DEANSBORO, N.Y. - A record-breaking 1,000 runners, spectators, and volunteers are preparing for the 5th annual Daniel Barden Mudfest presented by Pepsico. The event, which has been coined "The Boilermaker's Dirty Little Brother," takes place Saturday, April 29, at MKJ Farm. The event features a 5-mile race, 5K run, and a kids half-mile obstacle course. bardenmudfest.org6844 West Hughes Road in Deansboro. until midnight on Thursday, April 27, or the morning of the event at MKJ Farm, 

The Mudfest proceeds will benefit the Daniel Barden Adventure Scholarship. Scholarship winners will participate in a 78-mile canoe leadership experience through the Adirondacks in July. As part of the application process, teens name a charity that affects them in some way. The Mudfest will donate equally to the charities named. Last year, 15 eighth-graders from central New York and Connecticut paddled, camped, and meditated in the Adirondack wilderness.

Daniel Barden was one of the first-graders killed in the Sandy Hook School tragedy in December 2012. A niece of the event organizers was inside Sandy Hook School that day, as well. She escaped physically unharmed, but her dear friend and next-door neighbor Daniel did not.

Each course at the Mudfest features both natural and manufactured obstacles, including mud-filled pits, water-logged terrain, hills, monkey bars, and ropes courses. The 5-mile race is a timed event at 9 am, targeting competitive athletes. The 5K run is for people of all abilities with heats starting at 10 am, with the last heat at 11:30 am. The kids obstacle heats start at 11 am. Music along the course includes Gary Robertson, Jr, and outside the big barn includes rock band Simple Props, Grit n' Grace, Alternate Universe, and Third Stone Blues, featuring a special guest. DJs from WOUR and K-Rock, along with Rockin' Ron, will entertain runners along the course. Local fare includes Ray Brothers BBQ and from the Celtic Harp.

Athletes may register for the Daniel Barden Mudfest at