What began as a distant dream in March became a life-changing reality for team Mulinix Mayhem. After weeks of waiting and training along with nearly 18 hours in a plane, two siblings gave it their all competing in the Red Bull Ibiza Royale, an obstacle course competition in Spain.

After speaking to Red Bull student marketeers on campus, finance junior Martin Mulinix pitched the idea of taking a trip to Ibiza to his sister, Alena Mulinix. After her skeptical acceptance, they got to work. The duo filmed for two hours in a Ninja Warrior gym, showcasing the skills they’d bring to the table before editing and submitting the video the same night. 

“We talked about how some of our activities that we do would compliment each other,” Martin said. “I’ve done a lot of running in the past. Elena has more balance. We demonstrated her balance in the video, some rock climbing aspects to it. I do more weightlifting, so we talked about how our differences could create a really strong team.”

Bringing in thousands of applications worldwide, nearly 200 mixed-pair teams from over 50 countries were selected to compete in the Red Bull Ibiza Royale. Team USA had 15 teams of two people. 

Martin broke the news to Alena that they secured not only the single slot representing Texas A&M, but were one of two teams coming from Texas — the other representing the University of Texas. A high school senior hailing from Cypress, Alena is an incoming business freshman — and was also one of the youngest competitors at just 18 years old.

With full support from their family, professors and friends, the Mulinix siblings started the journey — beginning with the gathering of Team USA in Los Angeles. 

“We had a boot camp, is what they called it, in LA where they took us through a HIIT workout and a yoga workout and then followed it up with a dietitianist or nutritionist to talk about how we implement Red Bull into our lives and fuel properly for different foods that we eat,” Martin said. “So the boot camp was really cool to have some tangibles to take from the experience that we can implement into our lives.”

Once they stepped foot in Spain, team Mulinix Mayhem went to work — although there was still play throughout the week as they bonded with different athletes. They went through a seating course on the beach to determine the order of racing on race day, cliff jumping after exploring the island and even experienced some of the city’s nightlife with two random locals. 

The Castell d’Eivissa, or Castle of Ibiza, is a fortress where Red Bull had set up nine obstacles for the competition. Martin said that they were going to give it their all and leave everything on the course, with strategies such as reviewing sketches of the obstacles, reassuring each other and talking out how to handle each challenge before the race.

Come Wednesday, April 9, they were locked in, passing the start line in the castle around 12:30 p.m. 

“All the obstacles were pretty different,” Alena said. “They’re all super fun. I would say the most challenging one was probably the one with monkey bars because I’m not really good at them. But we found a strategy that worked for us where I wrapped my legs around his waist and we just worked on them together and it helped us get across.”

On every obstacle there were blue markings: you step on one, 60 seconds were added to their time. From “Stay In One Piece,” a tight bridge with swinging axes, to a castle tunnel turned into a slide, each obstacle tested speed, strength, balance and reaction. 

“I would have to say that was probably my favorite obstacle, you run up this kind of wooden hill and then you have to cross a rotating bridge and you’re also getting, like, they’re throwing balls at you,” Alena said. “So you also have to focus on balance and not getting hit by a ball, but he went first and he picked a door, and he hit pretty hard but he got through and I followed.”

These obstacles didn’t just challenge them physically, but also mentally as they reminded each other to press on. Sticking together and not receiving any penalties, Alena said crossing the finish line was rewarding knowing it was something the siblings were able to accomplish together. 

“I would say the incline [to the top of the castle], it was pretty steep,” Alena said. “The run up, there were points where I thought giving up would be the way, but he just held on my back. He pushed me up that hill and we got across that finish line. … He should be proud for talking me through it. And probably in the GoPro video, you can hear him just telling me to keep going. Like, ‘I got this.’ So he was by my side the whole time and just inspired me to get up that hill.”

Martin said it was because of Alena’s perseverance and confidence that the two of them succeeded. 

“She trusted me and didn’t quit that whole time and made it to the end of the course,” Martin said. “And that was my proudest moment to see that she’s willing to trust me, but then also push herself.”

Just two of over 400 competitors, as the siblings built a camaraderie with Team USA, they both bonded with some of those from around the globe, including teams from Ireland and Lithuania. The competitors became more than just people who came together to compete in the challenge, but friends who the siblings hope to reconnect with in the future. 

“What was cool is, every athlete they chose had a different background in the things that they did — it was adrenaline junkies, runners, weightlifters, swimmers, rowers,” Martin said. “Every athlete brought something to the table, and it made an environment of super supportive people, like the whole trip was based off of our own health and wellness journeys and how we can be inspired throughout race to keep focusing on fitness, and while it was competitive, it was really a group effort to complete it.”

Within 72 hours of arriving back in College Station, Martin worked on and completed another obstacle course hosted by his men’s organization — Gladiator Dash, One Army’s philanthropy mud run. Looking forward to the future and not slowing down, Martin plans to run in a global race for the not-for-profit foundation Wings for Life on May 4, where runners from around the world participate to support spinal cord injury research. 

Ultimately, Alena and Martin placed within the top 100, but the duo didn’t care about the spot secured as long as they completed the challenge not only for themselves — but more importantly, together. After a whole week out of the siblings’ busy schedules in a country unfamiliar to them, they said the risk was worth it, and to not be afraid of the discomfort of the unknown. 

“Take the risk, take the opportunity,” Martin said. “And that goes with everything in life.”

This story was originally published on The Battalion on May 1, 2025.