Gary Crone keeps his grip, despite mud-coated, wet hands, as he makes his way across a suspended ladder.

Getting messy was part of the fun during the Mad Dash Adventure Race. Participants seemed to thoroughly enjoy the the mud crawl portion of the event.

Riley Rising, above, won the Advanced heat in the Mad Dash Adventure Race, held at Fairfield Hills, on June 13. Rising finished in a time of 38:40. The event featured a variety of challenging obstacles; competitors climbed, crawled, ran for fun and fitness — and got muddy and soaking wet in the process. The Mad Dash had a record turnout with nearly 500 athletes who particiapted in the 4.3-mile Advanced course, one of three heats of the Beginner/Family run, and Mini Dash for young children.Read more about the event in the June 19 print edition of The Bee, or in the June 13 recap: Muddy, Wet ... And Mad About Running An Adventure Race.Find photos from the Mad Dash in The Bee's web photo gallery.