Fort Drum FMWR hosts muddiest event ever
Mike Strasser
Fort Drum Garrison Public Affairs
FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Aug. 16, 2024) – Within minutes after the Mountain Mudder commenced Aug. 16 outside The Peak, there was not a clean shirt to be seen on the 5.5-mile course.
Some got an early warning to keep their mouths closed when wading deep in the muck, and at least one person had already lost a shoe.
But after braving the grit and grime of pits and pools of mud as they ran, low crawled, dove, and climbed through 25 obstacles around post, hundreds of Fort Drum Soldiers, civilians, and family members felt the exuberance of earning a finisher’s medal and their own story of personal victory.
“This was very challenging, and I enjoyed the mud ... even though it smelled a lot,” said Spc. Ezequiel Castillo, with 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (LI).
Castillo said that he had never experienced a mud obstacle course before, and it's not normally his type of physical activity.
“But it was the grittiness and just wanting to get after it that motivated me,” he said. “A lot of people don’t usually like to go into the mud and get dirty. But in the Army, you have to get your hands dirty and get used to being uncomfortable.”
Castillo, who ran the course with Spc. Leonardo Balcino, said having support out there was helpful – especially with the new water obstacle on Remington Pond. After negotiating a series of floating tubes, participants encountered a large inflatable mountain they had to climb and then slide down into the water.
“It was kind of slippery and hard to climb,” Castillo said. “You needed a group effort.”
Fortunately, Sgt. 1st Class Connor Frederick, with E Troop, 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, had a team of motivated Soldiers with him.
“We had to work together to pull each other up,” he said. “That was a good one. But overall, it was a fun and challenging opportunity for us to do something physically demanding outside of our normal routines.”
Frederick said the event reminded him of the spur ride, a cavalry rite of passage that tests Soldiers’ physical and mental fortitude with a series of challenges.
“It’s an esprit de corps event where we come together and have an opportunity to start from the bottom and build each other up,” he said. “The Mudder was a fun way to kind of follow in those footsteps.”
The Mountain Mudder, hosted by Fort Drum Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, included an after-party for participants to relax, enjoy food and games and revel in their achievement.
“One of our missions at FMWR is to support the readiness of troops,” said Kirk Davis, Fort Drum FMWR Marketing chief. “One of the ways we do that is by offering events that challenge their fitness levels, and the Mountain Mudder fits right in with that mission. They get muddy, they get wet, and they really test their endurance and strength, but they also have fun doing it.”
Davis said that the course is designed to be grueling but adaptable for all members of the community to enjoy. Some teams opt to run the entire course, while others take a more temperate pace.
“It’s a chance for people to challenge themselves, test their fitness levels, and create their own competition,” he said. “We have units that compete against each other, or Soldiers and their spouses team up and create customized T-shirts with their team names. It’s just a good time to share community spirit with one another.”
For more photos from the Mountain Mudder, visit www.flickr.com/photos/drum10thmountain/albums/72177720319569490.