This past Saturday, the Endurance Obsession Racing Team and friends fielded a group of 14 athletes to take on Tough Mudder Arizona. As has been my custom for the 3 years I've done this event, we lined up in the first wave on the first day at Eastmark in Mesa, AZ.
The Tough Mudder is not a race…it's an event. Mudders are encouraged to help each other thru the course…and not just the people you came with…but anyone around you who needs help.
After our check in and pre race photos we climbed a mini version of the Berlin Wall that leads to the starting corral. Tough Mudder does a good job of pumping you up before they release you to the 10-12 miles course littered with obstacles big and small. Just before the gun went off I gathered the team to review our two simple, yet vital rules.
Rule #1 - If you get tired…lean on me…because when I get tired, I'm going to lean on you.
Rule #2 - We start and finish together…and no one gets left behind.
So….off we go.
I won't bore you with all of the specifics….but there were a few highlights that you should be aware of…
- This year, Tough Mudder seemed to have greatly reduced the number of obstacles. Last year the course was packed with lots of smaller obstacles that didn't take much to get thru…but did break up the running portion quite a bit. I'd estimate 15-17 obstacles this year with few of the "speed bump" kind.
- That fact above made the running portion seem longer since there were not as many breaks in the action.
- The first obstacle that I was NOT looking forward to was the Arctic Enema…a giant vat of ice cubes and water that you jump into, submerse everything including your head in, them attempt to climb out. This year…the "after" portion when you duck under a barbed wire beam was longer and colder than I remember. When I finally was able to climb out…my body felt like I was being stabbed by 100 knives…from every angle..and from all over. The pain lasted for a minute and nothing I did seemed to help. Luckily, it was pretty warm by this point so that we were able to warm up and recover quickly.
- We had some true badasses on our team. Andrea, who had stomach surgery for a bleeding ulcer just days before completed the entire course! The fact that she was unable to eat anything and even drinking water made her double over in pain didn't stop her one bit. Kyle, our youngest member (21) signed up and decided to do the event THE NIGHT BEFORE! Yep…no special training…just the wonder of youth and a solid team to work with.
- I HAVE to get my should fixed when this season is over. On the Everest obstacle (essentially a slippery half pipe you have to run up out of a mud puddle), I ran and leaped for the edge and caught the hands of two fellow Mudders waiting at the top. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to swing my leg over the edge and I wound up hanging there by my arms until my left shoulder popped….which rendered it completely useless. I told the guys to let me go and I slid down on my belly. Someone mentioned that I should skip this obstacle and go around….but there was no way I was going to be team leader by quitting. On the next run I was able to reach the cleats by myself and a couple of guys scooped up my leg and hauled me over the side. I hung the left arm out of the way and laid on top to help 10 more Mudders get over with just my right arm.
- 14 people is a LOT to keep together and keep tabs on….but I wouldn't have it any other way. It was tremendously encouraging to see everyone gather up at each obstacle, cheer each other on, count off to make sure out entire team was with us…and then start running again. Again…this is not a race…its an experience and the experience of conquering the course with that group of people was amazing.
- Tough Mudder will absolutely f*!K with you. Val, Byron, and I were required to go an extra mile and 3 extra obstacles of the Legionnaires Loop. This was a special part of the course reserved for Mudder Legion…those that had finished at least one event before. They have a pretty cool deal where you earn different colored headbands based on the number of finishes you have. Halfway thru the loop we encountered what appeared to be another electrocution obstacle in addition to the traditional Electroshock Therapy that finishes all Mudder events. I think the 3 of us all said "no f*!king way!" at the same time with the prospect of 10,000 volts going thru us TWICE within the space of a mile. The building it was housed in looked a little shaky though and rather than think too hard I just said "we gotta do it" and entered….once I went in it looked even more shaky…just a few wires dangling from the ceiling and it didn't take me too long to figure out it was a hoax…no electricity. The sign at the end said "Even WE wouldn't make you do it twice!" I waited at the exit and yelled to Byron and Val that we were clear to come thru.
- Tough Mudder is experimenting with the force of their electric shocks. The first year I did the event with Brian (and the first year it was held in AZ) the shock in the midst of a pool of muddy water was so strong it knocked some athletes (including myself) out cold….I went face first into the mud, unconscious and eyes wide open. Last year they dialed it back so much it felt like a pat of the back from your pal. This year they seemed to get it right as I got hit 5x before being knocked off my feet at the end into a muddy bog. I decided to stay down and avoid the wires for the last 10-15 feet as I wasn't interested in being shocked yet again.
- My Altra Provisions kicked ASS on this day. I had saved this pair after taking them out of my running rotation just for this purpose. I knew they were going to be donated at the end but I wanted them to go out on a high note. As much as possible, they provided great traction, drained quickly, and didn't bog down with too much mud. I'm certain this is well outside of what the shoes are designed for…but they should be proud of their effort. About 7 miles in, I did ditch the insoles as mud and rocks were getting trapped underneath and making it a more difficult run….and of course at the end, they hit the donation box to be power washed and to live again as someone else's big adventure shoes. Those shoes took me from a snowshoe race at 11,000 feet to the depths of the Valley of the Sun and 15 feet underwater…. my new slogan for Provisions is #we'llgoanywhereyoutakeus
The crew has already decided that they're up for a run at Tough Mudder 2015….so come out and join us if you'd like. The more, the dirtier, the harder, the bloodier…the better!
My racing season starts in earnest now with the Abq Half Marathon next weekend….then tri season is upon us with Ironman Coeur d'Alene squarely in my sights. Me, Endurance Obsession, Altra Running, Trisports.com, XTERRA Wetsuits, and Boston Bill Sunglasses will be ready for whatever it throws at us…..except electrocution….please don't electrocute me at the finish line of Ironman…thanks. :-)
See you out there….Peace…
#rethinkingrunning #toughmudderlegion #takeyouraltrasanywhere #enduranceobsession
