Mud run participants race out of the starting line during the Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 5, at Switchback MX. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
Matthew Brown
Arrive clean, get dirty
No clothing came out unscathed when Muddy Dash brought around 5,500 people Saturday, Sept. 5, to Switchback MX in Clay Township, adding more mud and mayhem to the course’s already slippery, steep inclines and winding trails.
The Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh crew took advantage of the recent storms to make Switchback MX extra muddy, creating a 5-kilometer obstacle course that proved challenging but rewarding as families crossed the finish line together.
Alex Hoy, right, crosses underneath ropes during the Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh at Switchback MX, Saturday, Sept. 5. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Brian Cross drove his family from Kensington, Ohio, to complete the Muddy Dash course to test his knee, which went through surgery in March.
“I wanted to do it with my family, and I had knee replacement surgery, so it was my goal to make it through,” he said.
Cross said the hardest section for him was going down a small tube slide into a pool of muddy water, which racers then had to trek through to continue the course. There was also a food truck with items prepared by local farmer Eric Schwalm, portable bathrooms and showers for racers afterward.
“The pond was definitely the most challenging part for the short ladies,” said Ann Fogliani, who traveled from Pittsburgh to the dash.
Tylor Anderson crosses a mud pit during the Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh at Switchback MX, Saturday, Sept. 5. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Other challenging obstacles include Switchback’s signature muddy jumps and steep hills, a rope swing over a muddy pit and a climbing wall with a cargo net.
“That ascension up there was crazy,” said Leo Bravo, a racer from Pittsburgh.
Bravo brought his friend, Alan Bustos, to the course for his first time in the U.S. while visiting from Argentina. Like many others, the two of them finished ahead of the rest of their group since the course diverged in multiple directions.
A mud run participant makes her way up a hill during the Muddy Dash-Pittsburgh at Switchback MX, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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“They just let us have free reign of the track,” said Muddy Dash race director Kiki Gray. “(We) like the motocross tracks because they have the mud. People are going to have fun.”
Gray said her team dug five to eight pits to fill with water and mud before the day began. The organization, based in Phoenix, travels across the country and puts on about 100 events per year. Most of the proceeds are then donated to charitable organizations, one of the most notable being the Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
“We usually try to get some nonprofits or something from Phoenix,” Gray said about donating the proceeds.
Switchback MX owners Scott and Stephanie Roskovski said they enjoy hosting national events because it diversifies what they offer to the community. They said most people who travel to the community also spend money on food, gas and commodities that strengthen the businesses of the community.
“It’s a win-win,” Scott Roskovski said.
A mud run participant crosses tires during the Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh at Switchback MX, Saturday, Sept. 5. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
Matthew Brown
Mud run particpants swing across a mud pit during the Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 5, at Switchback MX. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
Matthew Brown
Mud run participants climb over obstacles during the Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 5, at Switchback MX. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
Matthew Brown
Mud run participants stumble through a mud pit during the Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 5, at Switchback MX. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
Matthew Brown
Mud run participants clamber up a hill during the Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 5, at Switchback MX. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
Matthew Brown
Mud run participants climb over obstacles during the Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 5, at Switchback MX. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
Matthew Brown
Amanda Sommer runs through a mud pit during the Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 5, at Switchback MX. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Dominic Peaver crosses a mud pit during the Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 5, at Switchback MX. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mud run particpants swing across a mud pit during the Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 5, at Switchback MX. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
Matthew Brown
Mud run participants clamber up a hill during the Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 5, at Switchback MX. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
Matthew Brown
Mud run participants clamber up a hill during the Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 5, at Switchback MX. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
Matthew Brown
Mud run participants work their way through the course during the Muddy Dash —Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 5, at Switchback MX. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
Matthew Brown
Mud run participants work their way through the course during the Muddy Dash —Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 5, at Switchback MX. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
Matthew Brown
A young mud run participant crosses a mud pit during the Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 5, at Switchback MX. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Michael Prokesch races through a mud pit during the Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 5, at Switchback MX. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Michelle Spencer and Billy Huehn show off their medals after finishing the Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 5, at Switchback MX. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Mud run participants work their way through the course during the Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 5, at Switchback MX. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
Matthew Brown
Mud run participants race through the mud during the Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 5, at Switchback MX. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
Matthew Brown
A mud run participant swings across a mud pit during the Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 5, at Switchback MX. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
Matthew Brown
A mud run participant works her way up a hill during the Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 5, at Switchback MX. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Shayla Davenport runs through a mud pit during the Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 5, at Switchback MX. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Samantha Jones drops into a mud pit during the Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 5, at Switchback MX. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
Matthew Brown
Mud run participants work their way through the course during the Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 5, at Switchback MX. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Emma Lindey, 9, works her way through a mud pit during the Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 5, at Switchback MX. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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From left, Andrea Macdonald, Kaliana Villa and Marino Swanson hold up their medals after finishing the Muddy Dash — Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 5, at Switchback MX. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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