Tough Mudder - Mission Complete

This past weekend I completed the Tri-State Tough Mudder in Englishtown, NJ.  Billed as “Probably the Toughest Event on the Planet” this Tough Mudder event was a 12 mile obstacle course designed to test the all-around strength, stamina, mental grit and camaraderie of its participants.  Would it live up to its billing?

First off, I would definitely recommend a Tough Mudder event to anyone interested in entering a challenging but fun event. Obviously, this event is not for everyone but if you think that you have what it takes... go for it! (Click here to read my original 'Tough Mudder' post describing the course.)

After entering the Tough Mudder it is difficult to explain the event to others without mentioning "Electroshock Therapy". It is the one obstacle that sticks in everyone mind. It is the one that makes your mom think you lost your mind. Mud - you know about mud. Cold - you know about cold. Twelve miles - you understand running twelve miles. But most people don't really know about being electrocuted. Could it really be that bad? Well... after going through it and discussing it with my running mates I've learned that it just depends on how the wires hit you. You may feel a little jolt or what one of my team members described as "getting kicked in the face by a mule." But know this, when you run through the obstacle you will get shocked!

For me, getting shocked was never really a concern. It was fun to mention but nothing I thought about as something to worry about. What did concern me was the tunnels. I'm not a fan of tight places so the idea of crawling though a dark tunnel under ground was not too compelling. Since the Tough Mudder is a two day event and I was running on the second day. I decided to see if anyone posted and videos of the course. That's when I found this video... it didn't ease my concerns regarding tight spaces.

But as it turns out the tunnels were not the biggest challenge.  It also wasn't the fire, the mud, the twelve miles, carrying a tire around a race track, the hills, etc... it was the COLD water!  I have never been in such cold water and a few years ago I had a broken water heater for a few weeks in November!  After one of the water events I saw a person whose face was dark purple with spots that appeared ghostly white.  (I'm not 100% sure but I don't think they let that guy finish.)

Instead of trying to explain the experience, here's a video that runner made the same day I did the event. It doesn't capture everything but it gives you a good idea...

All-in-all it was a fun challenge and I'm glad that I did it.  If you decide to enter a Tough Mudder event I highly recommend doing it with a group of people.  It makes the adventure more fun!