Charity Chase, Davidson

After graduating from college, two North Carolina natives started Charity Chase as an entertaining way to give back to their community. Envisioning an activity that would draw all sorts of people together, they put their energies into cultivating an abundant natural resource: mud. After testing their physical and mental fortitude at dirt-carved racecourses throughout the area, runners sprint across the finish line to find lively after parties. Crowds swap battle stories to the rousing tunes of live musicians, and costume contests grade the creative garb of contestants, spectators, and mud beasts disturbed from their subterranean homes by the ruckus. Benefiting groups include an assortment of charities and school organizations, depending on the event.