It all started last September when Solutions Designer Michael McCarthy suggested the run to the wider company. This seed of interest eventually flourished into commitment from the team to take on the mighty challenge. Many cold mornings and nights were spent training, running and preparing which paid off in the end, as one-by-one, each member crossed the finish line.
“There’s 31 OBSTACLES?! Even just looking at the course map is scary.” - Ijaz Amjad
The challenge was tough, but not impossible. 15 kilometres of steep, muddy, wet terrain up in the hills of Skipton, Yorkshire. 31 obstacles were scattered along the run, some of which involving dizzying heights on the Mudderhorn, ice cold water in Arctic Enema and being electrocuted just yards from the finish line in Electroshock Therapy.
Despite a hefty distance to run, each obstacle made the course more and more fun. The team were tested in not just their physical and mental abilities but also how well they could work together to overcome whatever stood in the way of the finish line. Callum and Vicky got there first, followed by Mike, Andrei and Andrew, then Will, Brad, Ijaz and Josh found their way to the end. The team were greeted by a big support crew of colleagues, friends, and family.
“It took a lot of determination and effort to get round. We couldn’t have done it without helping each other. We really felt like we’d done something amazing, and we’d done it together.” - Vicky Otley,
The team ran to raise money for Candlelighters, a Yorkshire-based charity who support families facing children’s cancer. The charity provides child and adult talking therapies, virtual peer support groups, and a range of wellbeing therapies. Fluid has actively supported Candlelighters since 2020 when they joined Team 500,
“We started training for this last year with dark, cold early starts, and we kept going. Even the smallest donations make it all worthwhile. Candlelighters bring light and hope to families facing childhood cancer.” - Michael McCarthy
The fundraising goal for this event was £1500 and thanks to 57 amazing donations, we not only managed to hit that target but surpass and raise £1719 overall.
The donation link is still active if you’d like to make a donation to Candlelighters: https://candlelighters.enthuse.com/pf/fluid-tough-mudder