From left: Master Sgt. Paul Flipse, Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command Recruiting Squadron public affairs; Staff Sgt. Jonathan Galvin, an Air Force Reserve Line Recruiter with the HQ AFRC RS; and the rest of the team run around burning bales of hay during the Tough Mudder event Feb. 12, 2012, in Washington, Ga. The fire was a welcomed treat after swimming through near-freezing water. The team comprised Airmen from Robins Air Force Base, Ga., and Eglin AFB, Fla. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Alexy Saltekoff)
Maj. William Kerr (left) and Senior Master Sgt. Richard Roneree pull themselves through randomly electrified wires during the Tough Mudder event Feb. 12, 2012, in Washington, Ga. Kerr is the chief of the Command, Control Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance contracting branch, and Roneree is the Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command Recruiting Squadron officer accessions support; both are from Robins Air Force Base, Ga. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Alexy Saltekoff)
(Center from left) Staff Sgt. Jonathan Galvin, Staff Sgt. Crystal Traub, Senior Master Sgt. Richard Roneree and Capt. Kelli Rabideau form a line to help each other through the mud as 2nd Lt. Michael Bennett pulls himself up the bank during the Tough Mudder event Feb. 12, 2012, in Washington, Ga. Galvin, an Air Force Reserve Line Recruiter with the Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command Recruiting Squadron; Traub, a resource advisor for the HQ AFRC RS; Roneree, officer accessions support with the HQ AFRC RS; and Rabideau, the 951st RSPTS director of operations, are from Robins Air Force Base, Ga., and Bennett is from the 708th Test Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Alexy Saltekoff)
Staff Sgt. Jonathan Galvin (wearing pink), an Air Force Reserve line recruiter with Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command Recruiting Squadron, dangles from monkey bars while Capt. Micah Heard and 2nd Lt. Michael Bennett, from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., stand ready to pull Galvin to the platform during the Tough Mudder event Feb. 12, 2012, in Washington, Ga. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Alexy Saltekoff)
by Staff Sgt. Alexy Saltekoff
Air Force Reserve Command Public Affairs
2/15/2012 - WASHINGTON, Ga. -- Capt. Kelli Rabideau proudly wears her bruises, scrapes and cuts like a badge of honor. Last weekend, she and 10 other Airmen battled 20-degree temperatures, and some would say, better judgment to complete the Tough Mudder, a grueling 11-mile obstacle course near this north Georgia city.
Among her prizes for completing the physical challenge: shin splints, body aches and a headband. But the ultimate payoff was she and a few hundred of her new closest friends helped raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project.
According to the Tough Mudder website, more than $2.6 million has been raised to support thousands of warriors returning from the battlefield. The Wounded Warrior Program provides stress recovery programs, adaptive sports, benefits counseling, education and employment services and other programs that aid the healing of the mind, body and spirit of American veterans.
Designed by British Special Forces as one of the toughest obstacle course events on the planet, Tough Mudder tests all-around strength, stamina, mental grit and camaraderie. Events are held on five continents.
Rabideau and her Air Force teammates were put through unimaginable challenges in the North Georgia event. They ran through fire, waded through waist-deep mud, swam through icy waters and experienced jolts of electricity to earn the vaunted headband.
The team: Rabideau, Senior Master Sgt. Robert Vazquez, Master Sgt. Brandy Kerr, Senior Master Sgt. Richard Roneree, Staff Sgt. Jonathan Galvin, Master Sgt. Paul Flipse, Tech Sgt. Misty Phipps and Staff Sgt. Crystal Traub, Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command; Maj. William Kerr, Warner Robins Air Logistics Center; and Capt. Micah Heard and 2nd Lt. Michael Bennett, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
Training for the event required physical endurance and full body strength.
"I did 'Insanity' four days a week for strength and endurance," said Rabideau, the 951st Reserve Support Squadron director of operations and a first-time Tough Mudder. "I ran twice a week, four to five miles, to train for the running portion."
"I did CrossFit training three to four times a week," said Galvin, Air Force Reserve line recruiter and another first-timer. "It definitely helped!"
The distance of the course, mud, electric shocks and obstacles were made more difficult by the 20-degree weather.
"Getting in the ice water and having the muscles seize up was a challenge," said Kerr, Headquarters Air Force Reserve Recruiting Squadron personnelist.
"The plunge into the ice water was by far the most challenging for me," said Traub, a resource advisor for the Recruiting Squadron and rookie Tough Mudder. "When I went underwater and came back to the surface, my body went into 'fight or flight' mode. I had to remind myself to breathe at the same time making sure my 'swimming partner' made it to the other side as well. I've never had that feeling before in my life, and I've participated in quite a few high-risk adrenalin-rushing activities."
The course not only challenged them physically but mentally. After the swim through freezing water, the competitors still had nine more miles and 25 more obstacles. Teamwork became the key to success, not only in keeping all the competitors motivated when they couldn't feel their hands and feet, but also in helping them through the obstacles.
"Each team member struggled at one time or another. Without asking, there was someone there to wrap a space blanket around you when you couldn't move your fingers, give you that extra boost you needed over the wall or whatever you needed," said Traub. "There is no way this race is a 'one-man' race."
"Everyone helped and everyone pushed and pulled together," said Vazquez, the HQ AFRC/RS operations quality control program manager. "Some obstacles were more challenging for me than others, but with the encouragement and motivation from my team, I was able to get through the toughest parts and smile and hoot and holler with the rest of the team -- because we did it together"
"The team camaraderie and crossing the finish line together was the best part," said Rabideau. "There's no way any of us could have finished that race without working as a team. The motivation and inspiration that lasted throughout the entire four-hour course truly embodied the wingman concept."
Despite the bruises, soreness, aches and pains, everyone said they would definitely run the course again.
Comments
2/16/2012 1:41:07 PM ET I was in the 940 heat and the Tough Mudder was an awesome experience. The cold was unimaginable. You can see all the obstacles via my head-mounted GoPro camera here http://www.youtube.comwatchvhJZU9COPTkA
James Davidson, Cochran GA
2/16/2012 11:22:07 AM ET I photographed the Tough Mudder in Colorado last year and plan to do so again. The camaraderie you see among complete strangers at these events is nothing short of amazing.
PB, US
2/15/2012 9:48:10 AM ET Great story Nice to see Airmen have The Right Stuff.
