The Mud Wars Controversy

Monkey Bar which had many broken rungs
which prevented participants from completing obstacle

This past weekend, many many many people made their way to Northerly Island (including us) for Mud Wars, a 5K billed as "Chicago's Mud Run".  We took some pictures in our weekly, Shots Around the Sloop post.  While we made the most of the experience, it was clear that something wasn't right about the operation.  The blog, Subject to Change, has a detailed post outlining most of the precarious issues.  Their intro starts to sum it up:

Six thousand people in Chicago got scammed this past weekend and the big question being asked is: What will be done about it? 

Mud Wars – which billed itself as “Chicago’s Mud Run” and took place on July 28, 2012 on Chicago’s Northerly Island – deceived participants on such a high level that people are now talking of lawsuits against the owner of Biz Events, Joe Bizzieri. 

The complaints are plenty (see below) and answers are elusive. Within 24 hours of the event, the organizer’s website has been taken down, its Facebook page wiped of all negative comments and complaints, and the owner either refusing to answer his phone or having it disconnected altogether.

The rest of the post has a detailed list of the issues many participants raised.  If you would prefer more first person accounts read the comments or this yelp thread.  The Tribune also had an article on the topic and mentioned that deal sites like Groupon and Living Social are offering refunds for people who registered for the event via their services.

We can attest to many of the observations and totally understand the dissatisfaction.

We actually had a decent time...but from the sounds of it, there won't be one next year to attend.

(Hat tip: DP!)