This is a guest blog post written by Avanade alum, Ahmet Budak.

Mud Masters... for me the adventure started when an email was sent out by a group of colleagues who had already participated in a Mud Masters event. They described the awesomeness of the Mud and the fact that they mastered it! Before this I knew nothing about Mud Masters, nor did I even know that my Avanade colleagues were into that sort of thing. But that's what Avanade does, it draws me into places I have never heard of before; starting a journey that will be breathtaking, amazing, fun and best of all, one I take with my colleagues!

We've got your back

When I arrived at the meeting spot, I wasn't really ready. It was my first time, and I didn’t prepare as much as I should have. One of the first tips I got was: wear gloves! Because the obstacles are rough on the hands because of the coldness and such. Luckily one of my colleagues (thanks Sander!) loaned me his spare gloves. But it doesn't just stop there. The pants that I had with me weren't really up for the muddiness and wetness of Mud Masters, and so another colleague (thanks Ralph!) provided me with suitable running pants! I was now ready to take on the course.

That is who the amazing people at Avanade are. They've got your back! Everyone makes mistakes, forgets stuff and needs support. But it takes people that are motivated, passionate and caring to have your back along the way. I count myself as a really lucky person to know such people and to be a part of Avanade!

Mud everywhere

As the event started, things got really exciting. Everyone was pumped and ready for it. We moved forward as a team, helping others along the way, motivating each other... and that's amazing! There wasn't an obstacle that we couldn't get through, we were unstoppable and doing it all together! I loved it. It felt as if we were one big family. And I think that's what Avanade is at its core: people who are there for you, who have your back, who love what they do, who push you beyond your limits... and that's great!

Although I didn't complete the whole course due to the cold and cramping; it was still one amazing ride. Not caring about getting dirty at all and just letting nature run its course. There are some obstacles that will be easy, others that will be much harder. You really will be pushed to your limit, but afterwards you'll feel you've accomplished something big.

And so...

Mud Masters is one of the best experiences of life I've had. If you haven't done it yet... try it! I mean, what's the worst that could happen? There is no better teamwork: no matter how far you sink into the mud, your colleagues help you to get back on your feet!