The Lost Girls Races: Tough Mudder Race Day
Extras, Fitness & Workouts, Vermont, Volunteering & Giving Back — By Nancy Y on May 10, 2011 at 6:00 amby Nancy Yeomans
LG Air Travel News Editor
We came, we mudded, we conquered. The Lost Girls Race at the Tough Mudder, Mount Snow, Vermont happened on Saturday, May 7. Our team of five Lost Girls bravely faced the 10-mile mountain course. Along the way we encountered 28 obstacles while trekking up and down the mountain about a dozen times. It was the hardest fun we’ve ever had.
Leave all ideas of looking good at the start line. This race is about toughness – both physical and mental – pure and simple. You’ll get bruised and battered and at times wish for a broken ankle so you have a legitimate excuse to stop the insanity. You’ll do things you never thought yourself capable of…and then do them again.
I hate heights, jumping off things and don’t really love the water either. But when I found myself on a platform 15 feet up with nowhere to go but to plunge into the murky 45 degree water below, I did it. I swallowed a mouthful of the foul liquid on the way down, but surfaced like a champ and coughed it up on my swim to dry land. Melissa scrambled up the glacier like she’d been climbing Mt. Everest all her life. Susan came out of the underwater boa constrictor smiling. Diane made the traverse across the monkey bars look easy while the rest of us fell into the frigid water below. And on every ascent up the mountain Jennieve was the first one to the top.
Just a few of the obstacles we confronted head-on: a glacier climb, a series of 12-foot walls, crawling in mud under barbed wire
strung eight inches from the ground, carrying a log up and down the ski mountain and a long rope traverse through a 35-degree pond. The grand finale was to run through a canopy of live electrical wires: Big Finish! (2)
As well as I thought I’d trained for this event, it wasn’t enough. I have aches and pains in places I didn’t even know existed. My elbows and knees are a mass of cuts and scrapes and I have an eight-inch black bruise on my thigh that I have no memory of incurring. Walking up and down stairs is agony. Yet, we Lost Girls wear our orange headbands (you have to finish to get one) with pride.
The Tough Mudder team of Lost Girls raised $250 for the Butterfly Project, the organization that will enable Celestine and Kelvyne to beat the odds and attend nursing school to better their outlook for the future. Interested in starting your own Lost Girls Race Team? Information can be found here, or contact any of the Lost Girls. These races are a great excuse to gather your fitness-minded friends, do a little bonding and fundraise for a great cause.
The Tough Mudder is history for this year…I’m already training for July, 2012.
Check out these related posts:
- The Lost Girls Races: Tough Mudder Preparation
- The Lost Girls Races: Tough Mudder Motivation
- The Lost Girls Races: Tough Mudder Training
- Get in Shape for a Cause: The Lost Girls Races
- The Lost Girls Races: The Seneca 7
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8 Comments
I signed up for this event for nov. 2011 in nj. I’m not an athlete by far but I started training yesterday. So nervous! But I’m glad to see another girls team completed it definitly gives me motivation. Any advice?
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Nancy Y Reply:
May 13th, 2011 at 12:01 pm
Hello Lauren, Congratulations! The Tough Mudder race is a great way to have fun (ok, weird fun) with your friends. You will definitely need each other to be able to complete some of the obstacles and we really encouraged each other all along the way. I won’t list them all here, but yes, I have a lot of tips and tricks that worked for us…if you like, email me at [email protected] and I’ll send them to you!
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I ran across your website looking for stories of women doing the Tough Mudder. I plan on doing the NorCal one next year and I wanted to see some proof that normal women could make it through. I’m so impressed with your team! Thanks for the inspiration!
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Nancy Y Reply:
September 8th, 2011 at 11:03 am
Believe me, we are all real, normal women! It’s tough, but when you’re finished you can look back and say “yeah, I did that!”. Good luck with your TM and let us know how it goes!
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HI! I signed up for the April 28, 2012 PA TM. I am 45 yrs old and in ok shape for most of my life: run 20 miles a week, pushups, sprint tri’s, 5 ks….I started my TM training 10/28. My team consists of 6 guys ( I am married to one of them) nearing or in their 50s. They are all in good shape but are training their a–es off. We are all nervous but psyched! I am having a horrible time finding a female to add to our team. Forget my friends. They think I am out of my mind. So, my question, in your opinion, do I need another female? Would you be a member of an all male team? Thanks
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Nancy Y Reply:
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:09 am
Tina, How awesome for you! I loved having a women’s team for the Tough Mudder, but if you’re comfortable with these guys, go for it! I will say it was nice having another female around when the need for a potty break occurred. I work with mostly men and would be perfectly comfortable doing the race with a team of them – in fact I’d probably be in better shape than most of them. I am doing the Vermont TM again the weekend after yours, with a team of mixed men and women this time. Interestingly, none of the women from this year’s have signed on again….hmmmm. With all those guys you’ll have no problem getting pushed or pulled up over the obstacles. Get really strong, get your core strong and kick ass! Let me know how it goes!
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Tina Newfield Reply:
November 10th, 2011 at 5:58 pm
Nancy, thank you so much for your response and your great advice. I am still working on finding a girl friend but I will be fine if I can’t. Good luck in VT! and have fun. I will let you know if I survive. Also, “The Lost Girls” totally motivated me……love it! Fantastic idea!
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Hello. My TM is in 45 days. I’m in by no means in shape. I can barely clear 3 miles. In the summer, I was going to the gym every day and still have a little bit of muscle left. Any tips on getting it together before the event? Or am I a total goner? Is the “I think I can, I think I can” mantra going to be my best friend? I did a mini 3mile one last month and running was the wrost part of it. PLease. Any tips or advice will be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
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