Tough Mudder extreme obstacle course offers chance to bond
When Miranda Reynolds of Searcy learned about the Tough Mudder — a 12-mile obstacle course that benefits the Wounded Warrior Project — she decided that running it would be a great way to honor her grandfather, Eppes Mabry of Mountain View, who was injured during World War II.
“I wanted to do it with my brother,” Reynolds said. “It looked so impossible.”
Reynolds said she called her brother Ernie Gillihan of Batesville and asked him to watch a video of the Tough Mudder, and he agreed to run the course in Dallas with her. He assembled a team and began training.
The Tough Mudder, which is a major partner in the Wounded Warrior Project, draws athletes worldwide to run through mud, fire, ice and
10,000 volts of electricity. According to the event’s website, the event has raised around $2 million for the Wounded Warrior Project.
The courses, which were designed by the British Special Forces, include a 12-foot wall and underground mud tunnels.
The Tough Mudder is meant to be a team event, so team members can help each other complete the course.
Team member Michael Thatch works with Gillihan at the Independence County Sheriff’s Department.
“Me and Ernie have always worked out together, and we were on the SWAT team together,” Thatch said. “I’ve got an obstacle course in my backyard.
“I faired better [in the Tough Mudder] than I thought I would. After going through SWAT school and teaching there, and going through the academy, this was the hardest thing I’ve done. … We spent six hours on the course. There was a lot of military-style stuff.”
Thatch said it’s not only a physical challenge, but it’s a mental challenge, too.
“There’s a camaraderie between the participants,” he said. “It’s built around the team concept. It’s a great experience. It made me feel like if I set my mind to it, there are a lot of things I can do.”
Reynolds, who ended up being the only woman on the team, said she began training for the course on Dec. 20. Although Reynolds said she’s no stranger to the gym, she said she had never trained for a race before, especially one of this caliber.
“Ernie and I had gotten a little fluffy, and we thought this would be good for us,” she said with a chuckle.
She also said she didn’t know the other team members before the initial meeting in January.
“I called a meeting in January and got us together and printed off a training manual,” she said.
“Next time we saw each other was in Dallas, but we kept in touch with Facebook. … It’s really odd when you do stuff like that with strangers. You form a bond.”
The most difficult obstacle in the race for Reynolds was swimming in the ice tank.
“My whole body wouldn’t function,” she said. “I had a hard time holding my breath.”
But she said the entire team completed every obstacle and never complained. Reynolds said one thing that kept her going was knowing that her grandfather’s name was on the back of her shirt, and she was doing this for him.
“You don’t want to quit if you’ve got your pawpaw’s name on your back,” Reynolds said.
“My grandfather was wounded in World War II, and he never spoke of it. None of the family really knew the details of what went on over there. But today is different. When men come back, they’re going to need help.”
Reynolds and Thatch said they plan on running the Tough Mudder in Poplar Bluff, Mo., in October.
Other team members were Wes Obrigewitsch of Batesville; Rob Milligan of Medina, Tenn.; Shawn Mason of Stuttgart; Jeff Welcher of Cave City; and Priscilla Forte of Searcy, who is the team’s photographer.
For more information on Tough Mudder events worldwide and to learn more about the Wounded Warrior Project, visit toughmudder.com.
Staff writer Jeanni Brosius can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or jbrosius@arkansasonline. com.