FIVE siblings have raised thousands of pounds for charity by taking part in a “savage” obstacle course in their dad’s memory.
Lexi Sears, 26, of Camden, North London, completed a 5K Tough Mudder challenge in Henley-on-Thames on Saturday, May 6, overcoming physical and mental pain to tackle more than a dozen obstacles in torrential rain.
She was joined by her brother Sam Sears, 24, from Andover, and sisters Abbi Cousins, 32, and Beth Cousins, 30, both of Southend-on-Sea, Essex, and Naomi Sears, 22, of Bath.
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The group’s inspiration for taking part in the event came from their dad Greg Sears, a grandfather-of-four who died in June last year, just eight weeks after being diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour.
The estate agent from Andover, who had his own business, lost movement in his right-hand side and was initially thought to have been suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) when a scan revealed he had a high-grade brainstem glioma.
Sadly, he was told there were no treatment options available to him and he was referred for palliative care. He died at home two months later, aged 58.
Lexi said: “We signed up for it back in December so had been training for it since then by trying to increase our fitness and improve our upper body strength, but nothing can really prepare you for it.
“It was brutal, but the torrential rain made it hilarious. It felt like Dad was with us the whole time. I swear he made it rain for his amusement.
She continued: “Some of the obstacles were particularly savage. We were already freezing cold, and wet and muddy, when we got dunked in icy water and forced to swim under a barricade.
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“We also had to pull ourselves through water under a cage with just a four-inch gap to breath in, run up a massive wall, which my brother went face-first into because he forgot to jump, and, in the end, we got electrocuted by dangling wires that had 10,000 volts running through them, which really hurt.
“We were so happy when we crossed the finish line that we had a group hug and jumped up and down in the rain, despite still being in pain from the last obstacle.”
The siblings’ efforts have raised more than £4,200 for the charity Brain Tumour Research.
To support their fundraising visit justgiving.com/fundraising/toughmudder-gregsears.
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