Rosie the Riveters: No “can” in our do

The best thing about the Warrior Princess Mud Run is that organizers direct all proceeds, 100%, to Harbor House domestic abuse programs.

The second best thing is the mud.

I’d vowed a more dignified approach this year as I suited up in my Rosie the Riveter costume for our Drama Mamas team. Last year, I over-taped my shoe laces and spent a terrifying eternity trapped in the changing tent, covered in mud and wondering if I’d ever see sunshine again.

I’ll be daintier this time, I thought. I’ll skim rather than submerge. Ha!

By the fourth obstacle I dove face down into a mud pit and combat crawled gleefully alongside my equally giddy team.

We’re mostly mothers, mostly heading north of middle-aged, and mostly the ones who clean the mud off the people and things in our lives. Given the opportunity to romp in giant mud puddles ourselves, we’re going to go all in.

Obviously.

When was the last time you got to make mud pies? The luckiest members of our time shared the fun with their daughters, who made excellent next-gen Rosie the Riveters.

Coached, cheered, and occasionally yanked, every single member of our team cheerfully made it safely through every single obstacle, which is why we all looked like smiling, giant, melting, human fudgsicles by the time we crossed the finish line.

“There’s no ‘can’ in our do!” one of my friends said as she slacklined her way across a swamp.

I looked around my sweaty, muddy, happy friends and thoroughly agreed.

Riveters on the bus
The riveters on the bus to the starting line. Can we do it? Yes we can!
Tatting up
Tatting up before the race.
Catherine and Kathy
Our IR members, who took the best photos. (Photo credit Catherine McKenzie)
Before team pic
Team picture with our Rosie the Riveter sign before we hit the mud. We can do it!…
Team shot after pic
…team picture after the race. (Photo credit: Catherine McKenzie)
Queens of the Hill
Queens of the hill — This is our team after the first obstacle, a steep uphill climb.
Not posed
Not posing at all here…
Mudpit
Muddy Moat Mayhem….The first mud pit.
Wendy
Combat crawling through the mud.
Our teamwork
Teamwork on the climbs…
Teamwork
…more teamwork and lots of fun.
Arabesque
And then we all performed a perfect arabesque on a balance obstacle. (And by “we” I mean Maddy. The rest of us applauded.)
Bolt
I should have practiced my Usain Bolt pose. Bit of a fail here, but I meant well. (Photo credit: Catherine McKenzie).
Water slide
I didn’t have to practice my Michael Jordan face as I slid down “No Guts. No Glory”. That came naturally. (Photo credit: Catherine McKenzie)
Rachel and Mike
Rachel’s boyfriend Mike gamely filled in for her mom Kathy. Can he do it? Yes, he can. What a good sport!

One thought on “Rosie the Riveters: No “can” in our do

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.