Photo By Bernhard Lashleyleidner | Pfc. Robert Tennant, left, motor transport operator with STB, 1st ABCT; Sgt....... read more read more
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TOPEKA, Kan. – Twelve Soldiers from 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, participated in the Tough Mudder challenge Sept. 21 to 22 in Topeka.
Tough Mudder is not just a race, but an 11-mile obstacle course created to test participants’ strength, stamina and mental toughness, as well as foster camaraderie and teamwork.
Tough Mudder was designed by the British Special Forces as a way to challenge overall mental and physical fitness.
“When you think about the Army values, it takes personal courage to compete in an event like this,” said Maj. Levar Armstrong, Army Marketing and Research Group spokesman. “If we look outside the Army values, we look at things that Soldiers posses: you have to be physically fit and mentally tough.”
The master of ceremonies pumped the crowd up before asking everyone to take a knee to acknowledge Soldiers.
He talked about the yearlong partnership between the Army and Tough Mudder, as well as the sacrifices made by service members every day.
He asked the crowd to give a round of applause to all the Soldiers and veterans active and inactive who were participating in the event.
After the completion of the national anthem, the horn sounded for the official start of the challenge. The competitors sprinted off the starting line to tackle the 18 obstacles spread across 11 miles on the grounds
of Heartland Park Topeka.
While all the participants shared the same goal to finish the race, their paths to the starting line were unique.
“The reason we wanted to participate in Tough Mudder is because our friend, Alexander, who is a wounded warrior, motivated me and the rest of the team to push forward,” Sgt. Christopher Grother, air defense battle systems operator, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st ABCT, 1st Inf. Div., said. “Just because you don’t have the same physical abilities as everyone else doesn’t mean you have nothing to offer.”
The two-day event drew about 10,000 people and raised more than $6.5 million for the Wounded Warrior Project.
The Tough Mudder challenge was not just about the participants, it took a robust staff of volunteers to make the event possible.
“I wasn’t able to compete in this challenge so I volunteered along with 62 other Fort Riley Soldiers as a way of showing my support for the Soldiers competing and the Wounded Warrior Project,” Spc. Nicole Alexander, transportation specialist, HHC, Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Inf. Div., said.
The Army’s Tough Mudder sponsorship enables the Army to engage a key audience about Army values and service, Alexander said.
The Initiatives of Tough Mudder are similar to the core of being a Soldier, which include physical fitness, mental toughness and teamwork.
Capt. Matthew Van Winkle, commander of Company A, 101st Brigade Support Battalion, 1st ABCT, 1st Inf. Div., said the Tough Mudder was extremely fun and a great way for him to bring his platoon leaders and staff together for a physically demanding event that fostered spirit de corps.
| Date Taken: | 09.22.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 07.22.2014 10:11 |
| Story ID: | 136866 |
| Location: | TOPEKA, KS, US |
| Web Views: | 140 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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