“I just wanted a goal. I was working as a personal trainer at the time, helping people achieving theirs, and I thought, ‘Hey, what’s my goal?’ I think my main motivator was that I’d assisted a lady who’d lost about 60kg and had run a marathon. I was a big part of that journey; I ran the marathon side-by-side with her. When she finished, to feel her elation and the spirit she felt for having accomplished something was amazing. I thought, ‘Hey, I need some of that for me ... ”

Photo: Mark Webber Challenge

TOUGH START

“I’ve completed two Tough Mudders in Australia and one in the States. I’ve done lots of obstacle races, too, slightly different to Tough Mudders. As soon as I found out about the Tough Mudder concept, I saw, too, that they ran a World’s Toughest Mudder. That quickly became my focus. So I did the one here in Melbourne to qualify, and went across to the States last year.

“In the lead-up to my first event in Australia, I was well into adventure racing; I was even used to racing five days back-to-back. They advertise it as the toughest thing you’ll ever do ... true, depending on who you are. If you’re going flat-out, it’s going to be hard-yakka. I found that, while the obstacles weren’t necessarily tough, they were challenging; they challenge your body in different ways. I liked that. I was aware of my weaknesses and where I had to become stronger. You had to finish in the top five percent to qualify for the US event, but I had no idea what that looked like. For me, my first time was about getting the course done as quickly as I could so I could get across to the States, which was my ultimate goal.”

GROUP THING

“People thinking about entering a Tough Mudder should know that it is achievable. It’s not just you out there on the course, but many others, too. I recommend doing your first event with a group of people, which really } adds to the fun of it all. I’d get a group of people together of similar fitness capabilities. There are training programs online which could help you prepare. Boot camps are great – join one of those ... And start running. Not fast, not hard, just learn to run; there’s a lot of that involved.”