The Mudder: Rachael George
Mudder History
My name is Rachael George, I’ve run about 45-46 Tough Mudders. I was introduced to Tough Mudder by another Mudder, Justin. He actually invited me out to my first event to come watch, and I said “sure!” I dressed all cute and ended up covered in mud. I fell in love with Mudder Village, the events, the course, the obstacles, and was like, “I wanna do one!” So I signed up for my first event in 2015, I did my first 10 within the next year, and the rest is history. I fell in love with Tough Mudder and the community, and I’m hoping to hit 50 at Worlds this year!
I Mudder Because…
Tough Mudder has brought me into a community that helps me overcome fears and challenges that I not only have on course, but in everyday life. I have a bad panic attack disorder and a lot of anxiety and fear that goes along with that. For me, getting up on obstacles like Mudderhorn where I’m forced to face that challenge of heights helps. People like the Men of Mudderhorn and the Everest Angels take time off their own courses to help other people overcome their fears and challenges, and so I try to incorporate that same thing into my everyday life. I know that when I come out onto one of these courses, I’m facing my own challenges and fears, and I’m able to go out into life and do the same thing.
Anybody who knows me knows I’m not crazy about running or nature. The people out here are what bring me back. I found a family that I got to choose, and they took me in regardless of my quirks, my weirdness, and my bubbly personality; they took all my fears and allowed me to be one of them.
The Craziest Thing I’ve Done at Tough Mudder…
I actually adopted my dog at a Tough Mudder course. I was running the Carolinas event, and someone walked on course with this cute little white puppy. Anyone who knows me knows I’ll stop and play with the dog, it’s just who I am – I love all the dogs! I had just finished my volunteer shift and I was waiting for my friend to finish, and this cute little puppy crawled up in my arms and fell asleep. It turns out he was up for adoption, and two weeks later she came home with me!
A Cause I’d Like to Run a Tough Mudder For…
When I was 18, I actually started a non-profit organization that works primarily in Southeast Asia. It started when I went to Cambodia, was working in some orphanages, and saw there were a bunch of kids sleeping on the ground… I was having none of that. I couldn’t see kids sleeping on the ground and do nothing about it.
My family started a project building bunk beds in the US; we have 500-600 volunteers come out in a day and we put together 100-200 beds. The beds get packed onto cargo ships, arrive in Cambodia and other places in Southeast Asia, and then we have teams that fly over from the US and assemble them at the orphanages.
I use most of my orange headbands from the events when I go over there. I set up mini obstacle course races and I use the headbands to show the kids how to overcome their fears and challenges they’re going to face in life. This is something that has always been a big cause for me.
How To Get Involved…
We use GoFundMe to raise money for the bunk beds. Through fundraising, we’re able to put these beds together with a small team. Our team flies over to Cambodia and Southeast Asia and gives a bed of their own to a child who has never had one. For a lot of them, that bed is the one place to call their own. For me, that’s what utilizing things like GoFundMe is for. It’s one of the amazing things that a platform like that can do – it can take something as small as an online fundraiser and change the life of a child thousands of miles away.
