At 82 years old, Mildred Wilson is – to put it bluntly – an absolute badass.
The former vending machine company worker has completed one of the most grueling endurance events in the world… twice.
Having already triumphed in two Tough Mudder races, she hopes to do a third next year.
For those who don’t know, Tough Mudder is an endurance race filled with punishing obstacles such as a giant ice bath, a mile of mud, tightropes suspended over water, and a 15-foot-high ladder with huge gaps between the rungs.
Mildred, from Sikeston, Missouri, USA, said: ‘My son is into tough mudding, and I went as his pit crew a couple of times.
‘He asked me if I wanted to do one of the local ones and I said, “sure”.’
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After getting clearance from her doctor, Mildred began training at her local YMCA and in 2019, and completed the course for the first time, shortly after her 80th birthday.
With the return of course this year after a Covid-induyced hiatus, Mildred was ready to do it all over again.
‘I liked it well enough that first time, so when my son asked me the second time it was an easy yes,’ she said.
Mildred managed to complete her second course in three hours on Mother’s Day, with her son Danny, 47, with her every step of the way.
Her favourite parts of the course were a cargo net tower she had to climb and water-filled pits.
She wasn’t a massive fan of all the rain.
‘It was cool doing it with my son on Mother’s Day,’ Mildred said.
‘At first I was pretty nervous about it, but once I got out on the course and got started it was cool.
‘They had had a lot of rain and it was like six inches of mud your feet would sink down into, so you couldn’t run because it was so deep.
‘I really enjoyed it and I wasn’t all that tired and could have gone longer, but I was ready for it to be over because it was so cold.’
Mildred’s husband Farrell cheered her on during her first course in 2019, but, sadly, he passed away last year before Mildred could participate in her second race.
She ran her second Tough Mudder in his memory.
The octogenarian hopes to inspire other people of all ages to give tough challenges a proper go.
‘Just go for it,’ she said. ‘There’s people there of all ages. If you can’t do it all, so what? Just try it.’
‘At 82 years old you’re not sure about the next year, but if I’m still alive and well enough, I’ll do it again.’
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