Four brave colleagues from Autism Together have been training for the one of the North West’s toughest physical events – the Tough Mudder Challenge, which takes place this Saturday 9 September at Cholmondely Castle in Cheshire.
Robin Bush, Anna Trowler, Anthony Mason and Matthew Gibbs have been testing their fitness to their limit in the run-up to the 12-mile mud and obstacle run, through both personal training and a group training session at the Underground Training Gym, South Wirral.
The group are taking on the challenge to raise money for Autism Together, a Wirral-based charity which provides support to people with autism through a wide range of living options, day services and community support. They hope to raise £500 from the event, and are well on their way to making this target.
The gruelling event encompasses a 12 mile run with obstacles including ice-cold water, mild electric shocks and claustrophobic spaces to squeeze through. Designed to take you out of your comfort zone by testing your physical strength, stamina and mental grit, it’s a challenge that emphasises teamwork, camaraderie and accomplishing something almost as tough as you are.
Robin Bush, chief executive at Autism Together, said: “When I first heard about Tough Mudder I didn’t realise how “tough” it was going to be. I’ve been training hard, running regularly and trying to strengthen my upper body to cope with the swings, monkey bars and ladders we are going to face. Hopefully I’ll be ready on the day for what will be an incredibly daunting physical challenge.”
Anthony Mason, Junior IT Technician, is new to these kinds of challenges. He said, “I have been really looking forward to the event; it’s not every day that you get to do something like this. To prepare I have been going for runs regularly and doing some cycling as well, although I personally feel that the event is more about endurance than speed and strength.”
The group were recently invited to a local gym, the Underground Training Station in South Wirral, by person trainer Chris Redmond, a former support worker at the charity. Chris set up a circuit to include activities and obstacles which will be included in the event, such as rope climbing, monkey bars and jumps.
Robin said, “After completing a circuit session at the Wirral Underground training gym, I can honestly say that I felt muscles aching in places where I didn’t know muscles existed. A huge thanks to Chris for putting me us all through our paces and helping us get ready for our challenge. We had a great time and really enjoyed using the facilities at the gym.”
If you would like to donate to our team to give them a last push before the big event this weekend, then you can via this link – http://bit.ly/2gJCZDq
The group are taking on the challenge to raise money for Autism Together, a Wirral-based charity which provides support to people with autism through a wide range of living options, day services and community support. They hope to raise £500 from the event, and are well on their way to making this target.
