The participants arrive at the mud flats at the outer rim of the Great Swamp. The sun still low, but rising in the East. Grey mud stretches far in every direction. Two 4-meter tall poles and a banner between them saying "Start" mark the starting line. From there on out a line of yellow poles can be seen heading of into the distance with about 20 meters of space between one another.
The mud is barely ankle-deep here. Everyone already has muddy feet even though the race has not even started yet. Aiko is standing next to the starting line,
wearing shin high boots, khaki shorts and a red bikini top. Her legs are covered entirely in mud, and specks of mud reach up to her bare midriff and partially cover her tattoo. A small closed case is resting in the mud beside her. A little further off to the side is a quad bike which is also sprayed in mud all over.
"Welcome to the First Swamp Run, everyone! I'm really excited as we're about to start in a few minutes. Let me tell you a little bit about the course you will be facing. First off, as you can see, here are the mud flats. These are mostly harmless though there are some soft deep spots. To give you all an easy start I marked the recommended route with these little yellow sticks. Just don't stray too far from these, and you should reach the reeds back there without any trouble. There are supposed to be some bogs hidden between those reeds. I did not see any when I walked there yesterday, but that might just have been my (bad?
luck. Also, there is no marked path there, just keep heading West, straight away from the sun. Past those reeds, you will find the Moor. Now that's where you really want to watch your step. There is a trail, where people and animals usually walk and which is perfectly safe though. And before you reach the finish line you will need to cross parts of the Wasteland. As long as you stay away from those murky ponds, there's little chance you will encounter any sinky trouble. Now, I think everyone has signed the waiver... good, so I won't be held responsible for whatever happens to you out there... not that I expect anything bad to happen... ah, well. Yeah. Anyway, have fun and now let's get to the starting line, everyone!"
The runners get in position while Aiko opens the case and takes the starter's gun from it. She points it up in the air. "Ready. Set. GO!" Bang! The race has begun.
The four participants charge down the slippery marked path heading West. Running feet sink into the mud to the ankles with every step and send mud
flying in all directions. Every runner gets his or her share of muddiness. There are only some slight turns along the marked trail, for the most part
the poles lead straight towards the reeds in the distance. So far the group is staying fairly close together until it meets an obstacle. A large fallen dead tree is blocking the way to the next marker. There are no other trees in the area - neither fallen nor standing - so it appears to have been placed there deliberately. The trunk is about 1 meter in diameter and one could try to climb over holding on those branches. On one side there's also a crawlspace that should be large enough for people to get through underneath. Or, of course, one might simply run around the tree on either side - a detour that would lead at about 15m away from the marked path.
You have ~24 hours to make your choice (or it will be random):
A) Climb over
B) Crawl under
C) Run around
