MENTAL MULES WALK FOR CHARITY

Front row, left to right: Brandon Kassinger, Ryan Carey, Chris Hamm, Brent Perry, Hal Landers, Scott Speer, Andy Lewis, Wes Hendrickson and Walker Hoye. Back row, left to right: Cory Ross, Greg Martin, Ryan Slaughter and Jeremy McCoy.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MENTAL MULES

By Hal Landers

For the past six years, a group of 12 men called the Mental Mules have tested their endurance in hopes of completing a 24-hour walk all for charity, but it didn't start that way. It was simply a challenge that started in 2016 as more of a personal goal amongst each of the 12 men to see if they could mentally and physically challenge themselves to complete this trek. The idea was to mentally push each other to stay awake, with minimal breaks, walking for 24 hours. Mental Mules met several times leading up to the inaugural walk, but it wasn't until later they decided to raise money for local charities in the community. In 2016, the goal was $5,000, which they chose to donate to the nonprofit Best Buddies of Columbia Central High School. The Mules ended up raising $7,500 and since then, have increased and exceeded their financial goal each year, adding more charities to contribute to. Last year the goal was $25,000, and the group exceeded expectations again raising $27,000 in 2021.

Jeremy McCoy and Andy Lewis present Cindy Sim, Director of the Center of Hope, with a donation from Mental Mules in 2021.

If walking 60+ miles isn't challenging enough, in 2020 the Mental Mules added the 22 Pushup Challenge, sometimes called the 22KILL Pushup Challenge. Every hour, on the hour, they stop walking and press out 22 pushups to promote awareness for veteran suicide prevention because sadly, on average, there are 22 U.S. military veterans who commit suicide every day. By the end of the event, each participant has completed 528 pushups throughout the walk — pretty impressive, and an extraordinary way to honor military service members and veterans!

The Mental Mules’ walk is an extremely physical task. It can be very painful to walk for that long and do so many pushups in 24 hours. Unfortunatley, there have been guys who have had to drop out during the journey after walking for so many hours due to injury. Although the group cheers for each participant, they don’t want anyone to risk injury. It is a melancholy moment when someone must drop out due to injury, but each member knows what the other is going through and they support one another to the end — a key factor to their success! Once the pain starts to set in, usually around midnight with seven hours to go, the men know they can count on each other to help get it done. Each year averages around 65 miles walked per person, 120,000 steps taken, and close to 10,000 calories burned during their 24-hour walk. The walk for charity starts at the steps of the Maury County Courthouse with a prayer, on a Saturday at 7 a.m. when the bell rings, and commences back at the courthouse at 7 a.m. Sunday. The routes walked are throughout the city of Columbia and Maury County. Over the past five years, the Mental Mules have raised more than $100,000 for local nonprofits. Last year’s charities included Best Buddies 931, Center of Hope, Cowboy Up, Dogs of War, Young Life of Columbia, and Shop With A Cop program. In addition to the charities Mental Mules support, a portion of the proceeds is set aside in a reserve fund to be used during the holidays for a family in need. Whether it is funding meals, clothing, or gifts, the money is there when it is needed most.

Mark your calendars as the annual walk normally happens in late October, early November. The 2022 Mental Mule walk will again feature 12 guys, 24 hours, local charities, and hopefully lots of community support. Each year the financial goal is raised, and the community continues to support the Mental Mules. So, let’s walk one step at a time!

Follow the Mental Mules on Instagram at @mentalmules and donations may be made through Venmo @mentalmules (Andy Lewis) to support their cause. n

HAL LANDERS is one of the Mental Mules founders and has walked every year since its inception for the cause. In 2002, Landers founded the Landers Insurance Agency LLC and is a native of Columbia. He enjoys traveling, being outdoors as much as possible, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.