1st time Mudder

First time and I loved every second of it! The teamwork of fellow Mudders makes this just an awesome event. Already signed up for next year! =D

TM LA 2014 (Can I have more hills with my hills please?)

I participated at the 2014 Los Angeles Tough Mudder. On Saturday I was a full day volunteer and on Sunday I ran Tough Mudder. As a volunteer, I registered to volunteer on the course for a full day.Getting set up int he morning was easy and everyone of the staff that I encountered was helpful in answering any questions/ concerns I had. They provide a light breakfast & light lunch with plenty of water. Of course if you require more food, bring snacks/more food. I had the pleasure of volunteering at the Warrior Carry section of the course. This was an amazing experience in itself. Having done a near handful of tough mudders in the past, being able to participate from a different perspective was truly inspiring and motivating. While at my Station, I notified participants what they needed to do (partner / team up & carry a fellow mudder 100 yards to where they will switch and carry for another 100 meters). Some participants required help getting their buddy on top. Some didn't even have partners but I offered to be the partner they carry for 100 yards (surprised that all that I've offered, accepted). I cheered everyone on,+ motivated them to do their best, told them they are amazing and they should be proud of getting this far, and that they can do it! The struggled smiles, high fives, and thank yous from the participants were added bonuses to volunteering. This was the best part of volunteering. Near the end of my shift a sweep rover came by and picked me up from the station and dropped me off right where I checked in for volunteering. That was where I checked out from my shift. I received my discount code for a future Tough Mudder event, volunteer merch code, swag sticker and wristband.

The next day I went back to Glen Helen Raceway to participate in Tough Mudder as a runner. I paid for general parking onsite which was close to the venue (less than half a mile). Checking-in was smooth and fast. Pinned my bib, wristbands on and ready to go. There was a pre-start area where the MC gets you pumped up before getting to the official Start zone area. The course itself started out flat with quite a bit of mud, trenches to skip over, and eventually the infamous Arctic Enema followed by Walk the Plank (which had quite a long wait line). A new obstacle that also involves spectators is called "Family Feud" where they can attempt to knock participants off balance beams and into cold water beneath them using large balls attached to strings which swing back and forth. It was really cute seeing small children interact with us and try to knock someone off the beam. The flat course at the beginning did not last long. What made this course challenging was the mass amount of rolling hills (err mountain side) with obstacles in between. The staff, volunteers, and medical team were great, motivating and encouraging as usual. Fellow mudders were great and supportive; my hand slipped from the top of the Berlin Wall and they were there arms out holding me from completely falling on my back as I had a firm grip on one of the side support beams. There is a new feature of Tough Mudder now called Mudder Legion. Near the end of the course is a new section called "Legionnaires Loop" where returning Tough Mudder participants (2 TMs and up) can earn an additional headband. That headband color is based on the amount of Tough Mudders that person previously participated. At this particular event, the Legionaires Loop consisted of new obstacles (I'll leave those as a surprise). Once you complete the loop you can opt out or opt in the the electro shock therapy. At the end you receive your orange headband, snacks, beer and wrist band to trade for your finisher's shirt at a separate location. I received my new legion headbands after receiving my orange headband but a fellow mudder who had his legion headbands already told me you can collect the headbands for the amount of Tough Mudders you've already completed but not the one you are currently earning. I didn't eat at the venue but there were a handful of choices to choose from and lots of merchandise at the merch tent. Certainly a fun and challenging course that I am looking forward to doing again!

Shuttle Obstacle

The course itself overall was good run, running 2012 I was worried about the obstacles being the same and a repeat course and surprisingly was not with new obstacles which was nice. The only obstacle there was a little disappointment in was the boa constrictor which was just tubes down into a mud pit. Cage crawl was a great new obstacle and was one of my favorites as well as the spider wall. Mystery obstacles were fun and exciting to come upon and the muck in the lake was insane. Any mud you have to literally crawl through because it pulls you in and is impossible to walk through is a great obstacle especially when its 50 yards long.

The problem came with the shuttle service. 2012 there was no wait and was very well organized shuttle service. 2013 a complete opposite, I am not sure if it was due to an unexpected amount of people due to the popularity of OCR, but we arrived an hour before our start time at 9:45 and due to the wait we did not get to the actual venue until 12:15. Upon arriving we hear over the speaker that the last wave of the day was about to take place at 12:30p What happens if we miss? You're out of luck. The coarse was cut short due to time and it gets dark very fast in temecula. We were trying to be positive about the whole thing as they did not cut any obstacles and it was only a 2 mile cut. In lieu of the 2 miles they sent us through the muck of the lake obstacle which was one of the best hands down. More problems arose when we finished and we tried to celebrate but they quickly ushered us off and they doused all the fires and cut all the heaters off in attempt to get us out of the venue quickly. As anyone who has run an OCR at the end you're usually shivering and chattering, TM especially. All of this stemmed from 2-3 hour wait in the beginning which there was no thought, apology or anything for. The shuttle system on the way back was just as bad if not worse. We managed to put 10 people in my wife's car as it was so late she was able to just drive right up to the premium preferred parking, unfortunately a few of our members were stuck waiting for the shuttle, for 3 hours. The whole transportation system was bad enough that some of our members said they wouldn't do it again.

The whole experience minus that was a great one. Volunteers were motivating and encouraging and the obstacles were great. Other racers and all, if it weren't for that shuttle service. The very first heats from what I gathered had no issues it was just the main heats that they were not ready for the amount of people.

I am hoping that the situation is fixed in 2014. If I take a team thru I will go back otherwise I have probably seen my last TM.

3 stars because of the scope of things that the shuttle and transportation had affected and how they poorly handled the situation, before and after the race. If it had not been for that this review would easily be a 4-5 star.

Earned My Headband

I'm going to start this with a little background info... This was my fourth attempt at the headband. I had to withdraw prior to my first because of a bum knee and then my next two were cancelled because of weather. So, getting to a Tough Mudder that wasn't cancelled was almost equivalent to prom to me. Yes, I was excited and yes it was everything I had hoped for. I will also say that the day we ran we did no do it competitively, we chose to go party mode instead (beers in rucksacks).

I arrived to the event area and saw people in costumes, people running around hyped up from just finishing their run. There were a million tents with razors, deodorant, people yelling things, music playing, registration, etc. It was the largest OCR I've ever been to, but everything was flowing as it should. They had offered registration the night before in town, so we were able to go straight to the starting line (not sure if they've done that before but it was a great thing!).
Sean pumped the group up no way I've ever seen. He had everyone ready to go and away we went.

The obstacles were amazing. While they weren't all the brute strength obstacles, they challenged fears. Fears of height, water, electricity, etc. They made you work together. We not only worked with our team, but we worked with other teams. That was one of the greatest things about Tough Mudder. We were all one team out there. I haven't seen that at any other OCR. There was always someone to lend a hand, drink or encouraging word. We ran part of the course, walked part of it, drank our beer and shared it with others. There were water stations and porta-potties along the way, as well as a ton of areas for spectators. There was also a bonus obstacle...a tire flip for Hurricane Sandy. Each flip earned money that would be donated towards Hurricane Sandy victims.

Overall, this event was run very well, the obstacles are fun and challenging and the location was great. I'll definitely do it again!

My First Tough Mudder

My final race of 2013 was the North Carolina Tough Mudder. In general, I was impressed with the event as a whole from the time I arrived on site with the quick and easy parking, then proceeded to the registration tent to pick up my race packet which was completely very smooth as well but mainly due to arriving at this event early in the morning. Once through check in and bag check, I was ready to race. The course overall was awesome from the course layout, to the volunteer that was helping and cheering on competitors. After completing the race, everything seemed to run smooth from the free beer, headband, change station, partying it up a little bit and leaving. After hearing from competitors that raced the next day, it was all pretty much the same as Saturday with the exception of this venue running out of the orange headband. My biggest complaint to this event are the race photos that are ridiculously priced from an outside photography company. I refused to pay 30 Dollars for One digital picture download because I feel that should be included with the high prices to run Tough Mudder

I have done two Tough Mudders, and I thoroughly enjoyed both of them. These are very well-run events, and they do a great job managing the crowds and keeping the event moving. Great communication, great volunteers, great staff, and great participants. The this-is-not-a-race, help-your-fellow-mudders attitude goes a long way.

Highly recommend Tough Mudder. Yes, it is a bit pricey, but sign up early, and remember that they have raised over $6 million for wounded warrior project.

Montreal

This was my 2nd Tough Mudder. I had a good time and don't regret it, but compared to my 1st one in Vermont, this wasn't has good. The obstacles were all pretty good, but the circuit was mainly flat and we ran through fields for most of it. I personally enjoy hills and I felt like the scenery didn't change much, all while looking at the Bromont mountain not too far from us... We were in the first wave, so parking and check-in went smoothly. The bag check wasn't very well organized, you dropped your own bag and one guy was attempting to check out everyone after.
Big disappointment at the end when no beer was offered because they didn't get their permit on time. Yes, Quebec has some tough permitting laws, so they should have plan ahead. The main area was also lacking and it didn't have the awesome party vibe of Vermont.
However, I would like to think this was the first Quebec race, so things will get better, they will be better organized and move things around so it is has the quality that other Tough Mudder races have.

Not worth it anymore

After 4 Tough Mudders, its getting out of hand. It is way too expensive anymore and its nothing more than a money making scheme. $110 with military discount as an Early Bird registration which is acceptable. Add money for 'insurance', and $10 for parking now and its just crazy. It was $60 when I did my first one a couple years ago. Food stands were grossly overpriced. Beers were $5 a cup if you wanted another one after your free one. There was very little mud compared to previous years. The course was so-so with some difficulty. I finished by myself in 2:33. The lines for each obstacle werent nearly as bad either. I believe that Tough Muder needs to stop being so commercialized and get back to the original concept. There are other races out there that are cheaper and are harder than the TM. Stop trying to suck every dollar you can out of the OCR community. Im not the only one that feels this way either. Just my two cents

Toronto Canada Tough Mudder Spring 2013

Our entire family went to support our youngest sister, and it has inspired my husband and myself to attempt next year's event. We are going to start training tonight (trainer is coming over to our place)! Even my 9-year old would like to try it, so I had to bust his bubble. It was an awesome event, with tons of people!

The first Mudder I ran was in Indiana on November 19, 2011. It was completely brutal, mainly because of the cold!!! I was proud of myself and the team for making it through it! The second one I ran was in Florida in 2012. It was not nearly as brutal, not as much mud, but a lot of fun. My husband and I are running a third one in May. A couple that Muds together stays together!