f13.net

So I just registered for the October event in Virginia. I'll be starting at noon. Anyone else planning on going?

The website will explain it better than I ever could. Tough Mudder. (http://toughmudder.com/)

Christ, I am sore just reading through that website. Good on you for even considering it... myself? I need a nap.

I have a couple of friends who did these over here in the UK; they are as tough as advertised. You need to be serious about your physical condition if you want to do one. If you finish it, I'd consider that a solid achievement.

I'd say I'm in pretty good shape and don't think I'll have any problem with any of it.

That said, I think just about anyone can "do" one of these. I don't think you have to complete every obstacle as intended and it's only 10 miles.

I did what that site would call "your average lame-ass mud run" in Australia late last year: http://www.maxadventure.com.au/mudrun/index.html

I was with people who had done it before. They were all enthusiastic. But this time it had been raining for weeks, so what had been ankle-deep mud flats the previous year had turned into kilometres of waist-deep mud, with horseshit swept in from a nearby riding club. And what had been a stream to ford the previous year, was now a raging 3m torrent where you had to cling to ropes.

I had good running and cycling fitness, so I made it through, but most of us have no plans to go back!

I can't seem to find the full size pic of this :(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/99701/fire%20crotch%20avatar.png)


Someone needs to post it (it's a guy doing one of these competitions in one of those over the shoulder thong things).

That's from an unaffiliated event called "Tough Guy" which has been running in the UK for years. They have two events a year - one in January (fucking cold icebreaker) and one in July (called Nettle Warrior because of the 6ft stinging nettles they cultivate). The Tough Mudder is, I guess, very much inspired and influenced by Tough Guy.

The course consists of mud, hills, fire, barbed wire, underwater tunnels, electric fencing, rafts, ropes and other obstacles. They used to have a challenge called Last Man Standing where people would keep going around the course until they collapsed. I recall the record was 9 times.

The mankini shot was from the January 2009 event:

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3451/3253809414_2de7945849_z.jpg)

Also, this:

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3077/3252981561_0db13b79f8_z.jpg)

This:

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3490/3253809266_63192760a3_z.jpg)

And this:

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3527/3252981863_0163d46f49_z.jpg)

You don't have to be super fit to do it - I've seen plenty of people who look like they've never run a yard in their life take part and finish it. The January Tough Guy has the added risk of hypothermia which forces quite a few people each year to drop out. The summer one is two circuits of the "Killing Fields" assault course. The slowest finishers do it in 4 to 5 hours (even though the course is only about 7 miles in total)

I've no idea how it compares to "Tough Mudder" although as there's one in London next year (mud? In London?) I may investigate.

I'm pretty sure you over-estimate how many people in this world are capable of completing a 10 mile jog, let alone an obsticle course. Seriously.

I could jog ten miles in my mid twenties. Now, after ten years worth of desk job, not so much.

My friends did the Januray Tough guy, and the biggest issue is the massive changes in temperature they faced. I don't doubt you can will yourself around the course, just don't expect to feel good at the end of it.

Shouldn't be a problem.  I'm pretty sure the point of these is to prove how miserable you are capable of being.

I know one of them was pretty ill for about a week after doing it. Running through fire and freezing rivers will do that to you I guess.

Those aren't very serious fires.

Obviously. They're also easier to get through than the 3-4 foot deep, shit-filled pools either side of them that you have to wade through to get to the burning bits.

Speaking from experience (done a few of them, both summer and winter), none of the obstacles are that challenging in themselves. But taking them consecutively after about 7 miles of hard cross-country running (far, far harder than most regular X-C races), coupled with mud and freezing cold water, definitely ramps up the difficulty.


Personally I just blamed a mid-life crisis. Certainly didn't feel any more miserable than being deskbound in a 9-to-5 every day.

Shit filled pools:
(http://farm1.static.flickr.com/75/203240727_1c6b11f32d_z.jpg)

Underwater tunnels (fucking horrendous when it's sub-zero temperature)
(http://farm1.static.flickr.com/67/203231575_6906add24b_z.jpg)

The Tiger:
(http://www.toughguy.co.uk/images/stories/course/tiger/tiger-8.jpg)
(Nicked this from the official site. As a bonus, it turns out that the running man in black near the bottom is me - as if proof were needed.)

What are those tunnels? No air?

Flooded tunnels; they're not very long, but they're pretty claustrophobic before you even add in the fact that you can't breathe.