Community

Tough Mucka – Like Cross Country, but WAY more fun!

Published

2 years ago

19/08/2024

Jess Kneen

Article written by Juan Christian – Isle Listen

Tough Mucka

Noun

Manx Colloquial slang. A wild and adventurous friend up for anything.

“Alright yessirs, they’re a Tough Mucka running up them Carnanes, boy!”

We live on the most beautiful place, surrounded by green, blue and purple. Rolling hills that gently hum Ellan Vannin as you lovingly move your eye along the breath-taking horizon. Each intake of air is a highly charged pocket of fresh crisp life-giving island energy, every step along our public paths or beaches are a snapshot of time where you wish you could bottle it, and squeeze every last drop of specialness out of it. A moment where you forget all your worries and are at peace with everything in the world.

This is one of the many reasons we made the decision in 2023 to build the monster that is Tough Mucka. Now, we know we ain’t the first to the rodeo here, there was a beast before us, Tough Mann. And a tip of the hat to the Tough Mann team, not only was it them who laid the foundations, they were an incredible help. In fact, we used a chunk of their equipment, so big up!

And that’s what its all about, community, love and support.

We first sat down with Phil Cringle of Friary Farm Ballabeg early in March, Phil let us go to Southern Young Farmers and then advised us to pester Paul ‘Captain’ Costain. From there the support flowed like a fresh water spring from Manannan’s garden. We engaged with Cooil Dairy, Ballakillowey Farm, both endured our constant calls and requests for more bales, more gates, more trailers and not once, in the midst of their own busy lives did they falter in their support.

On The Day

On the morning of the event, we saw the community pull together for what was truly something special and in essence is the reason why you should be a Tough Mucka. The sun was out, the ground was wet, nerves were jangling, Juan (me) gave the best safety speech that was ever given and a quick snap shot of the route for those people allergic to emails and PDF’s. ‘…you go up the hill, you come back down the hill…’ Pretty simple right? Nope… But luckily no one ended in in Phurt Le Moirrey!

The Course

Our aim was to design a course that was accessible, fun and a challenge. With two distances, but the option to do any distance you wanted if you changed your mind on the day. It was exactly that which happened. While from the foot of the Sloc, the climb looks mighty and near impossible. However, we found that those who got to the end of the ‘5k’ (instead of returning down the hill) decided to just go for it and continued to the base of Lhiatte ny Beinnee!!! And that’s the message, things always seem impossible or at least scary at the start but once you start the journey, you find that nothing is impossible. The endorphins from the delayed gratification. The cold-water norepinephrine (look it up!). The stimulation from the Manx scenery. The socialising with your friends has all got your heart throbbing and your mind flowing with glorious positive ideas and dreams, all with an overwhelming sense of achievement and pain. The satisfaction of getting out of your comfort zone, working in a team and overcoming challenges, making new friends as you throw someone over a wall. Maybe they become your best friend, or when you see that very same person on Strand Street 45 years later, the nod and wink of appreciation is still there. That’s what being a Tough Mucka is. Inspiring people around you and highlighting that a positive mental attitude overcomes all things, lessons for the generations that follow you through the footsteps of Manx sporting history.

So call your friends, sign them up for Tough Mucka 2024, so in 45 years’ time when you get asked where were you, October 6th 2024? You can tell them:

‘I was covered in sh@t in a field somewhere in-between Purt Chiarn and Colby, no-one really knows where. Cold, wet, hungry and annoyed I didn’t bring any water with me, wondering why I’d just been given a pint of warm milk and a portion of chips cheese and gravy after I’d ran 13.75km. I – AM – A -TOUGH MUCKAAAAA! (like Sparta the filum, innit)