“We like to do sports together!” Martin (52) with his wife Ria (55) and their children Jan (34) and Sina (36) from Treptow-Köpenick Photo: Thomas Spikermann
By Sabine Klier
Those who take part in the extreme obstacle course “Tough Mudder” (hard mud) shouldn’t be squeamish: The approximately 6,000 participants overcame obstacles several meters high, crawled through earth tunnels and jumped into ice water.
The toughest run in the world took place at the weekend for the first time in four years at the asparagus and adventure farm in Klaistow (Potsdam-Mittelmark). The only event in Germany out of 130 worldwide.
The participants could choose to complete a course of 5, 10 or 15 kilometers with up to 30 obstacles. In “electroshock therapy” the daredevils had to plow their way through a water bath over which electrically charged cables hung. At the “Arctic Enema” they slipped into an ice bath. And on the “Mudderhorn” they climbed over a net construction almost ten meters high.
Ice cube bath at 4 degrees: “I love challenges,” says psychologist Steffi (33) from Dresden Photo: Thomas Spikermann
Despite trembling legs, abrasions and crusts of mud, the runners were all beaming at the finish. Incidentally, the time was secondary: “It took us a good two hours. Getting through was the motto,” says Simon Blancke (36) from Wedding from the Wolfsrudel men’s team.
Most of the obstacles mainly required team work. Because without help, some obstacles could not be overcome.
Happy and done: Manuela Albani (61) with daughter-in-law Janina (42) and granddaughter Maya (14) at the finish Photo: Thomas Spikermann
Manuela Albani (61) from Reinickendorf was there for the first time, together with her daughter-in-law Janina (42) and granddaughter Maya (14). “I don’t do any sports, but I work for the mobile lunch table and walk a lot of stairs,” she said happily, quenched her thirst with a beer and enthused: “That used to be really nice.”