GRANITE CITY – This weekend, over 5,000 women will run through a muddy obstacle course to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research.
From 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 19, 2025, community members are invited to Tri-City Speedway for the annual MUDGIRL Run. This two-and-a-half-mile course encourages participants to get muddy and have fun while completing obstacles and supporting breast cancer awareness.
“This is just a bucket list item that you don’t want to miss,” said Tammy Gundaker with Tri-City Speedway.
Gundaker explained that Great Rivers and Routes Tourism Bureau connected the MUDGIRL Run organization with Tri-City Speedway last year. The two groups signed a three-year contract to bring the MUDGIRL Run to Illinois. This is their second year hosting a MUDGIRL Run at Tri-City Speedway, with another scheduled for next July.
While the MUDGIRL Run organization travels to cities across the country, this is the only MUDGIRL Run in the Illinois/Missouri area. People plan to travel from up to five hours away to Granite City to participate in the event.
“That’s what I loved about it, kind of giving back to the area with hotels and restaurants,” Gundaker said. “People can see Illinois, go over to Grafton, see the area while they’re here. Some of them come in buses. It’s crazy. It’s so much fun.”
Gundaker also loves watching the generations of participants, with grandmothers, mothers and daughters often running together. The husbands, fathers and brothers cheer on their ladies from the grandstand.
“Having such a family environment, that was what I thought was pretty cool last year,” she added. “Seeing them holding hands and doing stuff, the memories, it’s probably the biggest thing, sharing it together.”
As a venue, Tri-City Speedway hosts events from April through October. They hold Friday night races every week; it costs $15 for general admission and kids 12 and under get in for free. The speedway also hosts carnivals, festivals and more, and Gundaker loves thinking “outside the box” to bring fun events and more people to Granite City.
The organizers of the MUDGIRL Run emphasize that the goal is to have fun and promote breast cancer awareness. The run is not a competition, and you do not have to complete every obstacle.
You can still register to run for $30, or buy a spectator ticket for $10. You must be at least 7 years old to participate, and kids between ages 7–13 must be accompanied by an adult. Gundaker said they had an 83-year-old participant last year.
She added that Tri-City Speedway is proud to host the event, and they look forward to welcoming thousands of people for a fun, muddy, exciting adventure this weekend.
“I think the biggest thing is just people being able to do something together,” she said. “I think we kind of got away from a lot of that. It’s just fun to see families doing something different and enjoying it as a group. It’s not a competition at all. It’s just about individuals and then giving back to a great cause. That’s one of the biggest reasons to get involved in it.”
For more information, check out the official Facebook event page or visit the official MUDGIRL Run website at MUDGIRLRun.us.
