Fitness fanatics put their bodies to the test for a day of mud-filled challenges, obstacles and fundraising. Forty staff and members from Norwich’s Body Transform Fitness took part in the gruelling Tough Mudder 15k event at Belvoir Castle, in Grantham. They tackled 30 intriguingly-named obstacles including Arctic Enema, Cage Crawl, Mud Mile, Kiss of Mud, Pitfall and Augustus Gloop and, in the process, raised nearly £3,000 for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH). “It was a fantastic day and we were delighted to raise such an amazing amount of money,” said Gym Manager Dean Rudling. “We weren’t sure what to expect, given the cost-of-living crisis and the fact everyone is having to be careful with their money. “We’ve organised fundraising events before but wanted to focus our efforts on one specific charity this year. “One of our members, Caroline Allen, is Corporate Fundraising Manager at EACH and she arranged for myself and (coach) Scott Williams to have a tour of The Nook. “It’s an incredible place and an amazing charity – one that helps children and young people but also entire families. “We were blown away and it made me feel very emotional. “Although some of the stories were hard to hear, to see and hear first-hand how EACH helps these young people and their families was a real motivator for us wanting to raise as much as possible. It was an incredible experience and one I’ll never forget.” Body Transform Fitness has set itself a target of reaching £5,000 this year and already has £2,900, after Tough Mudder. “We were one of the biggest, if not the biggest, teams there,” added Dean. “It’s great bringing our members together for a big social event and it was definitely a highlight of the year. Everyone was positive and raving about it afterwards. “It’s physically challenging, of course, but great working as a team and having fun together. “Everyone’s there to support, motivate and encourage each other and it was fantastic to be part of.” Body Transform Fitness is now planning a ’12 in 12’ event, to be held overnight on the 25th August. Both members and non-members will have the chance to gain sponsorship by pledging to complete a dozen workouts in as many hours. “There’s been lots of interest already and it’s going to be a lot of fun,” said Dean. “We’re going to organise a mix of workouts, including cardio and strength and conditioning ones. “We’ll also be keeping it fun with some themed sessions and others involving music, to keep everyone alert and pumped up in the small hours of the night!”
