of the average former athlete than a local 5k. I don't mean "average former athlete" as in the person was an average athlete, but rather it's more likely to get that former athlete involved in some sort of mud race than road race. In my view, the main difference is the team aspect. I think this has been a huge part of the success of events like Tough Mudder. I did it in 2012 with a team of co-workers. Notice that I said team, not group. I was the strongest runner on the team, so my job was to motivate as well as to scout ahead. We also had some powerhouse dudes whose job it was to help everyone get up and over obstacles. Finally, we had some super positive people and jokesters to help us push through the 12 miles. The main goal of these races is to finish. You of