After overcoming 25 punishing obstacles, 10 tons of ice and 100 tons of mud, our TVS Total Warriors were rewarded for their efforts with a much-needed ice-cold beer! Having successfully completed this year’s Total Warrior event, held at Bramham Park on the outskirts of Leeds, the exhausted six-strong team were delighted to have stayed the course.
When asked if we should enter a team into Total Warrior, TVS’ Managing Director, Paul Lafone said “I was completely on board from the initial idea. The event further brought our employees together in a fun environment that allowed them to switch off from home and work pressures. As the eldest of the group and now with a good deal of hindsight, a few training runs would have been a good idea, but I survived and very much look forward to the next crazy event”.
Andy Roberts, Sales Director and TVS team captain, summed it up: “Completing such a gruelling and demanding obstacle course was a massive accomplishment for all of us and we were all extremely grateful for the well-earned victory beer once we crossed the finish line. With obstacles named ‘Human BBQ’, ‘The Plunge’ and ‘The Shocker’, we didn’t quite know what we were letting ourselves in for, but we approached every challenge head on, with a positive mindset and with a can-do attitude. I must admit it was tougher than I initially thought but aside from a few grazed elbows and a pair of bruised knees, nobody within our team suffered from any serious injuries”.
Asked about the greatest challenges of the race, Jason Lewis-Lamb, our Sports Surfacing Specialist had little doubt: “The biggest challenge for me was making the leap from treadmill and static bike cardio training to full-on cross country running between the obstacles. It’s a completely different beast and I clearly wasn’t prepared. That and ‘The Cement Mixer’ – knee deep and at some points shoulder deep in mud was the most difficult obstacle – I nearly lost both shoes at one point.”
Chris Taylor, Projects Director at TVS Group, added: “For me, the most enjoyable part of the day was seeing Jason cross the finish line because at one point I really thought we’d lost him”.
TVS warehouse operative, Lee Haworth approached and conquered every obstacle with a big smile on his face, particularly the ones where the course photographers were conveniently located! When asked about the challenge he replied swiftly with “the best part of the day was the banter going round the course. It was a top day and it was great to see everyone encouraging and supporting each other”. Daniel Redman, our Sales Executive claimed that this challenge was merely “a walk in the park” and he’s already signed up to do this event in 2023! Impressive stuff Daniel – we’ll see you at the start line next year!
Believe it or not participation in The Great Northern Mud Run is completely voluntary and proved a great opportunity to bring some of our team members together in a different setting.

