Mud Anyone?

I know I’m tough, but am I tough enough to take on the Tough Guy Tough Gal Mud Challenge in Rotorua? When I first arrived in New Zealand, I was told I absolutely MUST do the mud challenge; it’s a once in a lifetime experience that I wouldn’t want to miss. So I got really excited and hyped up about it, however, due to my bad habit of procrastination, by the time I got around to registering for the race, it was full. I was so disappointed, but through friends of friends I was able to take someone else’s spot. “Stuart” is now my racing name! My friend Kerry had the same problem but luckily, at the last minute, we overheard a guy say he couldn’t compete due to some injuries. So Kerry took his spot and became “Campbell.”

Some of the more hard core mud challengers did the 10 km race, but I opted for the “social” 5 km challenge. I'm glad I did, I was completely knackered by the time I finished. The thought of another round in the mud was not appealing.They mean it when they say mud challenge. It was not just muddy water we had to go through, it was waist high actual mud! We had to duck tape our shoes on so they wouldn’t get sucked off! I also climbed rope ladders, crawled on my hands and knees under barbed wire, maneuvered through tires, jumped over fences, crossed swaying bridges and slid down a mud slide. If that is anything like boot camp, I’m glad I decided against joining the army. But I can now tell my grandchildren I completed the Tough Guy Tough Gal Challenge when I was young and crazy!