Nick Blais places hay bales Friday next to a Tough Gator Challenge obstacle at Geiger Elementary School in Lewiston. The climbing wall is just one of many obstacles that participants will need to tackle to complete the obstacle course and mud run. The Geiger Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization fundraiser will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The cost is $10 per person. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
LEWISTON — Hundreds of mud-loving kids will be headed Saturday to Geiger Elementary School for the seventh Tough Gator Challenge.
Organized by the Geiger Parent Teacher Organization, the popular rain-or-shine event features an obstacle course mud run for kids of all ages from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“They come out pretty muddy … We put hoses out in front for kids to just rinse off before they get in their poor parents’ car,” Geiger Principal Cindy Gish said with a laugh.
Proceeds from the event will help fund field trips, school supplies and end-of-year events for sixth graders.
“It goes right to the kids,” Gish said.
Last held in 2019, the course is just over a mile long with more than 20 obstacles, including a Tarzan-style rope swing, balance beam, climbing wall and the messy mud pit.
“The kids just love it,” said Gish. “Some kids run it over, like, sometimes 15 times through. … They just keep going.”
Members of the Lewiston Fire Department stopped by Friday to fill mud pits for the Tough Gator Challenge at Geiger Elementary School in Lewiston. The Geiger Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization fundraiser will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The cost is $10 per person. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
As of Friday, nearly 300 kids had preregistered for the event according to Gish. Registration will continue to be open during the event tomorrow with a cost of $10 per child.
All participants will receive a Tough Gator Challenge T-shirt.
Food and raffle tickets will be available for purchase at the event. A Geiger parent will also blow up a hot air balloon in front of the school for children and parents to enjoy.
Participants will start in waves every 15 minutes, however the run isn’t timed. The focus is getting kids out, moving and having fun, Gish said.
Organizers encourage adults to accompany children under 6 years through the course.
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