One Tough Mudder

Last weekend B participated in a mud run called the Tough Mudder. It's a 10-mile obstacle course that was created by British Special Forces and it tests strength, stamina, and teamwork. It is comprised of the most ridiculous-sounding obstacles, but that's definitely part of the fun. Here were some of our favorite obstacles (for the spectators, not necessarily for the participants)--

1. Jump into a huge ditch filled with water and ice. (What?!? At least B does it with style...I love that J managed to take a picture of him mid-air!)

2. Walk the Plank--Pull yourself up a sloped (slippery) platform and then jump down 15 feet into a small, freezing cold lake and then swim across it to get out. B (and most of the other participants) said that this was the hardest obstacle. It's mainly because the water is SO cold. Their muscles were cramping and tensing up, but they had to keep swimming. Everyone looked miserable when they got out of the water at this one.
3. Cliff Hanger--Climb up a muddy steep hill and then slide down on the other side. This one looked like it was lots of fun.
4. Twinkle Toes--Make yourself across narrow log bridges without falling into the cold water. A lot of people did not make it across this thing...some of the people just walked through the water after slipping off. The bridges were SO slippery and everyone's shoes were caked in mud. It seemed pretty impossible.

5. Funky Monkey--Use monkey bars to get across a cold body of water...but some of the bars are greased with butter! B fell in half way through...and honestly, only 1 guy on their team made it across. Some people didn't even do it, they just jumped right into the water and waded across. That would've been me. In the pics below, B is the last guy on the monkey bars...and then he slips and falls into the water.
6. Electroshock Therapy--Run through a field of live wires...some carrying a 10,000 volt shock. I hate to say it, but this was definitely the most entertaining event to watch. It's just hilarious because the participants prep themselves at the opposite end and they try to come up with some sort of strategy. They look composed when they first get in, but then they get zapped and they just start screaming, running, tripping, and falling. The thing is, you can't even just run right through it all because they make it extra muddy, so it is very difficult to run. Lots of people lost their shoes in this one. This one guy (the last member of his team) tried to bolt through, but he fell and face-planted into the mud. He couldn't even move because he was so shocked...so his entire team went back into the obstacle to drag him out. They were all getting zapped, but it was awesome to see the teamwork. B told us that since it's the last obstacle, your muscles are already cramping and then when you get zapped you just start cramping right there. That's why B just fell to the ground when he went through. J and I had been wondering why lots of people who came out of this obstacle were grabbing their calves and legs....they were cramping up from the shock. See how they all look really cool getting ready to go in......and then it hits them and they're down on the ground.


I know, these obstacles sound CRAZY, right?!?

The guys completed the course in under 2.5 hours. B had fun, but he said he could definitely do without the water obstacles. Since the water was so cold, things got pretty miserable. But I told him that since it's a Tough Mudder, you kinda need water to have the "mud." B also wished there were more real obstacles on the course, rather than just an obstacle where you have to wade through cold water. But B really had a great time at this event. He loves obstacle courses and this was right up his alley.
B was definitely a muddy mess after the race. It was almost impossible to get the mud off of him. It was caked on in thick layers. The day after the race, B was so sore, especially his legs. We teased him that he looked like an old man walking around.
For us, the spectators, the event was really fun. It was awesome that we could see a lot of the obstacles along the course. We loved cheering B on and looking out for him. And the kids were troopers about waiting patiently to see their Daddy. The only down side was that sometimes the obstacles were far apart and with 3 kids in tow (even with J's help), it was nearly impossible to make it to all the obstacles. Plus, the terrain was really uneven, so we couldn't run over fast enough sometimes. But it was still a great experience for us and for B...we're really proud of our tough mudder! (I love that in the picture below Eli is just eyeing B because he knows B is really muddy, so he doesn't want to get too close.)