The Gauntlet: Mud, sweat & cheers

Hundreds get down and dirty for a cause

 

Jill Meier

Journal editor

 

Heavy fog Saturday morning was the perfect ambience for “The Gauntlet.”

But the early morning elements weren’t enough to keep an estimated 500 people from taking on the  mile-long, “American Ninja Warrior/Tough Mudder” combination mud-obstacle course that featured two-dozen challenges to crawl through, slide under, leap over and swing across.

“It’s cool to see Brandon, Sioux Falls, the whole surrounding area has just showed up and gotten dirty for a cause. Everybody’s having fun, families are getting involved, and to be able to put our backs into something that’s positive for the community is important,” said Rob Green, owner of Circuit Fitness. Green’s Brandon business is the driving force behind the event, which pledged 100 percent of the event profits to Royal Family Kids.

By the end of the five-hour event, Green estimated more than 500 people of all ages will have run The Gauntlet. That’s more than twice the number that took on The Gauntlet the first year, which Green said, was just under 200.

Even more impressive is the crowd the event drew to the Brandon Valley Middle School grounds.

“Throughout the day we will see well over 1,000 people in spectators, participants and volunteers,” he said, “To put something like this on takes a great deal of coordination and community support.”

The event drew kids – lots of kids – but they came with their parents, too, many who opted to tackle the course as a family, such as Bobbie Tibbetts, who gave the warped wall a second try after it denied her access to the top.

“We always tell our kids that you don’t give up, so I had to try it again,” said Tibbetts, a Sioux Falls resident. “This is awesome. It’s something fun for the family to do and we can be together for a good cause.”

Brandon Fire Chief Dusty Wagner ran the course alongside his daughter, 9-year-old Savannah, and a trio of fellow fire fighters, James Wagner, Michael Gross and Matt Trunkenmiller, who was making his second run of the day.

Wagner said it was his daughter’s idea to participate.

“I said, ‘No,’ now here I am,” he said.  

An energized Savannah ran the course last year.

“I went through it and ate mud. I tried to spit it out, but that didn’t work,” she informed.

Moments after the father-daughter finished the course, Wagner confessed, “That was too much.”

But not for his daughter who was ready to step up to the starting line for another run.

“Ready to go?” she asked her dad.

Donning a “Superman” t-shirt and refueling with chocolate milk, Aiden Aaker, 6, “almost 7” he, assures, cited the rope swing as his nemesis.

“He almost made it,” offers his dad, Benjamin.

Just like Savannah, Aiden also ran the course last year, and never forgot the experience.

“He’s been excited for this all year,” his dad said, “and I think he likes getting muddy.”

Green said he had family in mind when plannng the event.

“There’s something about it that’s very powerful, getting over a big obstacle together, crawling in the mud together. It speaks a lot to the mission of Royal Family Kids, because so much of what they’re about is to help kids that have had a lot of adversity in their lives overcome that in a positive way and with positive role models. So, to work with Royal Family Kids has been wonderful, because the event and their message jive well together,” he said.

Amanda Barton, director of the Brandon base Royal Family Kids program, was elated to learn the organization was chosen to receive the profits from this year’s Gauntlet.

“We are just thrilled that they said we want to support a local charity,” she said.

This summer, Barton said 52 kids ages 6-12 from the Brandon base attended the weeklong, overnight summer camp intended to build self-esteem and character. The Sioux Falls base had 32 campers and Huron, another 25.

“Just to be kids, she said. “Some of the kids are currently in foster care, some have been adopted, some are back with birth families, but all of them have that shared foster care experiences. We had a couple of them out here today, too, even some of them in respite care – with a temporary family – and they were saying, ‘Who gets to do this?’ Especially for these kids just to be kids, to get dirty, have fun, and escape that survivor mode.”

Barton said that although the kids spend just a week together, they have a common connection.

“It’s actually what ties them to all together and you hear the kids say, when they came today, ‘They’re hooking up with their friends. These are my friends.’ They spend a week together and have that common connection; it’s family,” she said.