This was my second Tough Mudder so I was very excited to know I would be able to take the Legionnaires loop this time and do the "Fire In Your Hole” obstacle. As I dressed in the parking lot, I was pretty impressed to see the large turnout for a Sunday, the second day of the event.
We ran slow. We took a lot of time. We were afraid that we’d miss the cutoff and be removed from the course, but the folks from Tough Mudder assured us that they were there with us until the triumphant end. As we worked our way toward Electroshock Therapy we were dumbfounded to see a vast array of Staff people, volunteers, and fellow racers who hung around and waited on us so that they could cheer us on and encourage us as we crossed that Finish Line. It was a beautiful and moving experience.
I arrived excited but after talking to these seasoned Tough Mudder's (those that have completed two or more are known as Legionnaires) I was now even more ready to rock and roll. Time passed pretty fast and before I knew it I was at the first starting line and ready to go. At this point we had someone really pumping up the group and getting us to stretch. We were then allowed to begin and I started to get myself in gear and noticed the group was stopping a short distance ahead as we had not actually started the course yet. The group was now being pumped up by Tough Mudder Motivator Sean Corvelle and he is very good at his job.
X-Racewear shorts are big on the scene and I attest that they are 100% OCR Ready. I have put quite a few miles on my pairs. I own both the zipper and Velcro black shorts but this time, I will talk about the black and gray camouflage with Velcro as they are their latest model.
We were lucky again to have the legion himself Sean Covelle to do our start. Sean did a great job as always motivating the crowd. The start speak is a little heavy on the Mudder Legion stuff, but still great. I was standing at the back of the starting area when Sean asked for the 10+ Legionnaires to stand, all 3 of us stood up, me at the back and the other 2 right up front. Sean asked me to crowd surf to the front and do the countdown. Which of course I did with a huge smile on my face, a quick countdown from 10 and we were off.
OCR Freaks, Mud Run Guide, and OCR Gear are all very proud to announce our premiere sponsored athlete, Anthony Matesi. Tony has a wicked resume when it comes to OCR's - especially multiple races in 1-2 days! In the photos above, you'll see his 2nd pass of the treacherous Spartan Race VA Super with a log on his back... and no shoes on his feet! Tony doesn't give up even when his homemade huarache sandals do!
