Tough Mudder Blow by Blow (with pics)

Sorry but this is really long. 

So ran this with my brother this morning. Was really crazy, way harder than I had even expected.




It was in the Poconos at some ski resort and my brother lives closer to there than me so me and the lady headed there after I got done with work yesterday. They did a fantastic job running it. Remarkably efficient. Quick check in, and they staggered the start times so 500 people started every 20 minutes between 9 and 12. We got the 10:20 start. We get into the parking garage at around 9 and I am starting to get a little nervous, I really am not sure exactly what to expect.

Some pictures at the start









so we saunter towards the start at around 10. The start is in the middle of the ski slope





for some reason no good pics of the start but this was essentially one of the first hills (above). So we started in the middle of the a ski slope (snow was on still) and we started going down. Immediately running through mud so a start of things to come. A quick turn around and then up the ski slope. Started trying to run it but shit was way too steep. Was crazy difficult just walking and trying to keep your footing. So I see the one mile marker (whole way was essentially straight up and think the hill is done, but fuck no I turn a corner and about a half mile more up, with snow to boot.

 

legs are already throbbing, and they said it was 10 miles so 8.5 to go, damn this shit is already wayyyy harder than I thought, thank goodness the hills are over with. we jog on some flat land for about 5 minutes thena little downhill to then dive headfirst into to a GIANT slip and slide. This was a huge slip and slide and was really awesome. What a blast and we ended in a big puddle of water. Getting out it wasn't that cold so I thought the water obstacles wouldn't be that bad.

We now go on about a two mile run through the woods, some up, some down but not too bad. Still somewhat recovering from the ski slope. Hit mile 3 still kinda cruising and then get to the "Berlin Walls". Essentially 3 pretty high walls with one foothold about a foot from the bottom. Helped a bunch of people up and then I got up the first one relatively easy. Messed up my hand a bit and the next two were sucessively higher. Needed help for those.

They only got pics of us at some obstacles so I will have to supplement from the Mudder FB page.

Walls



Now we run for a short bit and get to the "Boa Constrictor, essentially just Tunnels to crawl through.



These looked innocent enough, but as we get close we see that the tunnel is longer than thought and half full with water.

Get in and holy shit was it cold. Made me really not look forward to the water shit. So now my shoes are more soaked and I'm freezing. But we push on.

 

So we walk for a bit, dry out some and then its another run through the woods. A lot more hills here so I wasn't happy, and I'm still soaking wet. After about a mile to a mile and a half, we hit the next obstacle, which was a "Suprise Obstacle" It was called "The Blood Bath" Essentially you eat a habenero and then climb up a ladder and into a ice pool with red dye in it to look like blood. Thank goodness I didn't notice the habenero because my bro said he was feeling the effects of for another mile or two. The water was cold but it was quick in/quick out so while still soaked, we were able to get out quickly.

We next climb under a net up yet another damn hill. I almost wiped three or four times trying to go up because this was solid mud. I caught a few people who were about to do the same.

After I see that the next one is the big water one. You climb up a rope and then jump 15 feet into a freezing cold lake.



this is actually me about to hit the water



I hit the water (15 feet deep apparently) and go under quite a bit. When I come up, it is so freezing I start to feel my organs shutting down. I am freaking out a little and I dont freak out often. It is about an 80 yard swim and luckily there are a few medics floating in the water just in case. I am not doing well and it is really  hard to swim when you are wearing sneakers and you can barely breathe. Man I was really messed up here. I got better when a medic asked if I was ok and trying to ask tough I said I was even though I was far from it. Amazingly that calmed me. Luckily about 30 yards into the swim there was a fire hose, and I was able to grab on and pull myself to shore. Not sure what would have happened without that

A little bit of drying out and we think we are free of water for a bit, but the next one is another water obstacle. Essentially just chest high water and a bunch of planks that you have to go underwater to get under. Just when I was starting to dry a bit

I think this is me, not 100% though



Oh and the water is not done, next is a rope bridge, about 100 yards over the water. However with a bunch of people on the bridge at all times, it was taking forever for people to get over and they ended up up to their knees in water, so we followed some people who went on the end and just pulled ourselves across on the bottom rope across. It was still cold but being able to pull myself helps a ton

Now another 2 mile or so through the woods, of course, hilly as hell so I was dying, but at least by the end I dried out a bit.

So now we come up on the "Underwater Tunnels" Fuck more water. Essentially a big pool with some logs, and you went over than under. Not too bad but the last one you had to go underwater to get under the log.

Not me





A short jog and then another big wall. Everyone needed help for this one, was pretty tough. I stayed at the top and helped 5 or 6 people up. Of course with my tremendous upper body strength I was able to pull myself up

A half mile or so to the monkey bars, my brother was worried about this but i thought it would be pretty easy for me.



He falls almost instantly and I am still not worried. But I get about three bars and then completely slide off the bars into waist deep water and wade through for 10 feet or so. At least its still really cold

Next is crawling under the barbed wire through mud. Awesome pics here as my sis in law was right there, and got us both. Most seemed to go hands and knees and I started that way but cut my back on the wire so went army crawl. Here where it got especially messy.







Luckily the wonderful ladies had got us a glass of scotch to down after we got through the wire





Up a ~small hill and then down again, mostly snow here with some grooves so we slide down on our asses for awhile, hella fun

Next was the Firewalker challenge. More for show, but the flames were high and it was hot. No biggie, but sucked witht he smoke in mouth and ash in your eyes.



Next came the last of the big walls. It was called the "Evil Knievel" Really high and nearly impossible to get up without help. We helped a group of girls up and then some heavy guys, then another group of 3 girls. First one just said, "just grab my ass and push up". ALways nice to hear. Then I help my bro up and no dudes behind me. I take some time but get up to the point where I can grab his hand and get pulled up. We stay up top (platform on this one) and help another 5 or 6 up. Then slide down the other side (wood) on our ass. Ow.

We go up another ~small hill and then down. Down had snow and some grooves in it so we took some other lead and slid down on our ass. Was full of awesome. I couldn't stop and went past the snow into some more mud. Doesn't matter at this point though.

Then up another hill and down again. Then we have to grab a log and carry iit up and down another hill. Awesome. Hills really killed me. I grabbed a smaller log, as did the bro, but some were tougher than us.



A little bit of a jog and then we hit a cargo net. Easy up, but I had trouble pulling leg over, and got hella rope burn on the hands. See mile 10, and they said 10 miles at the start, damn liars.

Nice cruise down the hill



then we hit the hay bails to climb over, this was easy.

my bro is up top in blue, I am shortly behind him

Now a quarter mile jog to the thing that scared me most which was the last obstacle. It was pretty much about 70 live wires hanging down that had 10,000 volts running through them. Somewhere in the woods, a guy told us he got shocked last year and it hurt for two days, I was legitimately scared for this. Waiting to go, I hear a lot of OW CRAP from people and right as I am two from running through, I see a girl get shocked and then just bite it. My bro says Forget this and I hear him scream OW. I am right behind him and am beating the wires before they swing down and am happy about it. Right at the end, one comes down and stings me on the shoulder. I feel it course through my body and down to my toes. He has a nice scar, mine is tiny so he must have got it much worse than me.



After that it is a sprint through mud to the finish



Us finishing

Felt awesome to finish, grab some water, a banana and a beer. Beer tastes amazing. They also gave us a gay headband

Our legs at the end



Finished