The Mudder 2026

Rangitikei Farmstay provides the challenge: a working sheep and beef farm, rugged southern Rangitikei hill country, and sufficient steep farmland to simulate a true off-road test. This is not a simple run around an obstacle course on the edge of suburbia; it has the character of a farm race where the hills present a challenge before the constructed obstacles even begin. Expect bogs, dams, creek crossings, mud sections, and climbs that are genuinely "lung burning and calf aching." The course incorporates natural springs for consistent mud, a dam with a floating island to traverse, and a 100-year-old tree with "roots straight out of a Hobbit scene," alongside man-made obstacles throughout the property. Participants include competitive runners, walkers, first-timers, teams, social groups, and experienced obstacle racers, with costumes encouraged for team entries.