Tough Mudder 2012 in Salt Lake

[accadacca]

How did it go? Full TR please!

[Deathcricket]

Dude it was awesome! Hopefully Discgo's pics came out and he can put something up. But I'll put some thoughts up.

I was very unprepared for the run through 12 miles of mud, it really took it's toll on me. I've done Xterra and Saint George Triathlons, so when Discgo told me we would probably jog/walk between obstacles, I didn't think to train for it much. But having the mud caked on your shoes and being constantly submerged in mud (sometimes up to my waist), and being on slippery surfaces constantly, and just all this extra weight of clay packed to you, really took it's toll. I'm super sore and could hardly finish! The most interesting thing about this is it isn't a race like I was thinking, it's a team obstacle course. So they don't keep track of your times, and EVERYONE helps each other out. I got pushed up, grabbed extended hands, stepped on others shoulders with muddy feet, more times than I can count. And I did the same for others, people I don't even know. It was amazing. After some random guy helped me complete an obstacle, I would stop and help a couple guys also complete a random obstacle.

Ok the shockers. There are 2 obstacles that literally shock the crap out of you and cause involuntary muscle spasms and if they touch your head they knock you out for a second. Discgo got a headshot on the 1st one and I got KTFO on the 2nd one. Each wire coming down either has a tiny zap or a big zap and the big ones just drop you. it reminded me of the time I touched one of those electric fences for horses. I noticed they put it on a pulse though so you recover literally one second later and keep moving past it. Also the noise it makes and the crackling sound and the screams of people getting zapped makes it a surreal experience. The crowds were awesome and very encouraging, people I didn't even know cheered me on from the sidelines and shouted words of encouragement.

So here is all I remember is running through the last obstacle. We are kinda queuing up because people are nervous to get zapped, there is a DJ/Announcer there encouraging people on. She start doing countdowns to get people moving 4,3,2,1 go! and a group of 6-10 people runs through, then she waites like 15 seconds and then starts counting down for the next group. Again she is just doing this to get people moving. I notice the guy in front of me is a big guy and he is psyching himself up. So at the very last second I decide to just run behind his large ass at let me follow in his wake instead of going with my crew who I was lined up. This monster of a man charges in there and I follow him being careful to stay close, haha. Anyways about half way through he drops, and I'm screwed. I put my arms up in front of my face and run around him. I immediately start taking blasts to my forearms, it's painfully but really not that bad. I also have a full wetsuit on, not sure if that matters. But I like to think it insulated me a bit. I get almost to the end and I slip, I drop one hand to steady myself and..... The announcers voice cuts out mid sentence, Next thing I know I look around and my cheek is stinging like crazy and I'm sitting on my ass in a mud puddle. I immediately get zapped again on the shoulder but not the big zap, just a little one. I realize where I am and do a jump/roll the last 2 feet to get out of there. Finished! Get a victory headband, victory beer, 2nd victory beer (thanks disco), and huge amounts of other free stuff. Felt good to finish the toughest event I've ever done.

It's pretty much exactly like this video except we had a lot more mud and slightly different obstacles. You see how they fall? I'm pretty sure I did the exact same thing.


let's see what else? You have to crawl through some underground tunnels that are narrow and zig zag, you have to climb a 9 foot wall that is perfectly smooth lumber, you have to go up this steep cliff that is slick as snot, then into a muddy trench then up a cliff and repeat like 6 times, you have to jump off a 15 foot platform into a pool of water. It was a total blast and had a great time with my buddies.

[accadacca]

That sounds CRAZY! Running in mud that long would be really tough. I was thinking of you guys as it rained buckets on Friday night. It hasn't rained that hard for months and months.

You guys rocked it! Congrats!

[DiscGo]

I didn't get any pictures that captured how great it was, but here is what I got:

@Deathcricket at the Starting Line:


Me at the starting line:


Back when we had tons of energy:


Arctic Enema:


Coming out of the "Arctic Enema"


DC coming over some bales of hay:


Carrying our wood:


Kiss of Mud:




Balls to the Wall:


They don't call it "Tough Mudder" for nothing:


Electro Shock Therapy:
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NsH7aglOQ8&amp;feature=player_detailpage" target="_blank">

Us at the finish:

[Deathcricket]

Oh my gosh dude!! You got some really good pics of the event! And some great videos all things considered. Next year i will bring my camera too then. I was sure with the amount of mud it would be impossible.

[accadacca]

Nice!

[rockgremlin]

Kewl guys.

So I went to lunch with my bro-in-law yesterday and about half way through he says "You'll never guess what I'm doing tomorrow.....I doing the Tough Mudder..." This is the bro-in-law who has been through 2 near death experiences with me, and who also introduced me to the sport of canyoneering back in 1994. One would think that he would've notified me of this information sooner......

[Deathcricket]

or invited you along for the next near death experience......

[Pelon1]

Is anyone getting a tat? Apparently after a tat the next one is free? Just what I heard from a buddy that did the one down here in LV (Beatty)!!

[DiscGo]

Is anyone getting a tat?

So I don't think this will surprise anyone, but I do not have any tattoos. About the only scenario in which I could imagine myself getting a tattoo is if I were in the military (and even then probably only special forces), or if I were an Olympic athlete.

This was my take as I tried to explain Tough Mudder to my wife. You know how people who been to war together can experience a deep bond that lasts forever? Well Tough Mudder is like renting that experience for the day. Everyone at Tough Mudder is your brother, and people are awesome to one another. You witness some of the best of humanity in the way strangers take care of each other during Tough Mudder. So a large part of the entrance fee could really be considered "renting" a love and a bond for a day which you could never buy and most will not experience in their life. But the day ends and that bond is severed and so a tattoo for Tough Mudder really is not on par for me with the Military or the Olympics because the bond only lasts a day.

[Sombeech]

Us at the finish:

Who's photobombing you?

[rockgremlin]

This always happens...

I might consider the Vegas one. I have close family that live there.....plus @nelsonccc.



Mudders,

Unfortunately, we will not be holding Tough Mudder Utah in 2013. Before you stop training, here are some nearby events to quench your thirst for mud:

Arizona	Feb 23 & 24, 2013	Enter Now
Las Vegas	April 13 & 14, 2013	Enter Now
Colorado	June 15 & 16, 2013	Enter Now
SoCal Summer	June 22 & 23, 2013	Enter Now

Stock up on jerky, blast some tunes, and turn it into a Mudder road trip.

We're just as eager as you to bring Big Mudder to Utah in 2014, so keep an eye out for upcoming event announcements.

Stay tough.




-TMHQ

[nelsonccc]

This always happens...

I might consider the Vegas one. I have close family that live there.....plus @nelsonccc .



Mudders,

Unfortunately, we will not be holding Tough Mudder Utah in 2013. Before you stop training, here are some nearby events to quench your thirst for mud:

Arizona	Feb 23 & 24, 2013	Enter Now
Las Vegas	April 13 & 14, 2013	Enter Now
Colorado	June 15 & 16, 2013	Enter Now
SoCal Summer	June 22 & 23, 2013	Enter Now

Stock up on jerky, blast some tunes, and turn it into a Mudder road trip.

We're just as eager as you to bring Big Mudder to Utah in 2014, so keep an eye out for upcoming event announcements.

Stay tough.




-TMHQ

You're always welcome here that's for damn sure.

[goindeep]

great photos and videos, cant wait to do this some time in the future!