81-year-old Sikeston woman to take part in 4-mile obstacle course

For many the thought of a four-mile obstacle course that involves crawling through mud and climbing over walls holds no appeal. Not for 81-year-old Mildred Wilson of Sikeston.

Wilson will be taking part in the North Little Rock Arkansas Conquer the Gauntlet on Sept. 26 to help her son’s youth group that is raising money to build a well in Africa. Her son, Danny Wilson, is the youth pastor at Bethel Assembly of God in Cape Girardeau and will be taking part in the course as well.

Conquer the Gauntlet is a grueling four-mile obstacle course with over 25 obstacles. Some of the obstacles included have daunting names like Dead Man’s Drop, Stairway to Heaven, Tiger Trap, Walls of Fury, Barbed Wire Boulevard, Pit of Despair and Hills from Hell.

While the names would scare many, Mildred Wilson is not one of them. She stays active and is prepared for the course.

“I go to the YMCA and play pickleball and walk a couple miles a day,” Mildred Wilson said, adding she took part in a Tough Mudder last year in St. Louis.

“This is similar to that but a mile longer with more obstacles,” she said.

Danny Wilson took part in the Tough Mudder with his mother and said it is the most popular of the obstacle courses. He added that he is pretty sure she will be the oldest person taking part.

“Anybody that is 81 and has the willpower to get up and do something like this it is pretty impressive,” Danny Wilson said. “I know people half her age that wouldn’t finish.”

Danny Wilson said she is trying to leave a legacy by helping his youth group with building the well. He added the well costs $45,000, which is more than most wells because they will train locals to work on it and the company would keep it working.

“It’s a well, that in theory, would be in place for a lifetime,” Danny Wilson said.

“They’ve raised $30,000 of $45,000 and I’m hoping to raise $5,000,” Mildred Wilson said.

While Mildred Wilson is running to raise money for the well she is also running in memory of her husband that recently passed away.

“I had already planned to this with my husband as my biggest fan,” Mildred Wilson said. “He died (Aug. 25). I don’t think he would have wanted me to not do it.”

Mildred Wilson added her husband had already donated $1,000 for her to complete the course.

Like the Tough Mudder in St. Louis, Danny Wilson will take part with his mother, adding he will keep a close eye on her, even if she may not need it.

“When we did the 5K tough mudder, I’d say we were about two-thirds of the way through and she asked if we could go through multiple times,” Danny Wilson said. “I thought that was something.”

Donations to Mildred Wilson for the well can be sent to:

Bethel Assembly of God

1855 Perryville Road

Cape Girardeau, MO 63701