SPORT SHORTS

Runners, mudders and thrill-seekers from around New Jersey will brave the summer heat in the wildest and muddiest of ways when the 2014 Rugged Maniac 5K Obstacle Race comes to Raceway Park on July 12-13.

An event designed for those who love fun, fitness and festivals, hosted by one of America’s largest obstacle race companies, will see thousands of participants tackle 25 unique and challenging obstacles.

Runners will face mud pits, fire, tubes, the 60-foot water slide, swinging pendulums, and some new surprises and equally insane obstacles as they make their way in, over and through the 5-kilometer layout at Raceway Park.

Tickets, available online at www.ruggedmaniac.com, are priced at $68 through June 6, $78 through June 20 and $90 the week of the event. In addition to advance online registration, participants may also sign up at the event.

Students and military personnel with valid identification receive discount pricing. The day-long festival, which is making its fourth appearance in New Jersey, will also feature an array of entertainment, including music, mechanical bulls, adult bounce houses, craft beer from Harpoon Brewery, food and exhibition booths.

“As a kid growing up in North Carolina, where it’s similar to the Northwest, we had ample opportunities to get outdoors and have fun,” Rob Dickens, chief operating officer of Rugged Maniac, said. “From building tree houses in the woods near my home to surfing the big waves pushed up by offshore hurricanes, being active in nature with friends was a big part of life.

“Rugged Maniac is an extension of that. It’s a way for adults to feel like kids again by playing in the mud with our friends, except now we don’t have to worry about our moms yelling at us when we get home.”

Follow the New Jersey Rugged Maniac obstacle race on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ruggedmaniac and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ruggedmaniac.