We Came, We Saw, We got Muddy, We got Stronger Together
It is hard to put into words how awesome this experience was for us individually and as a team. I recently went to do social coverage on the Tough Mudder event in Chicago with Soap & Glory. As you can see it is incredibly muddy, and I wasn’t able to run the course because my job was to share the event on social media for the brand. Plus, if I am honest, I was terrified at the thought of running a Tough Mudder. When I got there and was able to see things with my own eyes, the fear dissipated and instead, I felt inspired by all of these people. I didn’t get the sense of competition. It was more collaboration and support mixed with pure joy. I was able to try a few obstacles at the Chicago course, and that was when I approached Soap & Glory with the idea of getting a girl power team together for the Tri-State Tough Mudder. It is a critical time for women in history, but we don’t have much experience working as a team, and that is why I wanted to get an all-female team together for my first real Tough Mudder experience.
Before
I put out a call on social media to all my girls on the east coast who were interested in joining me for this scary and exciting opportunity! With only two weeks to promote, I was so happy that 15 women said yes, to joining my girl power team! We showed up feeling the same way, nervous, anxious, and a little bit terrified. We had no idea what to expect or if we would be able to make it over the obstacles that lay in front of us. Never the less we persisted! We showed up for ourselves and each other! Shout out to Sweaty Betty for gifting our team the cutest “hero” uniforms we could have asked for! (Yes we got them clean again!)
After
The women on our team were at various fitness levels, and were different heights, shapes, and sizes! We decided that we would start this course as a team and finish as a team with a" “no woman left behind mentality.” I am proud to say that we made it over every obstacle as a team.
We stepped on each other's backs and shoulders to climb over walls, and we pushed and pulled each other over giant mounds of slippery mud, we carried tires on our shoulders, and crawled under heavy netting and even barbed wire at the Soap & Glory obstacle! We ran over 4 miles and made it to Everest! Everest was the last and most challenging obstacle for all of us. When we ran up to this giant wall, we stopped and stared in shock. “There is no way I can do this” was the collective thought we all seemed to share. I even thought about opting out entirely without trying because I was convinced it was impossible.
Yes, I was scared of falling and getting hurt, but I was also scared of trying and failing in front of everyone. I stood back and watched for a minute and before I knew it, three of my teammates took off up the wall and slide back down. They jumped up and came running back to the line ready to try again. It was their fearlessness that propelled me forward. I knew if I was going make it, I had to commit. I had to keep running and give it my all. I did, and I made it up that damn wall on my first try! I was so happy I could cry!
The next thing I did was turn around and help pull up other women, both on my team and not. We hugged at the top, and high fived in celebration as one more person made it over. I realized that Everest is the metaphor for life. It is a giant wall that seems impossible to overcome, like so many of our struggles. We feel defeated and scared when we face them head-on, but if we are willing to try, and give it our all, we will find that we were capable of so much more than we give ourselves credit for. Not only that, but if you are willing to try, there will be some good humans will grab your hands and lift you up. The Universe will support you.
This experience filled my heart with so much love and hope for the future of women. It was amazing to experience a community of love and support in the form of strength and unity. I will 100% be doing another Tough Mudder, and I would love to have you on our team! Stay tuned for details”