Bogging out

If Saturday's rain wasn't enough, ATV enthusiasts decided to throw in some mud.

The second annual mud bog, called Mud Mania: Return of the Pit, attracted about 80 entries this year, down about 20 from last year due to the rain.

But organizer Devin Panchuk said the crowds at the Exhibition grounds were just as big, if not bigger, and so was the fun.

"It's an excuse to get muddy and take a little bit of the stress off our trail systems," he said.

One of the racers was Ben Patoki, who managed to win his division despite this being his first race.

"You just weasel your way through," he said. "Mainly the trick is to keep the front of your quad up in the air, don't let it down and keep feathering the throttle. That's how you get speed."

In his last race he fell behind at the beginning, but managed to hold steady and edge around and into the lead.

"In the end it came down to raw power."

In the women's division, Jacquie Tatlow took first place.

This was her second time competing in the race, after finishing second last year, and the mud bog is pretty much the only time she steps on a quad.

Asked why she loves it, she was at a loss for words.

"It's just something to do on a Saturday," she said over the roar of engines. "It's fun, I guess. I'm just hoping I make it without getting stuck."

She was just happy she did better than her boyfriend, she said laughing.

"I got bragging rights."

While most competitors had the advantage of sliding through the mud on four wheels, four firefighters from the Buckland Fire Department had only their legs to carry them through.

These foot racers dove into the pit around lunch time and raised more than $400 toward their new fire engine, but they also found that the biggest obstacle wasn't the mud so much as each other.

Halfway across the race route, fourth-place Travis Turcotte tried to pull third-place Stephane Gaudet down into the mud, but ended up slipping.

In response, Gaudet threw Turcotte over his shoulder and both ended up submerged completely in the bog.

"I didn't think he was dirty enough," joked Gaudet, a big grin on his face, after they had cleaned up and returned to the bog.

"It's very rutty. Deep ruts, and slick underneath. You think you got some solid ground and then you hit a hole and you slip," he said.