(From left) Front Row: Kyle Wireman, Marty Gaff, Kari Blackwell, Miranda Gaff.
Back row: Andrew Shultz, Kyle Blackwell, Tara Meyers, Chad Agler, Matt Lopshire, Jeremy Agler.

Few would voluntarily suffer while wading through mud. For Kari and Kyle Blackwell however, wading through mud while testing their physical and mental endurance was their idea of a fun, albeit painful, Saturday morning.

The Warsaw couple recently tested their metal against the 11-mile Tough Mudder obstacle course in Lexington, Ohio, renowned as one of the most difficult courses in the nation. The team oriented course spans 10-12 miles, moving to various cities across the country, and is rife with obstacle courses to test both participants’ physical and mental strength.

Kari Blackwell carries teammate Tara Meyers through the Warrior Carry obstacle.

“Prior to the event, I was excited, for the most part. There was also a lot of fear of some of the obstacles that were in the course, like Everest and the Berlin Wall,” explained Kari Blackwell.

The course is not about finishing quickly, but teamwork and camaraderie. Focusing on teamwork, the Blackwells completed the course alongside friends from Columbia City including Andrew Shultz, Kyle Wireman, Matt Lopshire, Tara Meyers, Jeremy Agler, Chad Agler, and Miranda and Marty Gaff. The team struggled through obstacles that included climbing massive walls and inflatables, swinging through the air to ring bells before dropping into a water pit, wading through a “tear gas” chamber and running through tentacles of electricity.

Blackwell clings on as teammates work to pull her up the Everest obstacle.

Though this was the first time for Kari, others in the group had run the course before, with both Wireman and Shultz finishing the World’s Toughest Mudder course in the past. Kari noted other first time runners included Meyers, Lopshire, and both Agler gentleman.

Though many would think one course would be enough to deter future suffering, Kari states she and her husband, as well as Wireman and Shultz, plan to attend the World’s Toughest Mudder in Las Vegas this year. Though Kari will not participate in the World’s event, she does have plans to run another Tough Mudder in Michigan this fall.

“I am actually (participating in another Tough Mudder) in September up in Michigan,” states Kari. “It was a challenge and the feeling of completing such a demanding course was great. The soreness after not so much. But it was fun, great memories were made.”