Do You Have What It Takes To Become A Tough Mudder?
Will Culbertson, PNN Staff
February 17, 2012
Filed under Entertainment, Top Stories
Are you someone who enjoys a challenge? Tired of your boring exercise routine? If you answered “yes,” to both of these questions, then you should look into registering for an upcoming Tough Mudder event. Tough Mudder, for those who aren’t familiar, is an obstacle course. However, this is not your typical “run through some tires and crawl under some string” obstacle course. Tough Mudder is arguably the toughest event on the planet.
Tough Mudder events range from 10-12 miles depending on the venue. Obviously, Tough Mudder will challenge your physical fitness but that’s far from all. Tough Mudder is advertised as something that will test your “all-around toughness, strength, stamina, and mental grit.”
What can you expect to encounter on a Tough Mudder course? How about wacky costumes, teamwork, and of course insane obstacles. The typical course contains 20-25 obstacles. Obstacles such as “Electroshock Therapy,” “Walk The Plank,” and “Arctic Enema” have become staples to any Tough Mudder course.
“Electroshock Therapy” requires you to run through a field of 10,000 volts of electricity. “Walk The Plank” is exactly what it sounds like – a 15 foot jump into water followed by a 50 yard swim back to shore. Hopefully you can handle being submerged in ice cold water, because that’s what you will have to do when you reach the “Arctic Enema” obstacle.
Perhaps the coolest aspect of Tough Mudder is the teamwork required to complete the course. Tough Mudder is not a race. It is an opportunity for groups of people to work together to conquer the course. Tough Mudder strongly suggests teamwork and even requires you to take a pledge to help your fellow “Mudders” complete the course. Upon finishing the course, you will receive an orange headband that proves that you are indeed a “Tough Mudder.”
Will Dean is the creator of Tough Mudder. Dean attended Harvard and went on to work for the British Government as a counter-terrorist agent. Tough Mudder was born out of Dean’s frustration with traditional tests of fitness such as marathons and triathlons. Dean agrees that running a marathon isn’t easy but doesn’t believe it’s a real test of all-around toughness.
If you are interested in registering for an upcoming Tough Mudder event you can check out the official website www.toughmudder.com for more information. The Indiana event is scheduled for June 16-17 at Badlands Off Road Park in Attica, Indiana.
