MINNEAPOLIS – Approximately 15,000 participants will all arrive at Somerset Amphitheater in Somerset, Wis., this weekend to participate in the Tough Mudder, a 12-mile endurance challenge that is said to be the ultimate test of strength, grit, stamina and camaraderie.
Designed by British special forces, Tough Mudder features more than 20 military-style obstacles, such as “Funky Monkey,” greased-up monkey bars; “Fire Walker,” a run through 4-foot-high flames; and “Electroshock Therapy,” a gauntlet of 10,000-volt-charged dangling wires. The event is not about finish times or winning medals – simply completing Tough Mudder is a badge of honor. On average, only 78 percent of participants finish a Tough Mudder event, and with a course designed to be impossible to complete individually, 80 percent of participants register with a team.
You might ask yourself, what kind of people compete in this sort of grueling event and why do they do it?
Alisha Miller, a former U.S. Army Reserve soldier, from Mound Minn., Dani Piecek, a reporter for Northland News Center, from Duluth, Minn., and Cory Piecek, a student studying English at the University of St. Cloud, Minn., are competing under the team code named “Dust-off,” which is Cory and Dani’s fathers code name from when he flew Medical Evacuation helicopter missions during Operation Desert Storm.
The troops are near and dear to our hearts, said Dani. So this is a small thing that we can do to help our troops and get them back on their feet when they get hurt.
Team Dust-off decided to take part in this event to help raise money and awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project and its mission to assist severely injured veterans. To date Tough Mudder is the largest supporter of the WWP, and has raised more than $2.5 million.
“I served our country proudly and with dedication for nine years and I have many friends that have proudly served and been injured, said Alisha. No matter your race, gender or age, everyone works together to complete one end goal. This is the one thing I look forward to most about this event, is seeing so many people gather together for one goal, to finish the race, and to do it as a team and help others make it to the end.”
To participate in the Tough Mudder event simply go to http://toughmudder.com/, and follow the instructions, or just show up at Somerset Amphitheater this weekend. In order to donate to the WWP, visit http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/
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