Sam Durst has Cerebral Palsy and uses a wheelchair. Most people would think because he is a wheelchair user participating in something like a mud run obstacle course would be impossible but that didn’t stop him from completing a 5k Dirty Dash mud run in his Extreme Motus All-Terrain Wheelchair.

I was there to video Sam and his parents Roger and Christine as they tackled each obstacle. This is another story about how the Extreme Motus All-Terrain Wheelchair allowed a family to experience something together for the first time. An event they had always been excluded from was easily made inclusive because of the right piece of mobility equipment.

Roger and Christine had participated in the Dirty Dash before. Sam was there too. He sat in his wheelchair near the bleachers with a caretaker and watched all the athletes pass by. This time was different. Sam was sitting in an off-road wheelchair at the starting line ready to run in the race just like everyone else.

Would the Extreme Motus All-Terrain Wheelchair Survive?

The Dursts and I had used the Extreme Motus all-terrain wheelchair only once before attempting our Dirty Dash mud run. It was at a park with rolling grassy hills. This was a whole different ball game and we all felt like we were in over our heads.

When the horn sounded for our heat to begin we made our way up a hill to our first mud-filled obstacle. It was a long hole in the ground filled with mud and water. To enter the pit there was a steep 3-foot drop into the water.

Looking at the massive mud-filled whole Sam’s father Roger said, “There’s no way we can do that.”

He wanted to skip the very first obstacle. It did feel dangerous for the three of us to try to lower Sam and his chair into the pit, but I protested, “Why are we here this if we’re just going to skip all the muddy parts?” Roger agreed to try it if I could find us some help.

So, rather than skip the obstacle I waved down some fellow racers who were about to jump in the water and asked, “My friend has cerbral palsy, can you guys help us get this off-road wheelchair though?”

Happy to help they paused their race and ensured we made it safely to the other side. One person held my camera and the other helped to lower the chair to me in the pit.

At every major obstacle in the course, we found people were happy to help. I noticed that being able to help Sam was making the race more memorable for the strangers stopping to lend a hand.

Helping Hands at the Dirty Dash

In fact, on every adventure I have been on with Sam, we have found people who want to help. When we hiked Delicate Arch there were helpers. When we went sledding strangers jumped in to help push us up the hill. As I watched and filmed these strangers helping Sam I noticed they were having more fun because they had an opportunity to serve this man with cerebral palsy with this experience.

Thier race was becoming more memorable and meaningful because Sam was there and needed them. They would help us through an obstacle gather around for pictures with Sam and then hurry along their way.

As we plan future adventures and wonder, will we be strong enough to get Sam and his wheelchair through all this? We know that if we aren’t we will meet someone eager to help.

I Actually had fun!

When I was in the Army, we did obstacle courses like this as part of our training. Most Army training doubles as punishment so when Dirty Dashes and Tough Mudder’s became popular I was a little confused as to why people were paying money for something I remembered as punishment.

Having done one now I can say, “I get it.” Our little group had so much fun and I look forward to competing in more races like this so long as Sam will agree to come with me.

A big part of it was seeing Sam go bananas with excitement each time we celebrated after clearing another hurdle on the way to the finish line. Sam was able to have so many new experiences that day and he was on cloud 9 the entire day.

Later when I was editing the video I came across a shot of Sam laughing like a mad scientist and saying “I’m having the time of my life!” I couldn’t help but tear up a little seeing how much joy this event had brought to him and everyone who helped him get through that course.

Future Races

Sam and I started adventuring with the Extreme Motus all-terrain wheelchair towards the end of summer 2019. Many of the fun events like this had already happened and now we are stuck enjoying snow adventures. But when the snow melts we will be back out there making the most of every opportunity and exploring new places.

If you are interested in helping Sam on an adventure be sure to follow the Extreme Motus Facebook page. I will be posting opportunities to join in the fun and make sure Sam and others are included in these amazing outdoor activities.