My Name is Kelly Archbold and as well as being GB’s Customer Services Manager I also manage the Omega Team. As you know GB staff are always thinking of new interesting ways of raising money for charity. So you can imagine my surprise when a member of my team and two of his friends approached me saying that they would like help to raise money for the Help for Heroes charity by taking part in the crazy event that is ‘Tough Mudder’.
For those of you who don’t know what Tough Mudder is, crazy is just one of the words that springs to mind when you see what it entails. Tough Mudder is a 12 mile obstacle course designed by Special Forces to be one of the hardest fitness tests known to man!!!! If you’re a wimp you can leave out some of the obstacles, but doing that means you haven’t completed the course.
So you may now be asking the same question that I am: Why would anyone ever want to take part in this kind of torture (for want of a better word)? Well, the answer is I have no idea and even less of how they managed to convince me to do it with them.
However, if by some miracle we manage to complete our gruelling fitness training and survive this amazing test of determination we hope to raise several hundred pounds for Help For Heroes as well as being rewarded with a real feeling of accomplishment.
Our four man team will be tackling a course specially designed to test all round stress, stamina, determination and camaraderie with our fellow competitors. The 12 mile course are designed to test competitors in every way using mud, fire, ice, water and errrrrrr……… 10,000 volts of electricity!!
Obstacles include:
- Pools of chest high ice cold water
- Rope traverses over rivers
- Cliff hangers
- Electro-shock therapy
- Fire walks (or runs)
- Underground mud tunnels
- And the strength-sapping Mud Mile
Tough Mudder is not supposed to be treated as a race. The organisation’s pledge states:
- I understand that Tough Mudder is not a race but a challenge
- I put teamwork and camaraderie before my course time
- I do not whine – kids whine
- I help my fellow Mudders to complete the course
- I overcome all fears
Are we mad to take it on? Probably, but if you fancy a go and can form your own team the event is over the weekend of November 17th and 18th and is based at Cholomondley Castle in Malpas, Cheshire.
In our next blog we will be introducing you to the team and giving you an idea of the intense training programme needed to complete this event.
