WRAL-TV’s Mandy Mitchell prepares to rappel 32 stories down the Wachovia Building in downtown Raleigh to benefit Special Olympics.

WRAL-TV Reporter Mandy Mitchell recently went over the edge for a good cause.   She rappelled 32 stories down the Wachovia Building in downtown Raleigh on Friday, September 30, 2011, to benefit Special Olympics.

Mitchell was very involved with Special Olympics of South Carolina before coming to WRAL-TV from WIS in Columbia.  That organization contacted Special Olympics of North Carolina when she moved to the Triangle, which is how she got “volunteered” to take part in Over the Edge, she says.

“I have never been Rock climbing in my life,” said Mitchell when capcom asked her about previous experience for her rappelling adventure.  “I love outdoors stuff, but I am not a big fan of heights so this was a little scary.”

WRAL-TV’s Mandy Mitchell makes her way down the skyscraper.

Mitchell says that Special Olympics gave the media participants a crash course in rappelling.

“They trained us for about an hour,” It ended up being a lot easier than I thought.”

Mitchell represented WRAL-TV at the Media Day of the festivities.  The more than 100 regular participants of Over the Edge did their training and made the big descent on Saturday, October 1st.  In order to rappel, participants had to raised a minimum of $1,000.

“Looking down 32 stories was pretty peaceful,” Mitchell said of her adventure.  “I was alone and it was quiet. Wouldn’t be a bad place to read a book.”

• See the blogpost & view video on WRALSportsFan.com: Special Olympics pushes Mitchell ‘Over the Edge’
• Special Olympics’ Over the Edge – Raleigh

Thanks to WRAL-TV’s Mandy Mitchell for these capcom photos.