August 7th 2007 9:50 am
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Canine charity walks are fun and support good causes, but the Muddy Paws Trail Run kicks things up a notch and really challenges dogs and their owners. You’ve got to be able to tackle some tough terrain on this trail run ... you can’t be worried about getting your paws dirty. This is “ruff” stuff!

Cousin Buddy and I (along with our human moms) ran the two-mile Muddy Paws race on Saturday, July 7. When we arrived at the Pine Hollow trailhead on Quick Road, we were greeted by pups galore. Word had spread in the canine community about last year’s great run. The beautiful weather attracted a large crowd of dogs and their humans, as well as humans who came to run the five or ten-mile races by themselves.

The race organizers let the solo humans start first, and then released the hounds. After a while, humans began to pass us on their second loop around the trail. Buddy and I woofed encouraging barks at all of the runners, and we politely moved to the side of the trail so they could pass without tripping on our leashes. Nearly every runner said hello to us in English or smiled and waved. A few runners even woofed to us in our canine language ... we were impressed with these bilingual runners, even though they had pretty obvious
human accents.

At the finish line, each pup received an orange participant ribbon. Bowls of fresh water were everywhere ... no pup went thirsty. Post-race, my mom had to pull me away from the runners, because I kept going up to them and licking their salty ankles. I sure was “dog tired” after the race, but it was worth it!

Proceeds from Muddy Paws benefit the Humane Society of Greater Akron, which gives needy dogs a new “leash” on life. The event was organized by Vertical Runner and the races were timed by SARC. Thanks for reading my “first paw” account of this great race!