Charity is a huge part of Tough Mudder. Every year Mudders don charity tees and hit the course to raise money for an incredible range of causes. Take The Granny Run for instance, every year one wave at Tough Mudder North West in the UK is overrun by grannies and grandads – curly wigs, pearls, and cardigans as far as the eye can see.
We spoke to Helen, one of the Mudders who has helped to organize The Granny Run to find out more about where the idea came from and why every year more and more Mudders join in.
HOW DID THE GRANNY RUN START?
“I joined the Tough Mudder community in 2016 when I did my first event at Tough Mudder Midlands. Others refer to the friends they’ve made at Tough Mudder as ‘family’. Again, this is what it is for many. Tough Mudder is unique to other events in that it fosters a sense of belonging and inclusivity. This is clear when individuals come together for a shared cause-such as the Granny Run.
The Granny Run was started in 2014 by Anthony Wilson. His grandad had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2012. In an attempt to cheer him up, Ant told his grandad that he would run Tough Mudder dressed as a granny. As the years have gone by, the Granny Run has gained a huge following, with over 150 Mudders joining us on the start line in 2019. In 2020 we were forced apart by the pandemic, but still united as we held our Virtual Granny Run. Granny runners took the the streets across the country, with some taking on Hadrian’s Wall.
2021 was very special as we all came back together at Tough Mudder North West, and due to the year apart, the atmosphere was even more special than before. We would like to thank all the Granny Runners who’ve joined us over the years, and would like to extend an invitation for new Mudders to join us for 2022. This run is for an amazing cause and open to all, old and new.
A special thank you to Chris Hill for organising the Granny Run patches, all of the proceeds of these patches go to Alzheimer’s Society.”
