Wilmington mothers run a rugged, messy course for a good cause
“It was an awesome day and we can’t wait to do it again.”
According to their self-deprecating captain, Nichole Warner, that was the exhilarating feeling shared by the three “Real Muddas of New Castle County” who finished the Mudderella in Kennett Square on Aug. 16.
Six “Muddas” had been slated to participate, but an injury and scheduling conflicts reduced the team to the original threesome—Warner, Marie Poot and Kelly Loeb. They were participating in the Mudderella as the second segment of the year-long O&A Fitness Challenge.
Mudderellas, which are targeted at women, include 12-15 obstacles designed to test strength and stamina. Events are not timed, and teamwork is encouraged. Mudderellas support Futures Without Violence, a national nonprofit that aims to prevent and end domestic violence.
Calling herself “a terrible captain,” Warner says every hill on the course would cause her to sputter, “This sucks.”
“But,” she says, “we made friends with another team and used their captain’s enthusiasm to spur us on, since my own was nowhere to be found.”
The course included jumping into waist-high muddy water, then climbing over 6- or 7-foot mud walls. The non-competitive event was marked by participants helping each other and even making way for faster, more intense teams.
The Wilmington threesome were somewhat hampered in their training because of obligations as working mothers of young children. “But we are healthier, and the experience was rewarding and we know just how strong we really are,” says Warner. (Appropriately, the theme for the event was “Own Your Strong.”)
She estimates that they finished the course in about an hour-and-a-half – “about middle of the pack.”
After the run, they were “greeted warmly with alcohol—which we gladly accepted,” says Warner. That was followed by a trip to the shower station, a large wood structure with dozens of hoses hanging down. “We donated our shoes, got changed, and rode over to Two Stones Pub for some more beer and lunch.”
The team had such a great time that they have made plans to do another obstacle course-style run in the fall.