MEXICO — Buryin’ Addiction in the Mud is the theme of the second Adam Gatchell Memorial Mud Run on Saturday to raise money to help people recover from habitual use of opioids.

Gatchell died in 2018 at age 29 from fentanyl poisoning, a powerful synthetic opioid that is similar to morphine but 50 to 100 times more potent. The following year, the first mud run raised close to $10,000, his mother, Bonnie, said.

Mud and trucks were among her son’s favorite things, she said.

Gatchell, along with Dan Richard, Katie Lawrence, Kim Money and Yvonne Allen make up the organizing committee, with assistance from others.

The mud run will be held in Couthard’s field at 456 River Road.

Gatchell said her goal is to raise money to help people get into recovery centers.

“These recovery centers cost a lot, and there are people who don’t have the resources to do that,” she said.

A portion of the proceeds will also go to the Larry Labonte Recovery Center in Rumford, which offers free counseling, resources and peer support for people with substance use disorder and mental health issues. It was established in January 2020 by Lonnie Labonte and his mother, Kathie Williams, as a tribute to their father and husband, respectively.

“Most of what we’ve done so far is that Kathie will reach out that someone needs money … to get to detox, Gathchell said. “We’ve paid for car rides. We paid for a plane ride for someone in recovery who needed to get home to family after fearing a relapse. And paid for someone to take a taxi ride to a facility.”

Last week “we paid a lady from our area to get into a sober living house, $600 for her rent. It really felt good to do that,” Gatchell said.

The referral was made through Glenn Gordon, a recovery coach at Oxford County Mental Health Services in Rumford.

The woman’s mother thanked Gatchell in a Facebook post.

“It really felt good that we were doing what I set out to do, what I believe my son would want me to be doing,” Gatchell said.

“I want more people reaching out to us,” she said. “I want people to know that we’ve used money we’ve raised to help people. I hope more and more people step up. I pray everyday for it. And if they need anything, that they’ll come to us. That’s all we can do. And I love keeping my son’s name alive, too.”

That will happen Saturday at the mud run, which is open to trucks, cars, ATVs, snowmobiles and children’s power wheels.

Gates open at 8 a.m. and machines hit the mud at 10:30 a.m. Registration is $10 per run. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-12, and free for those ages 5 and younger.

There will be limited VIP parking for an additional $10. It will be up to the line where spectators will watch.

Food and refreshments will be available, and baked goods, T-shirts and decals will be on sale.

For more information visit the Facebook page, Adam Gatchell Memorial Mud Run.

Previous fundraisers include the Adam Gatchell Memorial Snowmobile Poker Run and cornhole competitions held at Gatchell’s business, Gatch’s Food & Spirits of Rumford.