FORT DRUM, N.Y. (June 8, 2018) -- Cheers rang out as Pfc. Michael Flint, from 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, recovered his sneaker from beneath the thick, muddy bog.
He lost it again minutes later and only a few feet into a fresh field of mud.
Trivial as it sounds, recovering footwear at the annual Mountain Mudder on June 7 was quite an achievement for a few participants, as they maneuvered through more than 15 challenging obstacles. Flint might have brought up the rear of his team, but he was confident that they would see him through to the finish line.
"They'd never leave me behind," he said. "I have no doubt."
Flint said that he loved pushing himself through all the muck and mire even he wasn't the best at it.
"A lot of people would not want to do this, so that made me want to do it even more," he said.
Members of Team Misfits, from 2nd Platoon, 563rd Military Police Company, 91st MP Battalion, also thrived on that esprit de corps as they encouraged each other across the Lily Pad obstacle on Remington Pond.
"That one was probably the most challenging," said 2nd Lt. Drew Brock, a first-year Mudder participant.
"Pretty much the whole thing has been challenging - physically and mentally demanding," said Sgt. Sean Kelly. "It's all about staying motivated and bettering yourself."
One thousand Fort Drum community members participated in this year's Mudder, which was promoted as a fun, alternative PT option - if getting a face full of slop while trudging across a 5.5 mile obstacle course wearing water-logged shoes sounds like appealing physical training.
"It tastes like victory," said one Soldier, spitting dirt out of his mouth.
Fortunately, as participants crossed the finish line, the burden of that thick, clingy mud was washed away by a fire hose so that everyone could enjoy the food cooking fresh off the grills and live music courtesy of the 10th Mountain Division Band.
"I had a great time," said Pfc. Lash Dean, who ran the Mudder with his mother-in-law, and members of the 91st MP Battalion. "I liked the high intensity, and going up against other people from other units - a good mix of people from all the organizations in the Army as a whole."
It began with a sprint and ended with a splash ... of water, that is, as Soldiers hosed off the burden of thick, clingy mud from more than 1,000 participants at the Mountain Mudder on June 9 at Fort Drum.
Pfc. Dylan Best, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, said that he has never participated in any type of event like a Mudder before, but wanted to run it with his 4th Platoon teammates.
"It was very interesting, and had some fun obstacles to it," he said. "The most challenging part was trying to walk through the deep mud. I stuck with my buddies, and we all had a fun time running through it together."
To learn more about upcoming BOSS events, like the Color the Mountain Fun Run on July 27, call (315) 772-7807 or visit www.facebook.com/bossfortdrum.
Social Sharing