Last weekend the Flavourmag team faced wind, rain, hail, and mud, lots and lots of mud, all in the name of fitness.
We joined London leading fitness group Spartanfam on a 7.5k assault course in Essex called Mud N Madness. We faced ten tough obstacles for the annual challenge, these included archery, cargo ropes, river crossings and mud trails.
Spartanfam Founder, Chaka Clarke said: “Whether you’re an accomplished athlete or new to training, Mud N Madness is a great way to start the year feeling fit and healthy.
I personally am not an accomplished athlete or even been inside a gym so far this year, so was obviously a little nervous about the challenge. The Flavourmag team was made up of two teens, 15 & 16 who are both pretty fit and myself, a fully grown woman who I’ll like to add is not a fan of mud!
It was a bitterly cold February morning , we strapped on our Mac Wet Gloves and grabbed a Vita Coco drink for hydration and climbed a hill to the start line. This is when the wind and the hail really started to whip into our faces and if there was anyway I could have backed out, this would have been it.
Spartanfam focuses their training in bodyweight so it can be done anywhere and be accessible to anyone, no expensive gym membership required. Training sessions generally take place outside and in all weathers, so the 100 plus, mixed ethnicity, attendees who regularly attend Chaka’s training sessions are used to battling the elements.
We set off going down a muddy hill on space hoppers which killed my legs and it only got worse from here. We clambered under rope nets, through concrete tunnels, ran across muddy trails and then the real challenges kicked in. Over army walls, running carrying beer barrels, kayaking and then, when you thought you were really really tired and couldn’t push yourself much further, the mud pools. If you had told me in advance that I was going to have to trek waist deep through pools of mud I probably wouldn’t have taken part.
I crossed the finished line in 1h 32mins, totally exhausted and soaking wet and feeling completely exhilarated! Never mind that I was covered in mud, frozen and could hardly feel my legs anymore, pushing myself well outside my comfort zone, I realised I could do a lot more and a lot better than I had imagined. I’m a real girlie girl, I’ve never had mud in my hair or run fully dressed into a lake, but as my teenage team mates cheered me across the line (yep they finished well before me) I was proud of myself.
Special thanks to Mac Wet Gloves for the awesome gloves that kept our hands from freezing through all the challenges and my manicure intact.
If you’re interested in training with Spartanfam they run sessions through the week across London. All ages welcome and youths train free.
Visit the website for full details
http://www.spartanfam.com/cometoclass
YouTube: ChakaClarke
Website: www.spartanfam.com
Twitter: @Spartanfam
Facebook: http://facebook.com/Spartanfam
Instagram: @Spartanfam
