It’s a cold, damp and gray day in November on the infield of Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey. A horde of icy, dirty, mud-caked individuals are finishing up the last obstacle of some medieval times inspired gauntlet. It is a series of live wires. Just the kind of thing you want to run through after hours of trudging through freezing water and mud thicker than molasses. Among those at the finish line with relieved faces are Saudy Tejada and Paola Ronquillo Floyd, athletes from the TriLatino triathlon club. They wear teeth-chattering smiles barely visible through their darkened faces and a look that says, “Did I just do that?” That something cannot be described as a race, but rather an exercise in survival. Welcome to Tough Mudder.
What The Hell Is This?
Tough Mudder is a hardcore 10 to 12 mile obstacle course designed by British Special Forces to test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit and camaraderie. Competitors traipse through more than 20 obstacles like the Turds’ Nest, a cargo net suspended 15 feet above whatever (barbed wire, rivers, etc.) that will test your upper body strength and core fitness, the Fire Walker which challenges your feet and courage as you literally run through a field of fire and Twinkle Toes a walk across a balance beam over a pit of frigid water that will reward your balance or punish your limited dexterity. Tough Mudder isn’t a race, so it’s not timed but the average Tough Mudder will complete the course in about three hours. If this sounds slightly left of center, it’s because it is. It’s the latest fitness craze for those seeking adventure that is the brainchild of Will Dean, a former counter-terrorism agent for the British government.
While getting his MBA at Harvard University, Dean founded this competition along with fellow compatriot, Guy Livingstone in response to
“the unimaginative and repetitive marathons, triathlons, mud runs and other adventures.”
The first event was held May 2, 2010 at the Bear Creek Ski Resort near Allentown, PA. They had hoped to attract at least 500 competitors. They received 4,500 participants for that first event and raised over $200,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project, an organization that provides programs and services to severely injured military service members. Two additional events were added in 2010. In 2011, Mudder grew to 14 events across the U.S. The company will host 35 events this year. Each season culminates with the World’s Toughest Mudder event designed to find the toughest man, woman and four-man team.
Straight From the Mudders Mouth
How much or how long you need to train for Tough Mudder depends on your existing level of fitness. You will definitely need to be able to run/walk a distance of 12 miles. To conquer the obstacles, Toughmudder.com provides “Are You Tough Enough,” a questionnaire to help you determine if you’re fit enough for this challenge. The site also offers a program that focuses on cardio and circuit training as well as a Tough Mudder Boot Camp to help you prepare. Participating in this event will directly impact an individual from head to toe. If there are any glaring weaknesses to your overall strength and conditioning, or existing ailments or injuries, they will likely be exposed.
“I prepared for this event through triathlon training (biking, swimming and running) but this was an intense mental challenge,”
said Saudy Tejada, a development associate for the Bronx River Alliance and DJ, who is also an accomplished triathlete.
“It made me push my body to a threshold I never knew was possible which I would not have discovered otherwise.”
Paola Ronquillo Floyd, a bank examiner for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, also based her training on her triathlon regimen and added dragon boating (paddling) to her routine which helped her gain the upper body strength needed for many of the obstacles.
“Core and strength training exercises are important to any training program,”
Ronquillo Floyd said.
“The upper body strength I had was most valuable to completing the obstacles.”
“Triathlons are individual efforts,”
Tejada explains.
“Tough Mudder is different because you need the collective effort of your teammates and random competitors to get through the obstacles. It helps you to work together and you gain strength from the camaraderie.”
Ronquillo Floyd agreed.
“Psychologically, given how afraid I was of certain obstacles I felt very accomplished after having completed the race.”
If endurance events test an individuals’ fitness, Tough Mudder tests an individuals’ mental fortitude. In addition, teamwork plays a vital role. There is no I in team, nor is there one in Tough Mudder, but you’ll certainly finish with mud in your eye.
This years’ event is scheduled to take place at Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey on October 20th and 21st on the same grounds that Tejada and Ronquillo Floyd tested their mettle last fall. The Worlds’ Toughest Mudder will also be in Englishtown on November 17 and 18. For information or to register visit “toughmudder.com“