By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
Burlington native Mary Parker has always been a competitor.
Whether it was on the volleyball or basketball court – for both Burlington High School and Beloit College – in the classroom or as a runner, Parker has always found a way to be competitive.
Last Sunday, well, was just the latest challenge. In Oshkosh, Parker completed the Tough Mudder event at the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) ground, finishing the half-marathon-length event in three hours, 15 minutes.
It’s been quite the year for Parker, who was named the head girls basketball coach of the BHS program in May.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to be a varsity coach,” said Parker, who is also a freshman coach and varsity assistant with the BHS girls volleyball program.
But when it came down to a physical challenge, Parker had done a handful of other obstacle-course runs, and had completed a half marathon.
The next step was obvious.
“I was just looking for the next challenge, the next step up,” Parker said. “I thought that’d be the perfect opportunity, the next step up in my competitive nature needing to be filled in some regard.”
It’s not like Parker doesn’t stay busy enough during the summer. She plays sand volleyball – she was a standout defensive specialist for BHS and Beloit College – and pickup basketball.
But when school let out in June, she also trained all summer for the Tough Mudder. Based on her past running efforts, Parker said she needed to train about three months.
Yet, when standing in front of the starting line of the event in Oshkosh, Parker’s first thought was, “Did I train enough for it?”
The answer turned out to be not yet.
The Tough Mudder – known for outrageous obstacles like climbing vertical walls, crawling under electrified wires and jumping over fire – turned out not to scare Parker as much as she thought it might.
In fact, the fire jumping wasn’t the most outrageous obstacle on the course. Two separate obstacles involved running through mildly-charged electrical wires – obstacles that Parker had heard could be the worst on the course.
“Those were the ones I feared the most, just because people had told me those were some of the hardest ones,” Parker said. “They weren’t actually as bad as I thought.
“I could still complete the obstacle running or crawling,” she added. “You just feel the electrical current running through your body.”
Parker admitted the event was essentially a half marathon of torture.
“For me, it’s the challenge,” she said. “I’m always looking for that next thing to challenge me.
“This was the next step.”
There will be more challenges coming this season. Already, students have found out that Parker did the event – and have been asking lots of questions.
And she’s already committed to doing another Tough Mudder – if only because of the first words her father told her after crossing the finish line.
“Three hours, fifteen minutes,” recalled Parker. Her pre-race goal was to finish in less than three hours. She was delayed several times on the course with lines at various obstacles, and Parker knows she wants to give it at least one more shot.
As for advice for anyone else going to a Tough Mudder, Parker said to do it with a friend or a group. Having the support system on the course is invaluable when you need teamwork at certain obstacles – like 12-foot-high vertical walls where you need a boost – and it’s also more fun.
Parker also had one other simple piece of advice.
“Train,” she said. “You can’t go into it without training.”
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