Tough Mudder, considered to be one of the most challenging ways to prove you are truly tough, consists of 20-25 obstacles strewn over 12 miles. The obstacles consist of varying ways of putting your body through absolute hell, including: swimming through ice, running through exposed electric wires and crawling through enclosed spaces. Those unfamiliar with the concept would automatically conclude that anyone participating must be mad. However the underlying point of doing this is the vast amount of money that is raised by many each year for the “Help for Heroes” charity. The course is designed by British Special Forces, who themselves would probably liken it more to a walk in the park than an intense mental and physical challenge. Nevertheless it is an incredibly difficult test of your average Joe’s steel, grit and determination - something I got to learn very quickly.
Glorious sunshine rolled over the Wessex hills of Winchester for the first of two weekend Tough Mudder events taking place over Saturday and Sunday. A fitting setting for testing courage and determination against the odds, much like King Alfred’s men did many years ago. Thousands descended on the former Wessex capital for a chance to prove who had the biggest proverbials, accompanied by family and friends with music, beer and food all contributing towards a festival-like atmosphere. A short registration was quickly followed by our team of six group joinging the bigger group warm up for our ‘wave’ that would be running at 11:45. As everybody came together joined arms and screamed in each other’s faces, literally, you couldn’t help but be taken in by it all, a sort of mob mentality; but the good kind not the kind that leads to stealing rice from Tescos during riots “coz the government took all our taxes innit”. Slightly straying off the point a little, the start line was oddly a short run round the corner on the other side of a wall, a secret hidden obstacle perhaps? A short climb later the wave huddle had come together once again spurred on by the MC reeling off inspiring phrases such as “hoorah” although maybe reading this you can’t appreciate the appeal of this one word gesture. After a quick safety briefing we were let out the traps like greyhounds, the hopes and dreams of our family and friends resting on our young shoulders, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration but we were away with a nervous but excited expectation of what lay ahead.
After running up and down short hills we were confronted by the first obstacle, a wet muddy surface to crawl through with barbed wire on top. They really weren’t kidding when they called it tough mudder! The 20- 25 obstacles that lay ahead were all challenging in their own way, some easier than others. The easier consisted of jumping over gaps in the floor to going up and under logs. However the tougher obstacles really were tough. They consisted of the arctic enema which sounds exciting and exotic but I assure you it was not. The arctic enema was essentially an ice and water filled skipped with a large bit of wood in the middle which you have to swim under in order to make it to the other side. Entering the water it didn’t seem that bad, however the freezing water does start to take your breath away and make it difficult to breathe. The longer you stay submerged the harder it becomes and eventually I started seeing a bright light at the end of a tunnel, “Tigger is that you?” (Tigger is an old family cat who passed away; not by way of arctic enema I must stress). A few obstacles later, that included a rock climbing wall over water, a log carry and running over loose floating “islands” across water, we came to another big challenge; mud mile. The obsession with mud is something that should have been expected, it’s not called tough grasser after all, although that doesn’t really have the same ring to it. We were fortunate the Gods had been kind to us and the mud mille was largely not that muddy, however it was still wet and at the bottom of each large mud mini hill was a soaking puddle of muddy water. The mud was seemingly impossible to avoid but strangely enjoyable to be plastered in so often. In between the obstacles, at times, laid large areas of open space for running. The large gaps tested ones mental strength as the key was to block out the overwhelming desire to stop and simply walk to the next task. This was truly a test of mental as well as physical grit, made a lot easier by running with team mates and the general camaraderie shown by all competitors. A very enjoyable obstacle, yes that’s right there were some, was the monkey bars. Of course being Tough Mudder it was not that simple, the monkey bars went up then down at sort of triangle angle and there was some suspect looking water. I managed to get half way before landing in the drink, but it was a rather refreshing dip at that point in the day, although I didn’t intentionally fall off! Another very difficult obstacle was the ominously named “electric eel” – a shallow pit of water to crawl through with electric wire across the top, oh and exposed live wires to shock you if you were unfortunate enough to touch one. This required steely concentration and skill to navigate through the water without being zapped, something I managed, although a team mate of mine was unfortunate/stupid enough (delete where appropriate) to guide me through once he had finished only to lean on the electric wire himself. The Berlin Wall came later on in the day, or before; you get a bit delirious after running 8 or so miles in the scorching sun. The Berlin wall standing tall at around 12 feet high requires the help of your fellow Tough Mudders, although there were plenty who could traverse the wooden wall unaided. There were many more obstacles to come, such as the half pipe that required each Tough Mudder to run up to the top. This was where some of the greatest team work was shown. There were mudders unknown to each other that helped pull each another up to the top of the half pipe, fantastic team work shown, really captivating the theme of the event. There was one final test that separated every Tough Mudder from the glory of finishing, as well an ice cold Strongbow that has never seemed more appealing. This final test of character came in the form of more electricity, this time longer exposed wires hanging down above some slippery muddy…mud. There was also a volunteer to spray you with water, just for good measure. The best advice for anyone reading this who is considering taking on Tough Mudder in the future is; close your eyes and run fast. It is nearly impossible to avoid the array of wires, your best bet is to run and hope for the best!
Once you make it through the electric hell you finally make it across the finish line for one of, if not the, most refreshing pints of Strongbow, given out by a team of very helpful staff. Friendly as well, as I forgot to grab my pint I was allowed to go back and get one, hoorah! Despite coming out feeling very battered and bruised and in a fair bit of pain, the overwhelming sense of achievement more than made up for the aches and pains. The adrenaline helped you through most of the course and takes a while to wear off, just be aware that some point between getting in the car and lying down in bed it will hit you! The whole day is a fantastic day out, really well organised by Tough Mudder and Strongbow and something I would recommend to anybody mad enough to be thinking of taking part!
