New Jersey woman set to join family tradition for mud race after losing more than 100 pounds

In 2012, Ryan Moriarty and his wife, Megan, wanted to get in shape for their wedding. While most people try to lose weight through diet and exercise, the couple decided to take it to the next level and compete in their first-ever Rugged Maniac obstacle course race.

Crawling through muddy waters with barbed wire overhead, climbing up a 15-foot-tall cargo net and even jumping over fire were just some of the 27 different obstacles that the Moriartys encountered in their first Rugged Maniac race.

What started as a fun challenge has over time transformed into an annual family tradition.

The Moriarty family — including Ryan's sister, Meghan Megill, who recently lost over 100 pounds — is getting ready to compete in its 10th Rugged Maniac race in Englishtown, New Jersey, sponsored by Tipico Sportsbook.

"It's something that brings my family together as we grow up. It's something I hope to continue to do," said Ryan, 36.

Muck of the Irish

Ryan and his team, Muck of the Irish, consist of extended family and friends. Some years it's only been Ryan and his brother running, while other years they’ve had as many as 15 people come out to race for their team. Muck of the Irish has nine runners set to go this year, but recruitment efforts are continuing.

"We leave no person behind," Ryan said. "We want to make sure everybody has fun. We don't want people to be discouraged, so we always make sure we wait for other people."

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Many of the Rugged Maniac obstacles require teamwork to complete, so Ryan always makes sure that his team sticks together throughout the entire race. Whether that means running as a group along the 5K track or helping one another climb over the 11-foot-tall warped wall obstacle, Muck of the Irish is all about teamwork, he said.

With Ryan's 60-year-old aunt all the way to his 17-year-old cousin aboard, Muck of the Irish has a range of ages and abilities on the roster.

Joining tradition

The newcomers for 2022 are Ryan's 56-year-old uncle and 38-year-old sister — both competing in their first Rugged Maniac race.

"It's a little nerve-racking because I've never done it before. I've never really been able to before this year, but my brother's very encouraging so it feels good. I'm excited to do it," said Meghan Megill, Ryan's sister.

During the past 16 months, Megill has lost 108 pounds by exercising and eating in moderation. Despite struggling with exercise anxiety throughout her life, Megill said the pandemic motivated her to lose weight and live healthier.

"I have small kids, so I was worried that if something were to happen to me I wouldn't be able to do well with it," Megill said. "So, I wanted to make sure that I give myself the best chance to fight off anything."

Megill said she started with making three little changes in her daily routine every month, such as drinking more water and walking during her lunch break. She gradually lost a couple of pounds, which motivated her to make bigger changes to really kickstart her weight loss plan. She also began counting calories and walking 2 miles everyday for 10 consecutive months.

Now, 16 months later, "I feel the strongest and healthiest I've ever been," she said.

Rugged Maniac is known to be a test, especially for first-timers.

"We're very excited to have her with us," Ryan said. "She's done amazing things over the past year with her weight loss, and she's going to continue to do amazing things, but this I think will be a big accomplishment for her."

As the big day quickly approaches, Megill is nervous, but she says she's confident she has what it takes to finish a Rugged Maniac race.

"I’ve watched my family do it for 10 years, and I've watched from afar. It's my time to finally do it with them and show them that I can; that I am strong, that I am able and I'm going to do it,” Megill said.

Intern Kaitlin Balasaygun can be reached at kbalasaygun@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New Jersey woman joins family race tradition after losing 108 pounds