Bright and early last Friday I found myself stood at St Pancras Station sporting running trainers, my trusty Team LandAid’ t-shirt and a look of fear on my face, ready to board a train to Market Harborough. Why Market Harborough I hear you ask? Well, this was due to be the scene of the inaugural property Mudathon, a gruelling 10km obstacle race through mud, water and, most likely, my blood, sweat and tears!
The event, organised by Paragon Building Consultancy in aid of LandAid and Heartburn Cancer UK had attracted enthusiastic and energetic property professionals from companies such as Area Sq and CWM Property, and by the time we arrived at the venue (albeit a little late), many of them were already sprinting through the start line.
My colleagues Paul (CEO) and Sally (Communications Officer) made up the rest of Team LandAid – a team to be reckoned with, a team that would surely make it to the podium. However as my team mates and I sloshed through muddy waters, tackled vertical walls, balanced along beams, climbed cargo nets and wriggled through tunnels, we began to realise that this mud-running business was more difficult than we’d first thought. By the time we reached the 5km mark, winning was the last thing on my mind, I just wanted to finish!
Thanks to Sally and Paul (in particular for rescuing my shoe from a swamp at around 1km) we made the finish line together. LandAid Ambassador and Paragon sportsman Richard Trubshaw took the plaudits with a blistering winning time of 45 minutes.
Awaiting us at the finish line were cheers from Paragon’s Kate and Kate and a fantastic festival-esque after party that included a live band, delicious hog roast and a chance to catch up with other property professionals. The perfect way to finish a fantastic morning!
A big thank you to Paragon for choosing to support LandAid at their first ever Mudathon. We’ll be keeping our eyes peeled for details of next year’s event, and in the meantime, brushing up on our mud-running skills!