Racing to end Human TraffickingRebecca Dunning - 25 Jun 2011
I am married to a guy who not only loves justice but carries the bizarre “x gene,” meaning he has to do crazy things at least once a year in order to feel normal. When you combine these two passions together you get a guy who does the Tough Mudder with Team Abolition (and a wife who prays a lot).
Team Abolition is a grass-roots group we started with our friends, which is dedicated to spreading awareness about the atrocity of human trafficking and raising funds (for www.24-7prayer.com) through business sponsorship to help end modern-day slavery. Team Abolition does this by engaging in events like running, climbing Colorado’s highest peaks (14ers.com) and other intense events-- events like the Tough Mudder.
My husband Clint along with Adam and Jennifer Manly will be heading into the Sunday, June 26th 2011 event near Vale, Colorado. The race is roughly eight (8) miles in duration and in the Tough Mudders words will, “test toughness, fitness, strength, stamina, and mental grit all in one place and all in one day.”
Tough Mudders are not for the faint of physique or heart; in this case starting at 8,100 feet and ending at 11,440, means our little team will ascend a total of 3,340 feet during the competition; much of it in mud or icy water conditions. If that isn’t a bit daunting then consider this: only 7 out of 10 “Mudders” finish, meaning 30% drop out along the way.
The course begins with five thousand (5,000) others and includes twenty-four (24) obstacles to surmount; quite a few requiring the help of those around you, including a series of 12 (twelve) foot walls and enormous bales of hay. A further sampling of the course includes: army crawling through mud under eight (8) inch high barb wire, dragging a log up a ski slope before descending, three different sets of cargo nets, running through waist high mud, crawling on hands and knees through a mountain of snow, climbing to the top of a greased quarter pipe, swimming under a series of barrels tied together on the surface of the water and edging through a series of constricting pipes that dump you into muddy freezing water. The event then finishes by leading you through a series of live wires, some which carry a 10,000 volt shock.
When asked about the choice of this particular race Clint said,
“This race represents the physical intensity of the emotions I carry about human trafficking. I wanted to represent the fight that we have to engage in for the rescue of the 27 million slaves world-wide.”
About Team Abolition: In 2010, quite a few of us participated in The Justice Run which raised over $7,500 to begin a recovery center for victims of human trafficking in Europe and climbed Pikes Peak, Mount Quandary, Harvard and Columbia. This year members have already run a spattering of 5ks and a 5 mile run through Garden of the Gods. We still have a July 27, Pikes Peak and a September 17, Mount Bierstadt climb during the 2011 season as well as a return to The Justice Run and run4youth 5k events in the fall. Team Abolition represents our current sponsors, Freedom Chiropractic and Artisan Decorative Finishes in this year’s events who have donated to Just24, the justice initiative of 24-7prayer.
To find out more about 24-7’s involvement in areas of justice visit the Just24-7 pages of this website.