Lyne Tremblay travelled all the way from Ottawa to crawl through mud in Sudbury on Sunday.
She wasn't alone either. Tremblay brought with her a group of Pathfinders to participate in the Mudmoiselle: Ladies Mud Run at Adanace Ski Hill. They were among the 620 ladies to make up about 115 teams to tackle the mud-filled obstacle course.
For Tremblay, there were a number of reasons to participate. First, her mother and sister-in-law are both cancer survivors. Second, it was a great opportunity to teach her Pathfinders to value the importance of taking care of themselves, and the need to raise funds to find a cure for cancer.
“They are 15- and 16-year-old ladies, and I wanted them to have this experience,” said Tremblay. The team was named the G.I. Janes and was sponsored by Algonquin Construction.
“It was awesome,” she said. “I'm probably among the oldest participants, and people were telling me to be careful, but I just absolutely loved the challenge. The best part was, we stayed as a team, worked as a team, and we believed as a team. Our motto is reach for the summit, and I think we reached the summit today. Thanks for the event. There will be fond memories for everybody.”
Shanna Crispo, community fundraising specialist with the Canadian Cancer Society, said the increase in participation in a good sign the event will be around for a long time.
“We had about 620 women participating – up from last year's 550 – making up about 115 teams, again up from last year's total of 108 teams,” she said. “We've definitely seen a jump in the numbers. It's really been amazing, the amount of great feedback over the years, and we've had people travel from Ottawa, the Manitoulin Island and Elliot Lake.
“I think the big thing about it is, it's ladies only, and we encourage teams to stick together and have a great time. “It's not competitive, so you can run it or you can walk it, and if you want to sit and take a breather, then they can do that to. It's a fun day out with your girlfriends, your moms, your sisters, and that's what draws people to the event.”
She said the Canadian Cancer Society partnered with Talos Steel, who designed all 17 obstacles.
“We added more mud to crawl through,” she said.
All funds raised will fund cancer research and support services for cancer patients and their families.
