So as I count my bruises...14...15, 16 I can’t help but smile. There is one very large one on the underside of my left thigh, and it’s in the shape of a hand print. I’m not exactly sure whose hand, but it doesn’t really matter. I know when I got it. It wasn’t Saturday night in the Irish pub, but Saturday afternoon climbing over a twelve foot ‘Berlin’ wall at the Tough Mudder in Whistler. 

The Big Kahunas, our team of 16 men and women entered willingly into the 19.3 km challenge off road run with 22 military style obstacles designed by the British Special Forces. All but one crossed the finish line to receive the coveted orange Tough Mudder head band. The one who didn’t finish had a shoulder injury, and two who did finish had knee injuries. A few cuts a few scrapes and plenty of bruises round out the listing.

Someone asked me before the Mudder ‘why would I do such a thing?’ My answer was the challenge, and the goal. I am a person who needs a goal to work towards, and a challenge is usually something I can’t turn down, like learning to run last year to participate in the 10 km Vancouver Sun Run. Goals become reality when you focus on achieving them. The Tough Mudder was tough all right, but we had trained and we were prepared. The worst of it for me was not the waist deep mud in some places, the electric shock, the barbed wire, the steep slope climb next to the Olympic ski jumps at the 10 mile mark, when you thought you were almost done, but probably the ice water. Not the first one, but the second one in the frozen lake, and then the third one which was all muddy and went up my nose after I slid off a greased monkey bar and fell into and under the water. But, we all just kept on going, even Steve with his twisted knee from very early on, and Scott also with a twisted knee later on.

So was it fun? Yes! Would I do it again? Probably, since I am already planning costumes for next year.

Eight of these Big Kahuna’s are from Bowen Island, Fawn Gill, Scott Begg, Joanne Mogridge, Carlos Vela-Martinez, Melodie Mosier, Johnny Bacon, Tim Hausch, & David Kurt. Thanks to all of you for your help and team support.

Joanne

PS: Here's Tim's legs after the event, after being rinsed...

The Tough Mudder Challenge!

As we approach our 10-Year Anniversary of the opening of Cocoa West, I've been thinking a

lot about...

Goals
Every dream, every plan, every goal starts with some little seed of an idea. The idea seed 

blows in from somewhere,anywhere, who knows where, but it arrives. Sometimes it stays

as a seed for a long time, perhaps even too long, but other times it bursts forth immediately

and begins to grow. The plans begin to form.

Now there is of course a difference between dreams and goals. Goals are dreams with a 

deadline. Dreaming is fun, but we know most people's dreams will not come true. On the 

other hand most peoples goals can be reached. The challenge is knowing what the goal is,  

acknowledging it and helping it to germinate by setting a deadline.

Where am I going with this? 

Well on Friday June 22 Carlos and I are headed up to Whistler BC with 17 other people 

we know, and approximately 14,000 people we don't know. 17 of us are on a team, The Big 

Kahunas! We all have at least one thing in common: to reach our goal. To complete and 

survive The Tough Mudder. 

What is it? Look it up, watch the video and get the gist if you are unfamiliar with the Tough

Mudder. I believe this is the first time this Mudder will happen in  Whistler. In the Olympic

Park where it is being held, we have been told to expect winter conditions.  But back to the 

seed. Fawn, co-owner of The Gym on Bowen Island mentioned the tough Mudder to me back

in March, perhaps February. She had signed on with a friend's team and was all excited. I 

came home from my pilates class, looked it up and showed it to Carlos who at the time was

sick in bed and not the least bit interested in watching it. Carlos and I are active people, I 

have been going to The Gym for perhaps four years, Carlos has been doing Tae Kwon Do 

for nine years, and for the last six months he has joined me in my workouts at The Gym.   

His gym training began with another seed, the idea that he would test for his Third Dan 

in TKD. So when Fawn first mentioned the Mudder we were already training for the Third

Dan test.

Several days later when Fawn mentioned the Tough Mudder again to Carlos (who was 

feeling much, much better) he said "we're in". Two things I need to point out at this 

junction is one he said 'we' and two he had still not seen the Tough Mudder promotional 

video!

The Tough Mudder idea seed sprouted and grew, I started running again, Carlos also took 

up running, we have climbedup Bowen's Mount Gardner with Tim (fellow Mudder), and 

also the Grouse Grind (for me it has been 10 years, and for Carlos it was his first time). 

[Side note for anyone interested besides myself that my time was only 10 minutes off when

I was 10 years younger. Yay!]

We are as fit as we are going to be, we have worked hard, and now we face judgement 

day on Saturday. Often we tell ourselves, we cannot do something, or that we are now too

old, yet I am constantly amazed at those that are older than me doing impressive things. 

I think the weakest link in my training – has been not drinking beer for the party afterwards.

Wish us luck.
Joanne