On Saturday, August 27th, I participated in my first ever Tough Mudder. It spanned 10.3 miles in an ATV park, which means it was quite hilly in some parts, but flatter in others. There were 20 obstacles within the race to be overcome, many of which required help from your teammates and other participants, affectionately referred to as Mudders. My team consisted of my dad, a good friend of his, that friend's daughter, her boyfriend, and a few guys from my dad's buddy's office. I hadn't met the guys from the office before, but I was very comfortable with everyone else, so I knew I would be in good hands. Throughout the race you not only rely on your team to help you, but you get help from Mudders that you've never met before and you may never see again. Everyone is there to help you get through. You also need to be able to rely on yourself and your mental grit to push through the roughest times.
All of the obstacles were challenging in their own way. Some were much more difficult than others, and those are what this article is about. I'm proud to say that I have learned more about myself by overcoming these crazy obstacles than I have at any other point. The first two obstacles weren't too bad. I had to run/walk a mile before getting to the first one though, so that was a little tiring. The third obstacle is called "Skidmarked", and it is a large wall that's been tilted towards you. There weren't any footholds or anything helpful, so you needed to get help going over from your team and those around you. My dad created an initial foothold with his hands for me, and then told me to step onto his shoulders before getting dragged up by someone at the top with their arm outstretched. That was the first test of teamwork that we saw, and it absolutely was not the last.
The next crazy one was the Liberator. It was an "A" shaped wood construction with strategically drilled holes going up to the top. You had to climb up this wall using two wooden pegs that would fit into the holes, and again, no real footholds. This was a serious upper body and core strength test. I, again, needed help here getting up and over. Throughout the whole race I swore like a sailor. I heard somewhere that swearing will actually help to alleviate some pain (most likely a mind trick), but I'm just a vocal person anyways, so this obstacle in particular was one that had many F-bombs dropped while I climbed.
Arctic Enema 2.0 is the singular toughest obstacle in mine and my dad's opinions. It was around the 7.5 mile mark, so we were all thoroughly hot and getting exhausted. This obstacle was a massive tub of ice water separated into two parts by a wall that we had to scramble over. To get into the tub of icy hellishness (dyed a pretty turquoise blue) we had to slide on our backs and go all the way under the water. This tub had been kept at a constant 34ish degrees Fahrenheit and was a complete shock to everyone's systems. We slid into the pool, practically leaped over the wall, and then had to dismount off the wall into the second half of the tub which was arguably more agonizing than the first half, purely because we had to stick ourselves into the iciness again. We then dashed out of the tub and had to jog around to keep our muscles from cramping up. It was a cruel obstacle, and we were all dyed blue until our next encounter with chest-deep mud pits (there were several throughout the race).
Balls to the Wall and the Berlin Walls were also chock full of serious swearing. Balls to the Wall is a rope climbing obstacle, and there were knots along the rope, so it shouldn't have been too hard. Wrong. My upper body strength is laughable so it was quite difficult for me. Eventually I made it up (needing more help from my team and other strangers), but not before I got some chuckles from guys around me who heard my angry, determined cursing. Many did hear me, because the rudeness came out as a cross between a growl and a yell. I find that swearing like that is acceptable in situations like this because some sort of animal-like determination came over me and forced me to complete these challenges.
The Berlin Walls are two large, flat walls that require lots of help to get over. A common theme in this race is helping the Mudders around you. Teamwork and comradery are highly emphasized and should never come second to your finish time, in terms of priority. That really made me feel safe throughout the Tough Mudder. I knew that if I needed help there was always someone there with a hand reaching out to grab mine.
This is the one time I can honestly say that I'm glad I cheated. Instead of going through Electroshock Therapy like I was supposed to as a first-time Mudder, my dad's friend's daughter, her boyfriend, and I chose to do the Legionnaire (person who has multiple Tough Mudders completed) finish which was Frequent Flyer's Club. I watched as my dad ran through the live wires, and one strong one hit him on the head and knocked him out, face first into the mud. I was hysterically crying and freaking out, but he woke up after a few seconds and was okay. I consider that to be a wicked mental obstacle, having to witness that. Anyways, after we all crossed the finish line, we got to rinse all the mud off of our bodies and clothes. That was another obstacle in my eyes. There was mud in every nook and cranny (obviously, because we had swam through and under muddy water several times). This was definitely one Saturday that I will never forget. I learned that I can do anything that I put my mind to, and I am very proud of what I have achieved. It's not about the orange headband, being in first or last place, being able to do something, or not being able to do something. The Tough Mudder is about pushing yourself to your limit, leaving your comfort zone, throwing away your dignity for a day, and moving forward when all you want to do is stop. You are conquering fears and competing against yourself. That is the essence of the Tough Mudder.
