This post is more of a side note to all of the Army stuff but it helped me get in shape for training so I figured I would write about it. Besides, I need to brag a little bit about the coveted orange headbands my teammates and I received after completing the grueling 10 mile obstacle course in the 95 degree heat and humidity that comes with every Wisconsin summer. The race took place at Devil's Head Ski Resort at the end of July. I signed up back in April because I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it and because all of the proceeds benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. Being a nurse in the Army means having those wounded warriors as my patients so I felt this was an exceptionally worthwhile event; not to mention FUN!
The event was huge, they started 500 people every 20 minutes for a total of about 7,500 racers and I'm told that about 80% finished. Not finishing wasn't an option for me and my teammates (a group of co-workers). The race wasn't timed, the goal is just to finish and help others along the way. There were lots of people dropping out and ambulance sirens could be heard all day long. Flight for Life came in a couple of times and there were several broken bones along with lots of people suffering from heat exhaustion and dehydration. We did a good job as a team of keeping each other motivated and hydrated, taking frequent stops for water and energy bars.
The teamwork exhibited by every racer was an incredible thing to see. I've never been a part of an event before where it didn't matter who was racing next to you, whether you knew them or not, there was always someone ready to reach out and lend a helping hand. Running up the greased half-pipe, I lost my footing and multiple people grabbed my arm to keep me from falling back down. Another teammate cramped up and we didn't realize right away that he had dropped, when we went back for him, another racer was helping him stretch out and a spectator had given him a bottle of water. At the 12 foot walls, there were 2 sets of 2 walls, we helped the last member of the team ahead of us over and the team behind us helped lift our last team member over. There was no pushing or shoving to get to the front of a line when there were bottle necks, everyone waited their turn and cheered on everyone else around them.
The race really pushed me to my limits. We did everything from cargo nets to monkey bars and balance beams to jumping off 20 ft platforms and swimming, running through burning hay bales, carrying logs through ponds that reeked of manure, submerging in ice cold water, belly crawling through mud under barbed wire (see the picture at the top of the post), and of course there were the dreaded live electrical wires for an added bonus 30 feet from the finish line. The race was a blast and I've never been so sore in my life. I could barely walk for the next 3 days but I'd do it again in a heartbeat if nothing else for the camaraderie and chance to prove that I can be a Tough Mudder.
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