Sven Alskog

News Editor

Every year at Idaho State University hundreds of participants come together for the ISU Ambush, a 5K mud run and obstacle team challenge hosted by the Associated Students of Idaho State University (ASISU).

The 2014 event will begin Saturday, Sept. 20 at 9 a.m.

The course begins at Bartz Field next to Miller Ranch Stadium, home of ISU softball, and continues past the Stephens Performing Arts Center, eventually heading through some of the hills surrounding campus before culminating back at Bartz Field.

Recruitment at ISU originally hosted the event, designed to attract students to the university.

However ASISU took over last year in the planning and execution of the Ambush.

ASISU President Kyle Son, Vice President Taylor Tingey, Secretary Zara Sivertsen as well as Jordan Reed have planned the 2014 race.

Both Reed and Sivertsen helped organize the event last year alongside former ASISU President Matt Bloxham.

“It will be valuable to have people who were a part of it last year,” said Son.

“We have four team members and four key areas to focus on: registration, course design [materials,] fundraising and marketing. Each of these categories [involves] a lot of planning and working,” he added.

Participants and viewers alike will see plenty of new mixed in with some favorites from years past.

“In planning we use a basis of obstacles that have already been placed there,” said Reed. “Facilities helps a lot with obstacles such as digging holes.”

In addition to the race, a tractor tire pull and a telephone pole carry will be featured to add to the slate of team events this year.

Rather than teams of four like previous years, an idea by Sivertsen will change the way the Ambush is structured to a degree.

“We expanded it to allow teams of seven,” she said. “So far we have seen a significant increase in the number of clubs registered.”

Son stated that the event organizers are expecting somewhere between 450-500 participants for the Ambush this year.

Both Tingey and Son have placed the majority of their efforts for the mud run on marketing and fundraising.

“We started by making a list of organizations we thought could go donate or who have in the past,” said Tingey.

“A lot of businesses got back to us, many favorably. We also have students from Idaho Falls who participate, so we focused there as well, with the response being positive there too,” he added.

Financially the event has boomed in the last couple of years.

“We are looking at about $7,000 in cash sponsorships this year,” said Son.

“In the first year of the event recruiting brought in around an $800 profit. Last year brought in around $8,000 and we expect that to go up,”

Tingey mentioned that working with the ISU Foundation was a big help in giving the group direction when it came to dealing with community partners.

Along with that, a restructuring of the tiers of sponsorship, which Son stated previously didn’t appropriately reflect the levels of sponsorship, has been changed to an easier to understand bronze-platinum system.

Idaho Central Credit Union, ISU Credit Union, Textbook Exchange and Mountain View Hospital are all platinum sponsors this year, each donating $1,000 or more.

Sivertsen pointed out donations of tires and a slip and slide have also helped greatly.

Additionally, those interested in volunteering can email ude.usinull@hsubma for more information. Volunteer positions range from helping put on the event, handling first responder duties and taking photos.