A BACKYARD obstacle course set up in Mount Isa has rivalled international endurance event, Tough Mudder.
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Fran Bird said she and Vicki Nicholson came up with the idea after seeing ads for the famous mud run.
About 20 people grouped into six teams, trained by Ms Nicholson, competed on the backyard track earlier this month.
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The Isa Tough course had been planned out carefully by the pair before their husbands set up the track.
“I said, ‘we’ve got two-and-a-half acres, lets do a Tough Mudder,” Ms Bird said.
Shipping containers, tyres, ropes, scaffolding, ladders, cars and other equipment set the scene, with a bore water pump used to turn dirt into mud.
The family pool marked the beginning of the course. Its resistance streams were turned on full blast, making the swim across a tricky challenge to begin with.
A low ropes course, shipping container climb and army crawl underneath a giant spool were some of the other obstacles offered.
“One woman was afraid of heights – she was actually crying,” Ms Bird said.
The course took a week to set up but the hard effort was worth it.
Ms Bird said participants had improved their fitness in the lead-up to the event, with some inspired to train for the real Tough Mudder.
Ms Nicholson, who operates Vitalize Fitness, said the Isa Tough challenge was kept secret from her students.
“If everyone knew, the limitations would go up and self-doubt would seep in,” she said.
“Our challenge was a huge success – the smiles on everyone’s faces were priceless. I have never had more fun in my life and our whole group was buzzing with their stories.
“No one was defeated and every team worked together to get their team mates across the line. This is what Vitalize Fitness is. People come together to build each other up.”
Ms Nicholson, who bought Isa Tough shirts for all participants, said she also thanked Sarah Louise Photography.
“She came out and snapped all these amazing pictures in honour of Team Ollie,” she said.