After completing the trek in Part 2, it’s time for the sisters to face the Serious Trials portion of the challenge—a wet, muddy assault course designed to test their physical limits and resilience. This final stage will push the group out of their comfort zone, fostering a deeper empathy for those who endure hardships beyond their control.
What to expect on the course
The assault course combines both man-made obstacles and rugged natural terrain, each presenting unique challenges. With rucksacks on their backs, the sisters will need to tackle the course without a change of clothes. The muddy and damp conditions of the obstacles add to the intensity of the experience, while also providing a symbolic lesson about endurance and perseverance.
Obstacles they’ll encounter
Some of the physical challenges sisters may face include:
- Tunnels: Crawling through narrow, dark spaces that challenge courage and focus.
- Fences and tyre walls: Climbing over or manoeuvring through tyre walls, often requiring teamwork.
- Climbing nets: Scaling ropes that require strength and coordination.
- Balancing bars: Walking across narrow beams that test balance and agility.
- Mud pits and water ditches: Wading through muddy water and slippery surfaces.
- Natural terrain: Negotiating fallen trees, riverbanks, hills, and uneven paths.
As they navigate these obstacles, the weight of their rucksacks will add an extra layer of difficulty. Inside each rucksack is their change of clothes, carefully wrapped in a bin bag to stay dry—a reminder of the need to protect essentials, even under challenging conditions.
Reflecting on the journey
During this part of the challenge, sisters may start to feel discomfort or distress over the mud and damage to their clothes. The group leader can use this opportunity to open a discussion about attachment and loss. As they mourn a single garment, they can begin to reflect on how refugees often lose far more—leaving behind homes, belongings, and memories with little notice.
Reflection prompts for the group
- How does this experience of parting with personal items compare to the sacrifices refugees make?
- How does it feel to persevere through physical discomfort, and what inner strength does it reveal?
These discussions help to connect the physical challenge with the emotional and spiritual journey, reinforcing the lessons of resilience and empathy.
Finishing the course
The sisters will spend around 1.5 hours on the obstacle course, facing and overcoming each trial together. At the end of the course, there will be a chance to shower and change into the clean clothes they brought in their rucksacks. Wet clothes can be wrapped up in the bin bag for the journey home.
Guidance after the course
- Dhuhr prayer: Sisters can make wudu using the water bottles they packed, then pray Dhuhr together. If they’re travelling a long distance home, they may also combine Dhuhr and Asr.
The return journey and final reflections
Once changed, the sisters will set out on their return journey, retracing their steps to the original drop-off point from Part 2, where they’ll take the arranged transport back home.
After returning
Upon arrival, it’s encouraged for the sisters to stay in each other’s company until Maghrib to break their fast together, reflecting on the lessons learned and the bonds strengthened throughout the day.
Wrapping up the challenge
The challenge officially concludes with Iftar at Maghrib, as the sisters break their fast and share their final reflections on the experience. This closing moment symbolises the resilience, gratitude, and understanding they have cultivated, carrying forward a strengthened faith and empathy for those who endure trials daily.