Students make it to 'Hell and Back'

It may be proclaimed Ireland's toughest 10 kilometre challenge but 40 students, teachers and parents from Bailieborough Community School were highly motivated and ready to compete in the infamous Hell and Back adventure race. This is no ordinary 10k but rather designed, built and customised by a former member of the Elite Army Ranger Wing. It requires both physical and mental toughness and a tolerance for freezing cold water saturated bogland, sticky thick mud and exhausting mountain climbs. All from the Community School finished the race with some impressive times recorded. The team arrived in Killruddery Estate, Bray, County Wicklow, on Sunday morning last, bursting with enthusiasm and positivity. With eight weeks of intense training behind them, they all felt up for the challenge but nothing could have prepared them for some of the obstacles that they were about to face. Fifty metres into the race the competitors were forced to plunge themselves into a freezing pond followed by three kilometres of uphill road running and hurdles of hell. Just when their legs were about to collapse, the Little Sugar Loaf Mountain came into view. They managed to make it to the summit where there was an opportunity to rest their weary limbs and appreciate the beautiful views of Wicklow Bay. Participants made their descent to the many man-made obstacles including a 100m barbed wire crawl, an electric fence to run through and a 10 foot wall to scale. With the end in sight they clambered over bales of straw and proceeded to run triumphantly towards the finish line to the cheers of the onlooking crowd and received their hard earned participants' 'Hell and Back' t-shirts printed boldly with the slogan 'I made it thru Hell and Back'. This mad exhilarating event was the ultimate in extreme fun and a challenge for mind, body and soul. The atmosphere surrounding the whole event was electric and the camaraderie was unrivalled! Roll on June for the next Hell and Back adventure race.