It has been six years since Kingston’s Leo Muid tasted glory in the wilderness but this time it was made all the sweeter after he battled against Olympians in the mountains of Snowdonia.
Leo and his colleagues from Accenture spent last week in North Wales with 61 other teams who all underwent a series of adrenaline fuelled tasks in this year’s 25th anniversary edition of the UK Challenge.
The nation’s leading corporate team building event pits teams against each other in gruelling physical and mental challenges over the course of three days in a bid to raise money for charity and be crowned UK Challenge champions.
This year saw contestants flung in at the deep end with a night run through the forest followed by canoeing and mountain biking all intertwined with intellectual puzzles.
But, if that wasn’t enough, Leo and co had to lock horns with retired marathon runner Mara Yamauchi and judoka Sophie Cox who were representing the event’s official charity partner – The Dame Kelly Holmes Trust.
Leo (above, third right) was part of the Accenture team that won the event in 2008 and has been trying to get his hands on the prize ever since.
“I think 2005 was the first year I took part and we won it in 2008. We’ve been trying to win it again for the past six years and never managed so it feels really good to have won this time,” he said.
“There’s a nice friendly rivalry between us and AWE who have won it for the past few years but this time we’ve managed to get the trophy back so we are all delighted.
“I think trying to get another win has kept me coming back for so many years. It’s a great feeling so we wanted to have that again.
“I think it’s a really special event and the mixture of physical and mental challenges and the strategic side to it which makes it so unique.
“The whole thing is great and we’ve had such a good time and to win it is just the cherry on top.”
Leo and his team managed to overcome to the likes of Yamauchi to pick up the trophy and the retired marathon runner admits the challenge was a real test – but well worth it after more than £100,000 was raised for the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust.
“The UK Challenge is different to what I’m used to,” said Yamauchi, who lives in Teddington. “My specialty is just running fast but this time it was a lot of running but also cycling and canoeing and problem solving and it was also a real team competition rather than an individual competition.
“All the teams did a fantastic job, not just in the event but also with raising money as well.”
The UK Challenge is the UK’s leading corporate team building event, providing companies from a variety of industries with an epic, adrenaline fuelled adventure that delivers powerful business benefits. To find out more, visit www.ukchallenge.co.uk
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