Tough Mudder: Muddier and Colder Than Ever

Our 11:FS Tough Mudder team crossed the finish line on a sunny Saturday morning complete with bluebells at their feet and birds chirping in the distance. On the other hand they’d just crawled through something called the ‘Arctic Enema’ so it’s not quite as idyllic as you’d think.

Coated in mud, soaked in ice water, and shocked by the struggle. 11:FS’ Tough Mudder heroes are part of Team FinTech, 16 members from 5 different companies raising money for different charities. 11:FS are fundraising for Kidney Research UK and you can donate here. Tough Mudder is famously...tough. So, you’d think that 4 people running it would be hard at work training every day, running half marathons and pushing themselves hard in preparation. You would be wrong. Some members of the team (Laura) had slacked off a little on the training.

Tough Mudder: Tougher Team

I felt underprepared, untrained and unfit. That only got worse when we got there - Laura Watkins

Sunny days make for quick drying, so the mud wasn’t a massive worry for the team. The obstacles were much more intimidating. But they stuck together and powered through each one. No man (or woman) left behind on Team FinTech. Everyone dreaded Tough Mudder's Arctic Enema. Sliding down the world’s worst water slide into a pool of ice-filled water. Diving under a metal bar and swimming to the other side before clawing their drenched numb bodies over the side. It’s a harrowing obstacle and placed as the absolute worst one of the day for all of them.

I loved the monkey bars, the beer, and the pulled pork sandwich at the end - Tom Shaw

Doing it all for a good cause and the promise of alcohol and food helped. Our tough mudders attacked the Arctic Enema and every other obstacle relentlessly. Even if they did fall off a 10 foot fence and smack every limb on the way down. Luckily there are no major injuries on the team, although most of them have a few minor cuts and bruises. Laura’s turns a new colour each day.

We crawled through cow poo and maggots, it was gross. - Veronique Constans

Wearing sparkling white t-shirts was an attempt to show how muddy the team got across the race. Team Fintech the mud. By the second obstacle where they had to crawl through the muck. It wasn’t Veronique’s favourite part of the day. Trudging through the filth made them stop caring about staying clean and they dived in.

Veronique's high-fives after every obstacle and everyone helping each other out made it so much better - Tom Hards

It’s team spirit that got them through the race. High-fives after completing each obstacle. Scaling walls together and pulling teammates up over peaks they couldn’t clear alone. Just like in the FinTech industry, no matter how tough the obstacle, it’s doable with a reliable team. Click here to donate as much as you can and please select gift aid as appropriate.