Land Rover's Columbia Muddy Buddy Run & Ride Hits NY

Despite oppressive record-breaking temps and high humidity, throngs turned out this past weekend to cheer on participants in the Land Rover Certified Pre-Owned/Columbia Sportswear Muddy Buddy Ride & Run Series held at Harriman State Park outside of New York City.

Combined Dispatches Edited by JOSEPH V. KUCA

“Adventure and Land Rover; go together like Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, like fun and excitement. That's why for the past six years, Land Rover has been a proud sponsor and passionate supporter of the Columbia Muddy Buddy Run And Ride series”, writes Jeremy Render, Jaguar Land Rover Pre-owned Brand Manager.

The race was developed in the spirit of having a good time with friends and welcomes novices and experts alike. Throughout the 2010 series, thousands of two-person teams compete in this fun and challenging six-mile run and bike race to either win a podium spot (top 5 each age bracket) or to simply come out to participate in a great event with his or her buddy in front of a family of spectators. At the start, one person bikes while the other runs, and at each series of obstacles they switch. At the end, both have to crawl through the infamous 50-foot-long Mud Pit together. I've competed and it's truly a blast.

This year's series kicked off in Las Vegas in early March and will finish up in Miami on November 21st. In total, there are 18 events, this past Sunday, July 25th saw the New York state stop on the Muddy Buddy tour with the next Muddy Buddy Run and Ride taking place in Chicago on Sunday, August 1st.

One of the many core values Bob Babbitt, co-founder and Muddy Buddy Run and Ride mascot, and Land Rover share is an emphasis on the charitable component of the series. The event series and Land Rover help to raise money to support the Challenged Athletes Foundation. The foundation provides sport prosthetics and mentoring to challenged athletes and people of all ages with physical disabilities; helping to bring these athletes and fellow citizens back into the game of life.

Land Rover Certified Pre-Owned is the official auto sponsor of Muddy Buddy Run and Ride and we are proud to help raise money through Muddy Buddy to support the Challenged Athletes Foundation. In the past two and a half years, we have helped raise over $100,000 through the Land Rover Muddy Buddy Challenge. This money goes toward providing disabled athletes with the vital adaptive equipment, prosthetics and hand cycles they need to take part in sports.

Naturally, our local Land Rover retailers are enthusiastic participants, fielding teams and being on-site with their fellow community members and race participants. Many also hold pre-race events at their Centers where local entrants are treated to a carb-heavy dinner. For each Muddy Buddy Event, Land Rover North America donates $1,000 to the Challenged Athletes Foundation. This is truly a fun event and a great cause that we know is changing lives, one athlete at a time.

For more information, go to www.muddybuddy.com