Okay, so an 81-year old widow just finished her second Tough Mudder Race. What's your excuse?

Mildred Wilson from Sikeston. Missouri crossed the finish line of a Tough Mudder 5k obstacle course, muddy and elated earlier in March. Despite being an octagenarian, this was Wilson's second completed Tough Mudder.

In 2019, shortly after her 80th birthday, Wilson was asked by her son if she wanted to do a race, after he himself had just finished one. The race is famous for immediately requiring participants to army crawl through pits of muddy water before tackling a several mile run interspersed with obstacles.

"I had watched him do the World's Toughest Mudder in Vegas," Mildred said, according to local news reports. "He asked me last fall if I would like to do one. I said yes, but, if I do it, I want to be able to really do it. Not just be out there."

She had to get the thumbs up from her doctor first, she said, and began training at the YMCA after getting the medical all-clear. It paid off big time, as she would crush every obstacle in her path, remarking that the Missouri course was a little easier than she expected.

"Except for the wall! I always wanted to try that wall. I realized it wasn't a piece of cake. It took a whole village to get me up," she said, referring to a sheer wall of an obstacle called "Everest" requiring ascent by rope.

Wilson's husband, Farrell, supported her the whole time and cheered her across the finish line in 2019 before passing away the next year. It was in his honor she crossed the line once again in 2021.

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Tough Mudder's official celebratory post included an open question to their readers: when was the last time you did something for the first time? In light of Mildred Wilson's accomplishment, I think we could all afford an answer to that question.

Featured image: Tough Mudder/Instagram

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