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‘MDG MUDDERS’ TACKLE OBSTACLE RACE AS A TEAM

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Brandon Boos
  • 179AW Public Affairs
On a cold and rainy day in May, six members of the 179th Airlift Wing's Medical Dental Group (MDG) met the challenge of the Tough Mudder obstacle race through thickly wooded grounds. For them, it was an exercise in teamwork, fitness and fun.
Staff Sgt. Natasha Grau, 179MDG medical technician, credited Tech. Sgt. Joeleen Mellars with the idea to participate. She said the team dubbed themselves the 'MDG Mudders' because they knew going into the grueling event that they would have to work together in order to succeed. She stated, "I thought, who better to do this with than other Airmen?"
Maj. Terry Walker, 179MDG optometrist on the MDG Mudders team, agrees that teamwork was an important part of the race because many of the obstacles were designed to encourage teamwork. "This was a true physical challenge. You just couldn't achieve it without the help of others," he said.
The course covered more than 10 miles and included nearly two dozen obstacles that were much more difficult than those on the obstacle course at Basic Training according to Grau.
The obstacles had names like Walk the Plank, Hangin' Tough, and Arctic Enema. They forced participants to climb walls, swing from ropes, jump into icy water, leap over fire, and crawl through mud - lots of mud.
"They make the course muddy," Major Walker said, "but the rain all that week also added to it. I really enjoyed it."
According to toughmudder.com, participants who finished the race received a t-shirt, headband, and a "hard earned beer." Walker and Grau said that they also received a boost of pride and fellowship.

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