Northshore & Greenstone Women Get Down & Dirty For A Great Cause
The 2013 Dirty Girls Thunder Bay Mud Run was a huge success, the open registration held at the Intercity Mall, sold out within 3hrs and attendance at the full day event far surpassed the expectations of organizers. For 2014 organizers, by popular request, chose to change things up, inviting out-of-town teams to mail-in their registrations prior to the open registration held in the city. Northshore women answered the call in great numbers as 55 teams of 5-women each is holding it’s second annual mud run fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society, a 5km obstacle course Saturday, August 9th at This Old Barn in Murillo, ON.
The course and obstacles are being designed and manned by members of the Lake Superior Scottish Regiment; a minimum of 15 obstacles, things like mud pits, a wall to scale, low crawls under ropes, tire obstacles, tunnels to climb through, muddy slopes and more! The event is described by orgaizers as “100% just for fun” – racers will not be timed though there will likely be plenty of friendly competition.
Teams of 5 (women-only) must raise a minimum of $1000 each for the Canadian Cancer Society to qualify for the event with the top 3 fundraising teams receiving prizes. Spectators are encourage to attend for a full day of music, amazing food provided by This Old Barn, a beer and cocktail area, shopping, pampering and of course the highlight – intense and entertaining mud running (Admission $10/vehicle).
Katie Tuomi, member of the Manitouwadge Mudpie Mamas. Facebook profile photo
“Unfortunately Cancer is so prominent in our lives today. In one way or another we have all been touched. I lost my uncle last year to an aggressive form of cancer and a few other family members have beat it. I was thankful when Cyndi approached me to be on the team because it is a fantastic way to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society and with physical fitness being a passion of mine it just seemed to fit perfectly.” explained Katie Tuomi from the “Manitouwadge Mudpie Mamas “As a mother to two kids, I feel that being proactive and getting out to do difficult things for a good cause sets a good example and shows my children that they are capable of anything.”
Katie explained the appeal of competing in the women-only event “The great thing about the Dirty Girl Mud Run is that it’s about solidarity and team work. I can’t think of anything stronger than a group of women working together to achieve something. Add in some mud and you’re guaranteed a good time! We have such amazing women on our team. I can only imagine how much fun we’re going to have! The Dirty Girl Mud Run is giving us an opportunity to raise money for an important cause, have fun, get dirty, and work out! Tell me that doesn’t sound fun, I’m so excited!”A 5km run could be intimidating but Katie sounded eager to incorporate preparation into her usual fitness regime “As for training, I am maintaining my usual routine. I do pretty intense interval or circuit training 5-6 days a week and incorporate running as much as I can. Squeezing in a run can be difficult, as I do work full-time and am a single parent. Again, I feel like showing my children that it is important to take advantage of the few moments of spare time they have and use them wisely. In my world, there is no such thing as “not enough time” – it’s all about time management.”
