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Re: Tough Mudder Organization has fighting words for triathletes [iluv83vettes] [ In reply to ]
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Tough Mudder is probably the target race for all those out-of-shape tubbies I see in Hyde Park with the boot camp instructor wearing army fatigues barking exercise commands.
I usually giggle when I run by.

If I want tough and mud with obstacles, I'll just go hike the 100 mile wilderness in Maine.
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Re: Tough Mudder Organization has fighting words for triathletes [vertical_doug] [ In reply to ]
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Cross fit's ugly cousin.
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Re: Tough Mudder Organization has fighting words for triathletes [iluv83vettes] [ In reply to ]
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Quote:
100 mile kayak race (by far the hardest thing I have done

Where did you do this? I am just starting to kayak, but something that crazy might be something to aspire to.

How long did it take? 25+ hours or did the current help you along?


Swim - Bike - Run the rest is just clothing changes.
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Re: Tough Mudder Organization has fighting words for triathletes [Cervelo Apple] [ In reply to ]
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One day all the tough mudders, Ironman and all those sports competitors will realise that being muddy, skinny or fat and even really really fit or good at swimming, cycling or running doesnt in fact make you tough.
makes me giggle everytime.."tough!" pow bang etc

http://longwaytogo-ironman.blogspot.com/
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Re: Tough Mudder Organization has fighting words for triathletes [johanandbex] [ In reply to ]
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Sadly, i'll be doing a TM event this summer because the girl thinks it will be fun to do it with a bunch of friends.
A full report will follow, but i'm pretty sure it is going to be a piece of cake based on my current training and level of fitness.

:)
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Re: Tough Mudder Organization has fighting words for triathletes [Cervelo Apple] [ In reply to ]
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It's more of just a silly marketing ploy. It's a different sport altogether, with it's own seperate challenges requiring completely different training. Training tri will better prepare you for tough mudder than specific tough mudder would prepare you for a tri though. The only commonality is running. All sports require their own toughness so it's stupid to compare that too.
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Re: Tough Mudder Organization has fighting words for triathletes [Cervelo Apple] [ In reply to ]
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I say we (ST'ers) revolt!!!!

Everybody grab your compression socks! Slap them and your HR monitor on. (HR monitor is so we dont work to hard.)

And lets go raise HELL!! But not to much hell, because I have a long brick tomorrow.

_________________________________________________
When all is said and done. More is usually said than done
Ba Ba Booey

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Re: Tough Mudder Organization has fighting words for triathletes [linhardt] [ In reply to ]
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It was in Texas. From Bastrop to Columbus on the Colorado river. It's called the cr100. It took me 18 and a half hours. I got 7th and was the second to finish in a plastic boat. There is another race called the Texas water safari that is from San Marcos to Seadrift. It is much more difficult because there are dams and stuff that you have to get around. Another race is the MR340 on the Missouri river. It's a little longer than the TWS, but it flows faster and there aren't as many obstacles.
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Re: Tough Mudder Organization has fighting words for triathletes [cdn_eel] [ In reply to ]
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Why so much hate?

Tough Mudder attracts a completely different crowd than the endurance sport crowd.
Nothing wrong with that.

I just finished the Tough Mudder at Mount Snow in Vermont last weekend.
The people at my wife's gym convinced her to do it, and I said I'd go along.
My wife's idea of endurance training is running 1 mile around the gym parking lot.
One month before the race I tried to get her to do a small 5k in town, and her answer was "no its too hilly". The irony of a road 5k being too hilly when we were going to a ski area to do a 10 mile "event" was completely lost on her.

It was a piece of cake compared to triathlons. Walking 10 miles took a while by never got hard.
It was also lot of fun. There was a lot of teamwork between both the teams doing the race together, and even between total strangers.
My wife is on cloud 9 at having finished. She's never tried anything like this and is very proud of herself to have finished, as she should be.

Could it have been tough? Absolutely. If you tried to race, it would have been very difficult with the hills & terrain.
I really don't see the point in racing this solo, though.
Getting a group of fast friends together, and pushing the pace on the course I think would be a lot of fun and difficult as well.
Last edited by: kjtri: May 8, 12 7:12
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Re: Tough Mudder Organization has fighting words for triathletes [Cervelo Apple] [ In reply to ]
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Did it specifically mention triathletes anywhere? The way I read it, I assume they are talking about ultra-trail runners. I think us tri geeks get our panties in a bunch over any perceived slight. Heck, they (the TM website) could just as easily be slamming adventure racers, not triathletes.

That being said, last year I did the BEaver Creek CO one. As one of the previous posters mentioned, there wasn't ANYONE running up those hills. They are fun events, I did it twice on Saturday (no one pays attention if you are stupid enough to get back in line), and once on sunday. I am not some super athlete either, was just a good excuse to go out & have fun.

How can this many people in one thread not understand MARKETING vs REALITY?
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Re: Tough Mudder Organization has fighting words for triathletes [iluv83vettes] [ In reply to ]
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iluv83vettes wrote:
Another race is the MR340 on the Missouri river. It's a little longer than the TWS, but it flows faster and there aren't as many obstacles.
Beat me to it.

This one is 340 miles. Starts Tuesday morning 8am, cutoff is Friday midnight. Most of the good/serious people do it non-stop.

Sorry for the tangent, back to the "OMG, we are better than them!" discussion
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Re: Tough Mudder Organization has fighting words for triathletes [Cervelo Apple] [ In reply to ]
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I did Tough Mudder and thought it was one of the funnest days that I have had as adult. Personally, I did not find it to be that hard at all. The hardest part BY FAR was the ice dumpster that forced you to go under the ice in order to get out. I actually forgot my name under that water. Beyond that, it was all I could do to actually "run" the course because of so many people standing in the way at the various obstacles. I would not call this an endurance event by any means. More like interval waiting around. There is really no way to navigate the crowds to the extent that you could run straight through without getting jammed up somewhere- unless, I guess, you ran for time in one of the first waves which I guess I might try next time.

It was extremely well organized, very safe obstacles- all EXTREMELY well built, and was a tremendous amount of fun. I will go back.

I remember around mile 8 there was an aid station and after it a kind of road bordered by a high grassy field. By this time in the race, the distance was getting to those "less in shape" than others, and there were people that had fallen out all over the field and road. It made me laugh a bit because it was sort of an out-of-shape, pussy-style, Civil War battlefield scene of sorts. Just struck me as funny.

Anyway, like I said SO FUN, but not as hard as I had hoped it would be. If it gives any perspective, I ran a 1/2 mary the day after, and this Tough Mudder course was supposed to have been 14 miles in total.

I met my personal goal for the event which was to finish as quickly as possible and then walk as slowly as possible through the gauntlet of Taser wires at the end with my arms out-stretched so I could feel every one, and make sure the race knew that it would have to do better next time in order to break me.

Strongly suggest trying one on a lark if you are looking for a day of fun- BUT, run your own race and stay away from the crowds. They will double your time "helping you" climb these little silly walls. Really saw just how out of shape and sissy a lot of people are these days. Also saw some pretty tough guys knocking it out.



"What do you mean your running shoes don't match your bike?"
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Re: Tough Mudder Organization has fighting words for triathletes [vecchia capra] [ In reply to ]
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vecchia capra wrote:
Tri or Die wrote:
1. TM's are cool for fat people.
2. TM's allow many to participate; few will ever race.
3. TM's are trendy and the TM trend will go away.
4. TM people will never race a triathlon as good as a triathlete will race a TM.
5. TM is NOT as hard as running or as hard as triathlon or as hard as cycling or as hard as swimming.

If "cycling & triathlon" is like "apples & oranges," "endurance sports and TM's" are like "apple pie & horse shit."


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.



Somewhat totally agree with you here, but I did have fun. There were a TON of ambulances and cops everywhere. I did think those 4' holes were funny since they were totally unexpected, and also think there were more like 6' deep in some cases! The mud before that balance beam across the tank thing was unlike any mud I have ever seen. It was the finest mud in the state for sure.

I had a great time, but I agree that it was not hard at all- except for that ice bath right out of the gate. That took my breath like nothing I have ever done before- but, it was over as quickly as it began, and the rest of the course was pretty simple- minus the people standing around all over the place in the way "helping".



"What do you mean your running shoes don't match your bike?"
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Re: Tough Mudder Organization has fighting words for triathletes [iluv83vettes] [ In reply to ]
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iluv83vettes wrote:
One more thing. Does anyone know how much of their profit they give to Wounded Warrior Project?

Not sure what % of their profit, but I did just read that they have given over $3M to WW.

I'm also not sure why so many people's panties are in a wad over this. Who cares? Are you really upset that someone said something in jest about "your" sport? It's just a marketing ploy...every company says their product is the best/toughest/fastest.
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Re: Tough Mudder Organization has fighting words for triathletes [chris948] [ In reply to ]
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chris948 wrote:
vecchia capra wrote:

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.


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.

The idiots were pretty much throughout the event as evidence by a guy walking around mile 8 smoking a cigarette, people who brought alcoholic beverages and drank them throughout the race, the guys who jumped on top of others in the cargo net around mile 7, and a few guys pushing others out of the way around mile 9 on the hay bale tower.

Not everyone was a jerk though, and a lot of people were pretty cool about helping others make it over/through obstacles. I both received and gave help in most of the obstacles, and the only one I bypassed was the 1/4" wall ledge I was supposed to "walk" down. It was so muddy and wrecked by day 2 of the event that I gave up after a couple of tries just to stand on the ledge.
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Re: Tough Mudder Organization has fighting words for triathletes [OCD] [ In reply to ]
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OCD wrote:
vecchia capra wrote:
Tri or Die wrote:
1. TM's are cool for fat people.
2. TM's allow many to participate; few will ever race.
3. TM's are trendy and the TM trend will go away.
4. TM people will never race a triathlon as good as a triathlete will race a TM.
5. TM is NOT as hard as running or as hard as triathlon or as hard as cycling or as hard as swimming.

If "cycling & triathlon" is like "apples & oranges," "endurance sports and TM's" are like "apple pie & horse shit."


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.




Somewhat totally agree with you here, but I did have fun. There were a TON of ambulances and cops everywhere. I did think those 4' holes were funny since they were totally unexpected, and also think there were more like 6' deep in some cases! The mud before that balance beam across the tank thing was unlike any mud I have ever seen. It was the finest mud in the state for sure.

I had a great time, but I agree that it was not hard at all- except for that ice bath right out of the gate. That took my breath like nothing I have ever done before- but, it was over as quickly as it began, and the rest of the course was pretty simple- minus the people standing around all over the place in the way "helping".

I agree about the "Chernoble Swim" ice tank being the worse of the obstacles. Had I not survived U.S. Navy cold water survival training, it might have been pretty bad for me as well. As it was, I KNEW how cold it would be, and how my body would react, so it wasn't that bad for me. About the worst part of the ice bath was trying to push a young lady out who was nearly passed out from the cold shock. No one would catch her when I was pushing, so she hit the ground like a rag doll when I finally had no choice but to push her out of the tank.
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Re: Tough Mudder Organization has fighting words for triathletes [Tri or Die] [ In reply to ]
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Tri or Die wrote:
If "cycling & triathlon" is like "apples & oranges," "endurance sports and TM's" are like "apple pie & horse shit."

LOL, that just made my morning... couldn't have summed it up any better than that
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Re: Tough Mudder Organization has fighting words for triathletes [vecchia capra] [ In reply to ]
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HA!!

And they made it look so inviting, right? Looked like a big Slurpee- actually quite inviting. Jumped in, OK not that bad, moved forward, getting more serious, went under thinking "ok just get under it" and while underwater I basically forgot my name and where I was or who I was or what I was doing and all I knew was "must get out of here".

I do not in any way think it was all that hard to complete, though in general. Just a WHOLE LOT of fun.

SM



"What do you mean your running shoes don't match your bike?"
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Re: Tough Mudder Organization has fighting words for triathletes [Cervelo Apple] [ In reply to ]
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So I just found this thread via search because I was curious about what triathletes thought of this "mud run" trend.

I'm not surprised to see this opinion. And while I haven't done a mud run, my guess based on its target demo concurs with the opinions I'm seeing here. It seems aimed at people who want to get off the couch/barstool and tell their friends they're tough. It's pure silliness.

I know somebody who announced recently she's doing Tough Mudder in October. She's not in bad shape, but she's under 5' and the limit of her time spent exercising is 75 minutes in the spinning studio. So I'm not sure what she thinks running through a field of live dangling electric wires is going to prove to herself about her "toughness."

Based on the marketing and proliferation of all these mud runs, its hard to escape the idea that all people are paying for is the right to tell their friends they did one and post pics on Facebook of themselves covered in mud, without a lot of athletic achievement. I don't really mind it, per se, but I just wanted to get the Tri community's take on it, and now I have.


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Re: Tough Mudder Organization has fighting words for triathletes [Tri or Die] [ In reply to ]
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Tri or Die wrote:
1. IM's are cool for fat people.
2. IM's allow many to participate; few will ever race.
3. IM's are trendy and the IM trend will go away.
4. IM people will never race a triathlon...
5. ...
If "cycling & triathlon" is like "apples & oranges," "endurance sports and TM's" are like "apple pie & horse shit."


Made some changes for ya,
Last edited by: Jagerstar: Jun 12, 12 17:00
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