Ah OK, I stand corrected then.

http://toughmudder.com/about/

follow the link and read Fact #1.

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“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.” - Plato

Tough Mudders (and the like) have been around for thousands of years. The only difference is that, in previous incarnations, entrants were obligated to carry a weapon and defend themselves against the competition - or risk being stabbed, shot, blown-up, left for dead, and possibly returned (in part) to their families. It even had a cool name: WAR.

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"The right to party is a battle we have fought, but we'll surrender and go Amish... NOT!" -Wayne Campbell

I just finished the Ironman St George and I'm pretty confident, few if any, Mudders could have done the same. Most would have sunk on the swim.

My next race is the Spartan Beast in Utah. A 12 mile race with all the obstacles a Mudder has. I'm going to enjoy beating all the 20 year old chest thumping gym rats as they try and stumble thru a 12 mile footrace. I'm sure they'll do great in miles 3,4,5. But ultimately, it is lean fitness that will prevail over bulk in a 12 mile race like this.... even if we have to throw some sandbags and climb ropes along the way.

Bring it!

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This is ten percent LUCK, twenty percent SKILL
Fifteen percent concentrated POWER OF WILL
Five percent PLEASURE, fifty percent PAIN
And a hundred percent reason to be IN THIS GAME!

You do realize that tough mudders are 12-14 mile races too right? You may be thinking of warrior dashes as they are only like 3-4 miles.

"Our obstacle courses are designed by British Special Forces to test you in every way and are meant only for truly exceptional all-around people, not for people who have enough time and money to train their knees to run 26 miles."

That's right...anyone with time and money can run a marathon (I mean train your knees to run one), but you have to be truly exceptional to run a mudder. The British Special Forces designed it that way!!!

Personally, I say good on them. It's a win-win-win situation. Arm-chair endurance athletes get attracted away from triathlon, leaving the racing to those who actually care about racing, while giving them something they can actually do and feel good about and making some other people some money. If that's what it takes, I'll concede to not being a "truly exceptional all-around person".

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sometimes you just have to eat the cake

"Our obstacle courses are designed by British Special Forces to test you in every way and are meant only for truly exceptional all-around people, not for people who have enough time and money to train their knees to run 26 miles."

Apperantly the British Special Forces are a bunch of Nancys! I just did the one in Vermont with my fiance' yesterday and while running up and down a mountain for 10 miles isn't the easiest thing on the planet. I'd do that course 5 times around before I ran Boston as it was this year again. Let the mudders have their fun. You can smokethem at the next marathon they run aka local 5k that they call a marathon

I did the Tough Mudder last year in Florida...............it is a cakewalk compared to a longer distance triathlon..............requires basically no physical fitness or toughness of any kind...............it is basically a money making joke.............and a profitable one at that.

I did the Arizona spartan race in February: it was tough, and it was fun. It was more triathlon-ey than what I hear about tough mudder - there was competition, they celebrated the winners, they most certainly timed you (and had backups in case your chip fell off), and the obstacles were fairly challenging (and were all solo obstacles). The jumping over fire bit is a bit of a gimmick (though the fire is certainly big enough to burn you severely if you fall), but it sure makes for a cool photo afterwards.

Also, the only way to skip an obstacle was to attempt it and fail - and then do 30 burpees. 30 burpees, unless you're a professional burpee-er, will always take longer and take more out of you than the obstacle would have.

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STAC Zero Trainer - Zero noise, zero tire contact, zero moving parts. Suffer in Silence starting fall 2016

I did Tough Mudder Wisconsin last year. I also did Ironman Wisconsin again. So I have been on both sides of this fence recently. The day I did TM was 90+ and humid as hell. The ambulance siren was going all day. I saw some fit looking crossfitters puking all over the place. I did every obstacle except one we would have had to sit and wait ~45 minutes for. Running up ski hills several times sucks. A lot. Running down them sucks too. However, it is absolutely no comparison to the Ironman distance triathlon. It's not even close. The culture, the fitness levels required, etc. are very, very far apart. Also, for me, the novelty is gone. One and done on the TM circuit, or anything like it. There is no way the popularity will hold up, IMO.

If you competed in the TM Florida, it was actually cow shit, as it was conducted entirely in cow pastures. The smell was, well, bovine as we started, and to told everyone around me to NOT run or take obstacles with their mouth open unless they LIKED the taste of cow patties.

It was funny to watch the expressions on those who did not hear, understand or believe that warning. Me, I spent too much time in rural farmland and running around in foul environments in the military to worry too much about a little cow poo.

I did the TM just because I had run a Warrior Dash before and wanted to know if the TM was really a test of anything. It was, a test of enduring idiots and intentionally unfit exercises. Things like randomly placed 4' deep holes in an otherwise 6" deep water crossing. Idiots like a few crossfitters who decided the best way to cross a rope net was to fling themselves halfway across the net. Unfortunately several people were halfway across the net at that time, so they jumped on top of those people. At least one was unable to finish the race. The crossfitters ran away like the puzzys they really are, despite all their boasting.

I have not done a 140.2 event yet, but I have completed a 70.3 race (IM Augusta) and several Olympic distance races. I would equate a TM with an Olympic triathlon with a twist; add volunteers to knock you off your bike, assault you in the swim and throw gatorade at you at the aid stations. The ambulances made a ton of money at TM Florida, they had at least a dozen there, all cycling to the local hospital in a constant cycle.

Add to that it costs money just to watch the race, and after your 1 beer at the end, even more money to continue imbibing more beer. Overall, I was disappointed, finished well ahead of the group I started with, and will not enter another TM as my enjoyment of stupidity is not as tolerant today as it was when I was 20.

Edit - found it, it was the Spartan Race series. Hobie Call was the guyhttp://www.outsideonline.com/...-Force.html?page=all[/quote[/url]]

This Hobie Call guy is a beast. Did you read this interview? Says he can break a 2:00:00 marathon? All he needs is $80k for two years in sponsorship so he doesn't have to work!

"I can break two hours. I have the knowledge. I have the discipline. I have the right attitude. All I need is the opportunity to train full time for one and a half to two years. Eighty thousand dollars is nothing. Countries and organizations have spent millions trying to accomplish what I can do for mere pocket change."

I've got $5.00 on it, tell me where to send my donation.

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"Damn homie, in highskew you was tha man, homie..what the F*** hapened to you?"

But it's the baptism of being a degenerate--gambling even when there's no clear sign of a winning side.

lol

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Trying to find that old 60 min / 40k tt split!
http://www.supergosam.blogspot.com

Until being a deadbeat bogan/redneck becomes an olympic sport, anything they say will just get ignored by the sporting community.

Heh, if you do the Superhero Scramble and tattoo their logo on your body, you get to race for free at any of their events for life.



I did one of their races recently. It was a lot of fun, but also very easy.

well... tri wasn't an Olympic sport for many years, and they still have the pentathlon so ya never know!

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Trying to find that old 60 min / 40k tt split!
http://www.supergosam.blogspot.com

DISCLAIMER: Newbie Here!

So I've got a foot on both sides of this fence and that kinda hurts...

I love tri's and races, but I also had fun during the TM. Sure it wasn't a race and didn't really satisfy my need for finish time validation but the event took me back to my gun dog days of CQB and running the obstacle course (lest my gear & carbine) Granted I didn't get to do any shooting along the course, and I had to tolerate some d-bags who would skip every 'hard' obstacle, but the TM does raise ALOT of money for Wounded Warriors, a charity very near and dear to my heart. And the free haircuts, that raises even more money for WW with each haircut given. By the end of TM I was bruised, bloody, and mildly hypothermic, yet both the wife and I enjoyed the TM and will probably do another eventually but in a warmer climate... If you get the chance, grab a friend or two and give it a try, you may actually have fun but if you're a serious athlete with a busy race season planned I wouldn't exactly recommend a TM because the chance for injury is very high.

Was TM as 'tough' as a long distance tri, I don't think so. But it takes a completely different type of mindset to low crawl through water and under electric wires when you can't stop shivering, then it does to keep pedaling and/or running when your legs say "F*#k you, we're taking the hamstrings and going home".

Bottom Line: Different strokes for different folks, the TM people may have tried to call triathletes out, I doubt many folks who completed a TM could complete anything longer then a sprint tri, and most triathletes could complete a TM (if they learned to play well with others) but in the end its all just a different type of crazy, no need for the hate. And after having done both, I do like triathlons better

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Slainte!
-Sea Dog Sends

I actually like and regularly do CF workouts (I think for those of us who do triathlons non-competitively, it is a great way to ensure overall health). In general, I just can't stand most of the other people who do it. This is why I really enjoyed seeing them struggle during the TM. Though my personal favorite happened post-race.

The Marines were there to volunteer on the course and had a pull-up challenge afterwards. If you could do 25, you got a prize. My buddies and I were waiting to try with some other guys and the Marine informs us, "the goal is to do 25 pullups. That means all the way down and all the way back up with minimal motion of the rest of your body. I don't know what is wrong with people today but I don't want to see one more person thrusting their hips trying to make love to my pullup bar."

One of the CF guys waiting with us goes off about the "value" of kipping pullups and how work is work. The Marine was not impressed.

How are you still around idiots and unfits after say 2 miles? The TM is just like a tri, it is what you make it.

Sure there are overweight people downing beers and jogging/walking the 20k or so in a TM, but in case you haven't noticed there is a pretty big group of people jogging and walking the average tri or half marathon too. All it is, is an obstacle course. If you grab some buddies and run a few 5 minute miles there won't be many jogging idiots around and you'll have a fun obstacle course.

I think this should be their motto;) LOL. I think if it is a good time, they do these type of events. I am only laughing at the idea that they have to make it sound all macho, when it is basically just horsing around in the mud (and only if you want to). I will at least give the Spartan Race series some credit (haven't done a race, but checking out their website), because they have some longer races (20K) with real timing, etc.

For some, I'm sure it beats sitting on the couch eating chips and watching TV. I think it is great that people want to get out and enjoy the outdoors and leave behind the luxuries of modern living if only for an afternoon. A lot of people are just out there dieing for adventure... heck, this is a quick way to escape the mundane routine of suburbia.

I have done 5 marathons, 2 sprints, a 100 mile kayak race (by far the hardest thing I have done), and one 70.3 with another this coming weekend.

When I did the TM, it was last fall in Texas. The last real physical thing I had done was the Austin Marathon in February and 1 Army PT test. The TM was a complete joke. The only thing that made it slightly difficult was my huge hangover and lack of (none) hydration before or during the event.

I was lucky that I did it on Saturday and not Sunday because apparently their "Death Waiver" doesn't cover a rain storm. Yes you read that right. They canceled the even on Sunday because of rain. Not a thunderstorm. Rain.

Also, it was by far the least mentally challenging event I have done and was quite expensive (at least I didn't see $140 as "relatively low prices"). People getting tattoos of their logo is even more retarded than getting an M-dot one. Disclaimer - I don't have any tattoos, and I don't plan on being a corporate billboard. I have no problems with tattoos and I could see myself getting some, but I can't think of something that I want to have on my for the rest of my life. I guess if an even that takes you ~3 hours to complete is the "toughest" thing you will do, then by all means, let everyone know just how "tough" you are.

I will say that the people who did the World's Toughest Mudder (run a TM course for I think it was 24 hours or something for however many laps you can do), or whatever it's called, are great athletes.

One more thing. Does anyone know how much of their profit they give to Wounded Warrior Project?

1) You can pass any/all of the obstacles that you want - I was pretty shocked at that.
2) Most of the people don't do "water". I then asked, what he meant, and he said, many people don't like going into water, so many people skip any obstacle that involves swimming. He didn't know how to swim "well" - aka he doesn't know how to swim.
3) There really is no timing or racing. There are some people that actually try to go fast - but people tend to gawk and yell at them because these "fast" racers ask to cut the lines (probably the few triathletes that do the event), but for the most people there is a lot of walking, laughing, waiting, standing around.
4) There is a big community feel to it. Helping people up walls, ropes, etc.
5) You usually have to wait "in-line" to do an obstacle.
6) As for training for the event: "I ran a couple times these past 2 weeks" and " I did some push ups"

After said conversation, I pretty much determined that tough mudder is indeed mostly a joke and I wasn't just rushing to judgement to quick. It's just something to do on a Saturday/Sunday with your friends.

This post nailed the tough mudder. I did one a couple of months ago and for the most part it was a joke. What made it kinda cool for me was the fact that I ran it with a group of awesome athletes which really turned it into a challenge. Based on our calculations we finished an hour to an hour and a half ahead of most of the participants. We didn't make any friends out there though as we seemed to be the only ones that were actually "racing." I didn't know until after I had signed up that they don't time anyone. That pissed me off. A lot of fat out of shape people finished it....so what does that tell you. Not that tough! Just another fad that has tapped into the crossfit community (who really sucked at this by the way...they were toast after the first three miles).

The Super Spartan though...I've heard that it is a true and very tough course, and is ran as an individual with age group awards. Eh, I'll give it a try. Still cheaper than any tri around.