Sisters Represent TD at Charity Mud Race

June 1, 2025 — When Local 816 (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) Secretary & Treasurer Missie Tober first heard about the MUDGIRL Obstacle Race from her cousin, she thought it sounded interesting.   
 
After an ad for it popped up on her news feed last year, she convinced Local Committee of Adjustment (LCA) 769A Local Chairperson Annmarie Grisafi and Tonya Bragunier (Local 816) to sign up and join her.  
 
The group had such a great time that they added two more union sisters, Dominique Cooper and Lexi Jones, for this year’s event at the Pocono Raceway.

Showing Their Union Pride 

Sister Tober wanted everyone to wear something that represented their job but hit a roadblock trying to contact Amtrak directly.

Luckily, former GO-769 General Chairperson Rick Pauli put her in touch with SMART-TD International, who outfitted the group with shirts for the race. 

“All my friends from work are doing this, and I wanted to represent something (the shirts) from our job,” said Sister Tober. 

3 Miles of Mud to Fight Breast Cancer

MUDGIRL is a three-mile obstacle race in the mud that’s open to women of all ages and fitness levels.  
 
“It doesn’t matter your age, your height, your weight, your anything,” explained Sister Tober. “If you’re not comfortable with an obstacle, you don’t have to do it.  
 
The event is held in various cities across the country throughout the year and supports the fight against breast cancer.  
 
The fact that Sister Cooper, Sister Jones, and other Amtrak employees have family members who are also breast cancer survivors made the group’s participation even more meaningful.  
 
“It just shows that we can get together, we can work together, we can support each other and be there for each other as a group in a community,” explained Sister Tober. “These crew bases are like families. We spend the majority of our time with each other, and we do support each other 100%.” 
 
After losing her sister a few years ago, Sister Tober saw this firsthand.  
 
“Coming back to work was very difficult, but every single one of them was there for me,” she remembered. “Every single one of them reached out to me when I was at home.  We’re there for each other. We actually have formed friendships and bonds.” 

Larger Team to Return to Poconos Next Year

With a year to go until the next MUDGIRL in The Poconos, the group is already getting prepared, including adding two more women from Harrisburg and a few from Philadelphia to the team.

“The one girl actually rents a house for the weekend,” said Sister Tober. “She takes a little vacation, rents a house in The Poconos for the weekend, and we all stay there. It’s great bonding for the women at Amtrak.” 
 
Sister Tober encourages women from any Amtrak crew base to look up “MUDGIRL Obstacle Race,” see if there’s one taking place near them, and sign up to participate as a team. 
 
The bonds formed will go beyond the obstacle course or the crew room. 
 
“It’s just a really fun time, and it’s a very supportive way for women to get together and it’s for a wonderful cause.”