Indian Mud Run obstacle wins award
The Indian Mud Run Floating Walls obstacles appeared at the 2016 and 2017 Obstacle Course Racing World Championships in Canada. Contributed | Beacon
COSHOCTON – The Indian Mud Run Floating walls obstacles is gaining worldwide fame in the obstacle racing world.
“Mud Run Guide, the biggest online guide for obstacle course racing across the world, has competitions for the best races, best race directors, best everything and people make nominations,” said Hubie Cushman, who created the obstacle for the Indian Mud Run. “We were nominated as one of the best new obstacles and got runner up to a Spartan obstacle. Spartan is such a huge corporation with a TV following and we were still in the same competition with them.”
A smaller version of the Floating Walls first appeared at the Indian Mud Run in 2016 and went across the canal and caught the attention of Adrian Bijanada and his group Adventurey LLC, which plans the Obstacle Course Racing World Championships.
“It was being held in Canada and they wanted me to bring it up but we couldn’t put it over water because you didn’t know how cold it would be in October there,” Cushman said. “That’s when the career center got involved and we built the steel rig. They ended up being so in awe of the test video that they moved it closer to the finish line where the better ones are for more people to see.”
At this time though, the obstacle was made of all steel and was extremely heavy and hard to put up.
“Aluminum frame work was purchased for it and now it’s really easy to put up and easy to transport,” Cushman said. “It looks really professional too, like something you would see on American Ninja Warrior.”
The new Floating Walls was at the finish line of the 2017 Indian Mud Run and at the finish lines of the U.S. championships in Texas and again at the world championships in Canada.
“Sixty-seven countries were represented at the world championship and competed on our obstacle, which had a sign on it saying, ‘Indian Mud Run, Coshocton, Ohio,’” Cushman said. “Also after people saw the 2016 version of it made of steel it brought people from 27 states and Canada to the 2017 Indian Mud Run. With it being at the finish lines of two major races in 2017, I really think that it is going to draw even more people to our race.”
He had a number of people to thank for helping make the Floating Walls obstacle what it is today.
“When I had the idea for the obstacle I was talking to Joel Jumper at Coshocton Lumber about my vision,” Cushman said. “I put a list together of stuff I needed and he donated it all. Rusty Fry my co-obstacle builder has been extremely helpful. None of this would have ever happened either without the sheriff’s office and the trustees help or without the JVS (career center) welding department who put the first rig together. I also want to thank my brother Dick for the use of his truck to haul the obstacle to Texas, Canada and all over the U.S.”
Registration for the race is open at www.indianmudrun.com and you also can visit the website to get more information about volunteering at the event.
“There is a huge need for volunteers,” Cushman said. “We need to have as many as we can to be observers at the obstacles to take down someone’s number if they fail it. All you have to do is pull up a lawn chair, sit and watch and take down numbers. You will get a close view of some amazing athletes from all over the United States performing really cool stuff.”
Amy Taylor is taking over the volunteers and can be reached by e-mail at dymdgrl@gmail.com or 740-502-7208.
The 2018 Indian Mud Run is set for Saturday, June 23.
“I’m scouting out changes in the layout of the course, but it’s still going to be around six and a half miles in length,” Cushman said. “I’m also working on another new obstacle that I hope will be in the running for best new obstacle. What brings people from all over the United States and Canada to run our race is the very unique obstacles. If our new obstacle wins an award I wouldn’t be surprised if more people from outside the U.S. start coming to Coshocton.”
