Stepping out of their comfort zone

If you've been looking for an excuse to go sliding in the mud, the Miner's Mayhem may be your answer.

Donna Smrek and Lise Edwards, co-owners of TriStyle Inc., a fitness studio in New Sudbury, decided to take on a new challenge this summer — playing in the mud is part of it.

Both avid triathletes and marathoners, the two personal trainers decided to "step out of their comfort zone" and signed up for the Warrior Dash — a five-kilometre ultimate event covering demanding terrain with intense obstacles along the route. It's held in Barrie in July.

However, after registering, the wheels started turning on how to bring a similar event to Sudbury.

"There's all kinds of running and walking events here," Edwards said. "We thought we should bring an obstacle course to Sudbury."

And why not base it on something the community knows best?

"We figured this is a mining town, so we should make it a mining theme," Edwards said. "The Miner's Mayhem was born that afternoon."

The Miner's Mayhem, which is being held June 23, will have nine obstacles spread across a four-km trail, wrapping around Adanac Ski Hill and Rotary Trail.

Obstacles include climbing the ski hill on a wet, plastic river, crawling over the top while avoiding hunters, squeezing through eight metres of shaft piping, running through a maze of tires, shooting down a mudslide, navigating a rope ladder and wall, finding ore samples, running stairs, and sludging through a "tailings pond" to the finish line.

"There will be a bye for all the obstacles," Edwards said. "So if someone is having trouble getting through a tunnel, if they're claustrophobic, there will be a larger tunnel so they can crawl or walk through without feeling that the walls are caving in on them."

And while there is opportunity for competition, the focus is not on those who can complete the course the fastest, she added.

"We do want everyone to help each other," she said. "The only prize is pride."
That and a commemorative miner's helmet, which all participants will receive upon completing the race.

There's a level of competition suited for all fitness levels, from the light-duty miner, to the weekend warrior, to the hard-core miner. The race will be started in waves, with the hard-core miners hitting the trail first at 9 a.m.

"The light-duty is someone coming out of their comfort zone to try something different; weekend warriors, they've been doing some workouts, they run trail runs and they've competed in different things; and the hard-core miners are very competitive," Edwards explained.

Because it is their first go at hosting an event like this, the organizers have limited registration to 300. But it's already more than half full.

"The response has been incredible," Edwards said. "People have been thanking us for bringing an event like this to Sudbury.

"We're hoping the event will grow," she added. "It would be nice to see 1,000 people coming from all over Ontario in coming years to check out what the Miner's Mayhem is all about."

The cost to sign up is $40. Registration forms can be downloaded at tristyle.weebly.com, or picked up at the TriStyle Studio at 428 Westmount Ave., or Adventure Ski and Cycle at 444 Barrydowne Rd. The deadline to register is June 21 at 7 p.m. With each registration, Adventure Ski and Cycle is also giving a 25-per-cent-off coupon.

Participants must be 18 years or older to take part. Volunteer positions are also available. Spectators are welcome. MIC Canadian Eatery, on Falconbridge Highway, will host an after-party on the patio, beginning at 3 p.m.

A portion of the funds collected through registration will be donated to the Vale Hospice.

"My mother-in-law just spent eight weeks at the Vale Hospice and passed away at the end of March," Edwards said. "I felt we needed to give back to the community, and that's a great cause. What a great facility. It was great to have that kind of support."

Participants are also encouraged to collect donations for the Hospice.

For more information, email [email protected] or phone 705-562-8907.

Posted by Laurel Myers