Dirty Bird, Southwestern Michigan College’s 8K obstacle mud run for veterans’ scholarships, grew by a third its second time out Saturday to 89 teams and more than 300 participants divided into eagle, hawk and falcon tiers and nine divisions.

The inaugural Dirty Bird in 2012 raised $7,000 for scholarships, so $10,000 seems within grasp this year. Next year’s event is already scheduled for April 12.

The men’s eagle team, Fudder Muckers, completed the course in 47:49, comfortably ahead of the Swamp Donkeys (56:04) and Sempiternal.

Women’s highest-flying eagles were the Bad Ass Mudder Runners and the Old Mother Hens, with winning co-ed squads Blue Team and Booty and the Beast.

Justice League was declared the dirtiest birds, although keeping mud to a minimum was water so deep it washed them off.

Judge Susan Dobrich of Dowagiac, whose team, Five Shades of Gray, wore pink tutus, said the deep water took her breath away.

Debuting a big MAC attack good enough for first in the hawk tier were Union City teachers Megan McKown, Amber Case and Cresta Wright from Branch County.

“We stumbled across it on the internet,” they said. “We don’t run all the time, but we’re athletic. We’re running 1,000 miles this year. The course is very tough. Cold, windy, muddy. I’m 5-1 and I couldn’t touch (bottom).”

Best team name was awarded to the bright orange Kansas State Penitentiary Badminton Club.

Kiss This, which won best costumes while finishing in 70:51, consisted of Shelby Willis, Emily Utermark, Kristan Stelmasiak and Nicole Himes.

They played soccer together and resurrected Halloween outfits to look like rockers Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley.

They agreed “the water was the bad part. It was up to your neck, you had to go under a pipe and you couldn’t breathe. It took your breath away. It was horrible.”

Anita Haas said the four-gal Dirty Chicks from the Decatur area formed on Facebook.

She was with Eric, who is coming to Dowagiac City Council tonight to see about property in the industrial park to relocate his business.

Winning men’s teams in the hawk division were the Devil Pups, Backdoor Bandits and Mud Sluts; women, MAC Inspire, Improvisation Fitness Girls and Mud Studs; co-ed, Sonic Death Monkeys, The Dirty Mud Runners and Improvision Fitness.

In the falcon men’s division, it was Mall Walkers, Mud Divers and Easy Girls Who Like Dirty Boys; women’s, Flaming Flamingos, Butterscotch Babies and Kiss This; and co-ed, Prism, Team Storm and Watervliet.

As soon as the race ended there was an after-party with a $10 all-you-can eat Mexican buffet at Wounded Minnow, which also pads the scholarship account.

A Marine Color Guard from Western Michigan University ROTC started the race.

Dowagiac Daily News