Clothing for Mud and Water Running

Running can be a great experience if your clothing is right and fits well, even when wet. Unless you are a fair weather runner you will get wet from rain, puddles, mud pits and open water swimming. Your clothes need to feel good and be comfortable no matter what you do. The following tips are mainly for mud running but can be adapted for any other wet run.

When you go to bog, it's also a wise thing to leave your best clothes at home. Besides warm weather clothing you should also have something against rain and cold. You should also have extra footwear with you because you almost never can get out of bog with dry feet. Your local Army Surplus Shop may have most of the robust and inexpensive clothes and shoes you want.

Clothing Checklist

Get your adventure or mud running kit.
We recommend that you wear old comfy clothes. They will get soaking wet and dirty during most events, but also protect you from cuts and bruises. Army surplus shops can help you get "geared up" from head to toe. They have most of the gear mentioned below.

Team Shirts add to the spirit of any event. If you're on a team, make up your own team name and a shirt to show the pride of your team. We've seen some great team shirts and it makes the event all the more fun. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, just something that communicates the esprit de corps of your team.

Try your kit before the race.
Wet clothes feel a lot different then dry kit. Put on your running kit, take a shower or bath and see how it fits. Then go for a run and a swim. You'll soon find out what fits and what causes trouble.

Loose fitting cotton should be avoided. Sweat pants are extremely bad. Unless you're just training, avoid thick cottons that absorb and hold water and mud and add weight. T-shirts can be worn loose as they don't weigh much, even when wet. Anything that soaks up a lot of mud and water will weigh you down, not to mention chaff you.

Spandex is an option for any racing event. It is lightweight and doesn't hold much water. Keep in mind that it gets damaged easily.

Wear long pants or running tights.
You'll need these to protect your legs in the deep, dark mud pits. Running tights made from robust nylon fabric are a good option.

Wear shorts under your pants.
Being able to shed down to your shorts versus your muddy "used-to-be-white-underwear" will make the outdoor co-ed showers a much more enjoyable experience.

Wear an unlined cagoule on windy days, which is a rain top with no zip. Zips can get clogged with mud. Choose a smooth nylon fabric from which mud just slides off. Any cotton feel cags may hold more mud.

Wear thick socks.
Knee high socks are like ankle weights when wet. Wear ankle socks, preferably the ones made for running. This will prevent blisters and help your feet feel just as good as the day before the event. Definitely no cotton socks. Cotton + water = blisters.

Wear boots or running shoes.
Unless you want to slip and suffer, leave those sneakers at home! You'll need a pair of boots with good tread, especially after your first stomp in the mud. Sneakers do not have enough traction with all the mud that will get caked on. Plus, the hills of dirt that you climb along the race have been known to eat a sneaker now and then because they come off so easy. Running shoes that breathe are what you want (leather is bad).

Don't duct tape your shoes, just double-tie your laces and TUCK them in. You don't need to duct tape your shoes onto your feet, but you may if you want to look like the serious adventure runner!

If you duct tape your shoes, people have the tendency to tape too hard and cut off the circulation, or limit the range of motion in your foot, causing injury. By taping, you loose 50% or more of the traction on the bottom of your shoes as well. 300 meters into the race is the first mud hole! You do the math.

From the first obstacle on, it's mud, dirt, mud after mud for 2 miles, then it's a 3 mile stroll. History shows that most runners pull off the tape on the back side of the run. You don't see Marines running up the river with duct tape on their feet do you? Usually, they are wearing boots and camo gear.

Don't wear goggles or sunglasses.
Contact lenses can be a pain when mud gets in your eyes.

Soak your clothes after the race.
Believe it or not, the mud does come out of your clothes! All clothes will get seriously wet and dirty during this event, but showers are often provided to rinse most of the dirt off. Make good use of the showers. Rinse off as much mud from your as you can. It comes of easier if you're still wearing your kit.

Soak everything (even your boots) in a garbage can or other container and keep rinsing and soaking until the majority of mud has disappeared. Then you can throw your clothes in the washing machine.

Bring a Garbage Bag to put your dirty clothes and shoes in for the drive home.

Bring a change of clothes (including shoes)
You'll remember just how important this is when your carpooling buddy refuses to let you put your muddy body in their clean car. Bring a towel for the showers.

The post race festivities are meant to be fun.