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Joel Crean: It seems the GV is home to plenty of "Tough Mudders". Dozens from around our
region were in Phillip Island for the gruelling event last month, including a group representing
Aquamoves. Our reporter Brendan Savage has been following their progress throughout,
and went to see how the team managed the course.
Brendan Savage: It's been more than a week since locals Jacinta Cosgriff and Matt McDowall
took on Tough Mudder at Phillip Island, and they're still on a high. The pair were part
of a 22-strong team who trained for several months at Aquamoves, to get in tip-top shape
for the rigorous 20 kilometre assault course. It was designed by British Special Forces,
to test strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie. Jacinta admits she had a few
nerves on the morning of the event, but they quickly went away.
Jacinta Cosgriff: Once you started, the adrenaline and endorphins kicked in. And being part of
a team, that was just incredible. Twenty-two of us started together and finished together,
and people were helping each other, and then you were doing these physical things and at
the end you thought "Oh my goodness, I've actually done that. I've run 20 k's, and I've
climbed things, and I've crawled through things, and I've been zapped, and I've jumped off
towers, and I've been covered in mud."
Matt McDowall: Getting through it and doing the whole event, was just, yeah, lots of fun.
Bit of a team bonding effort, getting through it all together, not just, like they say as
a Tough Mudder, not just a single competitor trying to get to the end, but it's a team
effort trying to get everyone across the line, and that's exactly what we had on the weekend,
so, lots of fun.
Brendan: The first obstacle the team encountered was called the "Arctic Enema", and it's exactly
what it sounds like.
Jacinta: I don't like cold at the best of times, and the thought of jumping in this
ice-filled bath... Well, what it was, was a shipping container. It was the first one
so I thought "Good, get it done". I actually jumped in and went under, and you came up
[gasps]. It took your breath away, and you had to go under a beam, so ***, again. And
that was that, that was it, that was done.
Brendan: But getting through the rest of the course took some teamwork.
Jacinta: Some of the boys could have done that course in half the time, if they were
just doing it themselves, but they made sure that we all got through. Everyone knew everyone's
strengths and weaknesses. They had a system for hiking the girls over the 10-foot walls.
It was a really good bonding experience.
Brendan: The team bonding began back in September, when the Aquamoves training program for Tough
Mudder commenced.
Matt: It was just a matter of progressing, and every month we'd have a bit of a test
to see how we were progressing ourselves. Just so that we could compete, not with everyone
else, but just with ourselves. So we were always thinking "Last time I got that; this
time I need to do better".
Brendan: Aquamoves manager Lindy Baldi says giving the participants a goal to work towards
was key to the program's success.
Lindy Baldi: It was fantastic to watch someone who wasn't even used to exercise at the start,
and then achieving something at the end that they've set as a goal has been fabulous. And
then to hear the stories along the way of "Wow, I've been able to run 13 k's, it's been
amazing", is really satisfying.
Brendan: While Jacinta's not sure if she'll take on the next Tough Mudder, it's a case
of "decision made" for Matt.
Matt: I'm already signed up for another Tough Mudder, so, bring on September!