Red River aren’t shy at participating in events for charity, in fact, we have done many!
This June we decided to raise money for Breast Cancer Now by completing a 5km mud run, filled with many obstacles. Let me set the scene for you…
It was the 5th of June, tensions were running high after checking the weather forecast the night before, predicted thundery showers and a gentle breeze with lows of 10 degrees. We slowly arrived one by one to a very grey East Grinstead field in the middle of a residential area. I’d filled up on breakfast at my Grandparents who conveniently live five minutes away and began making my way to registration.
Registration complete and headband acquired, we waited for the remaining teammates to arrive before heading to the start. We of course had to snap a quick picture pre-mud bath to remember what it was like before being absolutely caked in the stuff for the next few hours.
11am hit, it’s time to go! Team RR (and friends) headed to the warm-up zone where a particularly enthusiastic woman got us to do some cardio and stretching to some funky tunes. Excited.
Our 11am wave is released into the wild and ready to conquer what lies ahead. We begin with a jog along the grass, and head to our first (of many!) muddy experiences. They throw us into the literal deep end where we are faced with a pool of freezing muddy water – that certainly got the blood flowing! We wade through while internally crying and trying not to think about how wet our socks are and it’s only 11:05am.
The day progresses fast, still no sign of that thunderous rain thankfully. The challenges were varied and spread throughout the course. One minute you’d be (carefully) jogging through a mud-logged woodland area, the next you’d be running a stretch through a sprawling field with the occasional deer making an appearance to cheer you on. Dotted throughout the 5k you encounter many obstacles, including scaling a vertical wall with nothing but a mud-soaked rope, carrying car tires across a field, with the added challenge of sliding them over and under wooden structures, to climbing up a rope wall full of more tyres.
Teamwork was an essential part of this course, often you’d get stuck with your foot in deep, stodgy mud, in fear of having to part ways with your beloved left shoe. Or treacherously sliding down a steep bank into a pool of (you guessed it, mud.) Thankfully a kind teammate would always be there with an outstretched hand, ready to save you from your muddy demise.
Nearing the half-way mark we encountered the rig an awesome set up, complete with monkey bars (even some rotating ones, because it wasn’t hard enough doing everything with wet hands!) many rope related obstacles and even a delightful slide. Navigating the rig was great fun and an immense challenge, but this point is where you get to see all the spectators including some of our partners, friends and family members. This gave us that extra boost of motivation to do an amazing job and keep going until the end.
Nearing the half-way mark we encountered the rig an awesome set up, complete with monkey bars (even some rotating ones, because it wasn’t hard enough doing everything with wet hands!) many rope related obstacles and even a delightful slide. Navigating the rig was great fun and an immense challenge, but this point is where you get to see all the spectators including some of our partners, friends and family members. This gave us that extra boost of motivation to do an amazing job and keep going until the end.
We managed to raise a staggering £1194 for Breast Cancer Now, 119% of our original target!
