2nd Annual Thorpe Mud Run
For the second year in a row, I put together a backyard DIY mud run for our family.
As some of you know, I personally have enjoyed taking part in Spartan Races over the last few years. I have participated with friends, family, and done them solo. I have raced in volunteered or raced at various locations in Georgia, North Carolina, and New York. I have a mud run coming up this month here in Maryland.
The point of these mud runs and Spartan Races is to accomplish a physically and mentally demanding task, a true feat of endurance and strength. It is a physically exhausting and mentally rewarding endeavor. In March of this year, I completed one in Atlanta with my 64 year old father-in-law. Just last night, he called me to ask if I wanted to do it again.
Last year my kids expressed interest in participating. While the Spartan Race brand offers a race for kids, mine are still too young. But I saw the value of the opportunity even at this young of an age. So in 2025, my 3 and 4 year old participated in our first backyard mud run. This year, my 2 year old joined the now 4 and 5 year old.
This is not a race. The goal is to finish the run and all the tasks in it.
Teamwork is encouraged; effort is required.
Obstacles include an ice plunge, a balance beam, a mud crawl, tunnels, and more. At the end of the race, competitors are rewarded with a medal, a bubly, and a popsicle. Then they return to their favorites parts of the course.
Why am I doing this
Beyond the fact that my kids enjoy the obstacle course, I am doing this do instill some grit into my children. I want them to walk away from life as a child with some key principles, some of which are evident in this mud run tradition. A full list of principles can be built through something like this:
Teamwork
Grit and effort
I can do hard things
There is pride in perserverance
Hard work is rewarded
It is a fun Saturday for our kids as the anticipation builds through the morning. They watch out the window as I set up the obstacles, disappearing into the forrest and then reappearing on the other side. Afterwards, they get to Facetime some friends and family to let them know what they accomplished.
I am teaching my kids that difficult things can be fun, and there is pride in completing difficult things. On the other side of that difficult objective in front of you, there is a self-confidence and self-assurance of “I can do this”.
There are other ways to instill grit, and I am looking for those opportunities regularly. If I can help it, my kids will not be helpless as adults.
Perhaps no one cultivated and nurtured these in you as a kid, but you can nurture them in yourself now. You can go after challenges and push yourself to build your own grit. When something gets hard, do not quit. Did you know that most diets fail, not because the diet is not working, but because the person quits around 5 weeks?
Pursue the uncomfortable. Build some grit in yourself.
Do something difficult. Conquer it. Celebrate it.