Octogenarian Mom Finishes Third Tough Mudder Race to Help Son Raise Funds For Water Well in Africa

Octogenarian mom, Muddy Mildred Wilson, joined the Tough Mudder race for the third time, becoming the oldest person to finish the famous muddy 5k trail.

The Missouri-based 83-year-old said that her third race is to help her son raise money to drill a freshwater well in a rural African village. Her son leads a youth group raising funds for the said cause.

Tough mudder 5K

According to the Toughmudder website, the 2022 muddy event feature 5k, 10k, and 15k obstacles. The 5k course, which Wilson joined, is a three-mile course and is a fast-paced, team-oriented challenge that will get you through obstacles dubbed Kiss the mud, Everest, Mudderhorn, and Electroshock Therapy. The race is a mix of running with ten wet and muddy obstacles that offer contestants a "challenging, one-of-kind event." 

The 10k is packed with 20 famous obstacles and is a mix of distance and challenge. The 15k event, on the other hand, has 30 world-famous obstacles. 

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Racing the third time

Wilson has come a long way since she watched her son, the World's Toughest Mudder, in Vegas in 2019. Later, his son asked if she would like to do one. She said yes but vowed that if she did, she really would be able to do it and not just be out there.

She then went to her doctor, who approved her muddy challenge plans. She joined her local YMCA and worked on her strength, speed and stamina. She then competed in her first race in 2019 with her son by her side.

In 2021, she completed her second 5k and dedicated it to her late husband, Farell, who cheered her in her first race when she crossed the finish line. Her husband died two years ago after getting COVID-19 and having a heart attack while on treatment. Instead of mopping around to mourn her loss, she decided to be active and work through her sorrow.

She set up a GoFundMe page for her third race, saying that she would get muddy so others could drink clean water. She urged everyone to help her make her vision a reality.

She also said that her third race is for her son, Danny Wilson, who inspired her to try Tough Mudders, and is raising money to drill a well in Africa to provide safe and potable water to the community.

Her son is leading a youth group to help a village in Africa have access to potable water. As per her son, the town has a single water hole, and it has the same color as the Tough Mudder ponds that Wilson and Tough Mudder contestants crawl through early on in the 5k race. In a video, her son explains that when it rains, the villagers must travel through a mountain range to find a source of water.

The mother and son tandem has raised $650 of their target $5,000. Good News Network reports that the Tough Mudder organization donated $500 for the cause.

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