Events
5K Great Marsh Mud Mosey
150 spots left. Registration Opens December 24, 2024 at 7:13pm EST
1 Mile Great Marsh Mud Walk
150 spots left. Registration Opens December 24, 2024 at 7:13pm EST
Place
Description
Welcome to the First Annual Great Marsh Mud Mosey which feature a 5Kish run throughout a very unique private property in Northern Chester County. The race proceeds will be donated to the Great Marsh Institute and ChesCo Search Dogs. The race and walk both start at 10:00 AM.
The Course
The course is relatively flat but will pass along through the marsh ponds on the property, alongside wooded boundaries past 100's of acres of farm land and then into the muddy portion of the property and then the last mile or so will be on a grassy surface to the finish line.
Click on the link for a flyover of the course. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WA0uY7Bwf9TiSIapL_ZNMe01hAS_5Nzf/view
The race/walk is limited to the first 150 runners.
Post Race Activities
We will have the Epicurean Garage food truck for those looking to grab a bite to eat before they head home as well as beer supplied by Stable 12 Brewing, Victory Brewing , and Botanery Barn. We also have live music for your post race fun provided by Dave Loves Donna.
ChesCo Search Dogs will be performing demonstrations of their search dogs upon the completion of the race as well as we will have some Environmental Biologists that are willing to stay after the race and explain about the beautiful property and the very special animals and flora that you might have just passed on your race.
To learn more about ChesCo Search Dogs please check out our website https://www.chescosearch.org/
To learn more about The Great Marsh Institute, please check our website https://greatmarshinstitute.org/
Pets
As this is a working farm (when races are not being held) and we will have the ChesCo Search Dogs on property, we ask that you do not bring your pets to the race.
Gear Check
This is a rain or shine event! Remember to dress for the event! Its called the Mud Mosey for a reason. Almost guaranteed to get Muddy!
Please check this space for updates in case of inclement weather conditions.
Refund Policy
Kindly note that all registration fees are non-refundable but check with your tax consultant, should be tax deductible.
Parking and Driving On-Site
Once you enter the property, follow all signs for parking. Also please drive carefully as this is a narrow and gravel road. Please keep your speed to under 25MPH to avoid damaging the road and your vehicle.
Race Contact Info
If you have any questions about this race, click the button below.
About ChesCo Search Dogs
About ChesCo Search Dogs
Founded in 2014 by Craig Snyder, ChesCo Search Dogs now has over 20 K9’s and their handlers in various stages of training to provide no fee K9 and Ground Search Services for the purposes of locating lost or missing persons in Chester County and throughout Eastern PA, New Jersey, and Northern Delaware. We currently have a combined 11 dogs that are certified in Live Find, Trailing, Human Remains or Article Search.
ChesCo Search Dogs is an all-volunteer 501c3 organization that provides all its funding for its operations, capital expenses through fundraisers, donations, and contributions by individual team members. Individual members are all responsible for everything related to their K9 including initial costs, vet care, food, and training. Members are also responsible for purchasing their own equipment including backpacks, first aid kits, proper clothing, gas, hotels and outside training seminars.
In 2023, the team was called out over 20 times to search operations for lost or missing people.
The team is always looking for private property to train on, volunteers to assist during training, or sponsors and donations. We are always looking for individuals that are interested in looking to join the team in any capacity.
We also would like to thank the Great Marsh Institute for being generous with the use of the property to train our K9’s and make us better K9 handlers.
About the Great Marsh Institute
Our Mission
Chester County’s Great Marsh provides a unique habitat for the study of flora and fauna as well as the unique characteristics of the Periglacial marsh. It is the purpose of the Great Marsh Institute (GMI) to support scientific studies through access to the property, technical support, and opportunities for educational activities including funding for student interns.
Our Story
Great Marsh Institute (GMI) focuses on the Great Marsh in Chester County, PA. The Great Marsh is primarily owned by the Moore family and French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust. The Great Marsh is a periglacial marsh and the largest marsh in Southeastern Pennsylvania, about 700 acres. Surrounding the marsh is shrub swamps, swamp forests, corridors of floodplain forest, upland forest, row crop farming and the PA turnpike.
There is evidence that the Great Marsh has been used by humans since prehistoric times. The land was also use by Native American with evidence of charcoal from that time period. In recent history, before the Moore Family owned the property the Great Marsh was actively dredged and channelized for dairy farming. In 1969, the Great Marsh was threatened by the right of eminent domain. The State Fish Commission wanted to turn it into a public lake, The Dept. of Forests and Water wanted to make it into a public park, and the US Dept. of the Interior National Park Service wanted to make it a Natural Landmark. After many correspondences between C.B. (Colman Bassett) Moore and these departments, all of this came to a halt. In the mid-to-late 20th century, the PA Turnpike split up part of the Great Marsh which has caused pollution of trash and chemical run-off and the introduction of invasive species. The most recent threat to the Great Marsh was a proposal to build the “Morganshire Village”, a residential development in 1990 at the upper end of the Great Marsh. With the efforts of The Brandywine Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy, other conservation groups, and the rest of the community, this development was stopped. Today, most of The Great Marsh is protected by conservation easements held by Brandywine Conservancy and French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust, as well as agricultural easements held by Chester County.
The Great Marsh supports a large diversity of flora and fauna. Over 150 bird species and 160 plant species have been identified on the property. There are also large mammals, such as Whitetail deer, coyote, red and silver fox, muskrat and beaver that are present on the property. Many species of amphibians and reptiles can also be seen at the Great Marsh. The Great Marsh also has an IBA (Important Bird Area) designation of D3 from Audubon. D3: Sites that contain rare or unique habitat or are an exceptional representative of an ecological community type, and that hold important species or species assemblages largely restricted to a distinctive habitat or ecological community type.
Directions
34 Moores Road, Elverson, PA 19520 - Once you are on the property, please do not drive above 25MPH as the road is gravel and for everyone's safety;