LAURINBURG — St. Andrews University will host a multitude of different track and field events Saturday, culminating with a survival mud run that host Bill Cason promises will be an “interesting” way to end the festivities.

Cason, the St. Andrews track and field coach, is set to open the day with a speed, quickness and power clinic from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the school. The clinic is free to Scotland County residents and $50 for participants outside of the county, and the first 50 to register for the event online will receive a free T-shirt.

Registration will take place from 7:30 to 9, but Cason encourages interested participants to sign up beforehand on www.prsportsoflaurinburg.com

After the clinic concludes, Cason and the school will begin preparations for the boys Southeast Middle School Cross Country Championships, which is set to begin at 2 p.m. The girls will then take the course for their two-mile championship run at 2:30.

While the middle school championships are taking place, runners can partake in a free one mile fun run at 1:30. Registration is required and can be done on the sports of Laurinburg website or at the track.

Once the championships wrap up, St. Andrews will then transition to the main event — the Scotland County Survival Run and Team Challenge Mud Run.

The mud run will consist of five divisions with a limit of five participants per team. The Open Professional Division features a $2,500 prize with a $300 registration fee. The Educator’s Division costs $100 to enter with a $500 prize. The Church Youth Group Division also requires a $100 registration fee and features a $500 prize. The College Division winner will earn a $300 gift certificate, and the Individual Division has a $100 prize with a $30 registration fee.

Cason mentioned there will be a Young Knights Division for kids, and the cost to enter is $20. The young Knights run is a one-mile path through the mud hole and will avoid the more treacherous parts of the trek.

Proceeds for the various events will go towards the St. Andrews athletics department.

Cason said Saturday’s inaugural mud run challenge is the first step in a year-round event that he hopes will have sustained success through 2016.

“This is a series, we will do this same series every 60 days,” he said. “It’s a year-round mud series with a grand champion next December. There will be a $5,000 cash prize to the grand champion team that scores the most points. You score points by participating —there will be six runs in 2016 that will lead up to December’s championship. This is kind of like a warm up to see what it’s like.”

Feb. 21 will be the first race in what Cason dubs the “Scotland County Mud Series.”

For more information about Saturday’s events, contact Cason at 336-734-3009.

Logan Martinez can be reached at 910-506-3170. Follow him on Twitter @L_Martinez13.

Bill Cason
https://www.laurinburgexchange.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_bill_cason.jpgBill Cason

By Logan Martinez

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