Hey,
For anyone who has no idea what a Tough Mudder is, check out the website here Tough Mudder.
I decided, about three months ago, to do this. A technician friend had put together a team of ladies to do this, so I signed up for the first running on Saturday as well. The team later got bumped to 10:20, so I got to run it alone.
Alone is not completely true. There were 300 in the first heat, with heats going every 20 minutes until 2 pm.
I cannot move today. I knew that I had not prepared enough, but I had no idea how hard this was going to be. Not only did they extend this one from the originally advertised 10 miles to 12 miles, but they informed us (just before the race, mind you) that this was the hardest Tough Mudder that they had EVER conceived and produced.
Not exactly comforting words as you start.
Let me give you some highlights:
1/4 mile in: swim across a creek, 14 feet deep 50 feet wide - TWICE
1/2 mile in: two sets of crawl through tunnels, just big enough to pull yourself through with your elbows. Oh, and by the way, they had a ditch full of water and ICE between the two. The last set of tunnels was also filled with ice.
Mile 3 through 9 - run through the woods. However, I should state that the run was up and down the side of a mountain. At one point, we had to climb up a hillside that was at least 100 yards up (and I do mean up) and had to be a 70 degree incline.
Monkey bars - I was not looking forward to this. They put it around mile 10. Imagine two 35 foot ladders, in a roof style angle, with a deep pool of water underneath. I did not think I could do it, but I started strong and continued extremely well. I was about 10 feet from finishing - when I grabbed a rung that they had buttered and down I went. Cold Cold water and a big splash.
Dock dive - 300 yards to go. Climb up onto a steep platform, then jump 25 feet down into a lake, swim 50 yards to shore. No energy left at this point, pulled myself up onto the high muddy bank with my hands.
One last obstacle - Electroshock. 40 feet of live wires hanging down right before the finish. Anywhere from 5 to 10000 volts in the lines. Found the strength to run through it. I think I got shocked, but I did not have enough of anything for my body to even react.
They say the average time is two hours thirty minutes. I finished in three hours twenty five minutes. But I finished. You cannot imagine how tired I was, how completely spent I felt, and how happy it was over.
Chris DVM
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