Practical Advice For The Tough Mudder Event

Tough Mudder: Berlin Walls

Introduction

In 2013 a group of brave souls attempted to complete a truly crazy event ! 

A 12 miles long military grade obstacle course through the deepest mud i've ever encountered. The Tough Mudder event takes place over select weekends, located around the country & in America if you fancy it.

We needed a group effort, every ounce (or if metrified: gram) of effort, a little insanity & a sh#t ton of determination to complete this monster mission. It took the "Sex Panthers" (Team Name, don't ask) an estimated 3 hours from start to finish, followed by days to recover. 

The course is not for the under prepared or the faint hearted, as you will see form the course break down below but here is some pointers & practical advice for anyone crazy enough to take part. 

Tough Mudder Obstacles

The route covers 26 obstacles, with varying terrain depending on the location, for Yorkshire 2012 the trail began with a couple of hurdles followed by a considerable run before meeting the next group of several barriers.  So if you're thinking that its only going to be a short sprint between each obstacle, then you'd be wrong. 

Here is a quick breakdown of what  I can remember: 

Everest 

Berlin Walls – climb over walls made of wooden planks 

Boa Constrictor – crawl through dark tunnels

Death March – steep climb up a hill

Devil’s Beard – crawl through low lying barbed wire

Arctic Enema - A bath containing icy water with a wall that you have to dive under

Electroshock Therapy – run through live electric wires

Fire Walker – Run through flaming bales

Funky Monkey – swing across monkey bars over cold water

Greased Lightning – slide down a steep hill & back out 

Cliff Hanger – a rocky climb up the top of the mountain

Hold Your Wood – participants pick up and run with heavy wooden logs

Jocks on the Rocks – jump into a pit of mud and ice

Kiss o’Mud – participants crawl on their bellies through mud under low wire

Swamp Stomp – run through deep mud

Ball Shrinker – traverse ropes stretched across a pond

Twinkle Toes – walk across a narrow board over a river or pond

Underwater Tunnels – swim underneath barrels held on the surface of the water

Walk the Plank – jump off planks into a pond

Monster Chase – participants run after a monster truck for each start wave

Everest – run up a steep, slick ¼ pipe structure covered in oil

Electrocution – run through more live electric wires

Training

As you can see it isn't easy going, my advice is serious training from 3 months before the event, AT LEAST. We trained based on a couple of basic rules: 

1) Running 

- You're going to have to run the whole 12miles no matter what, so it has to be the most important part of your workout.

2) Strength Training 

- Since most of the obstacles require lifting yourself up, over & along then training effectively will require mainly upper bodyweight exercises with an added leg day routine mixed in. Nobody want to look like this guy: 

3) Diet 

- If you're training hard, you have to eat well and keep up proper nutrition this includes sleeping habits, or you run the risk of injury.

See Below the workout routine we generally stuck to, varying it where we sought fit:

Provided By:
Outsideonline.com

Attire

So what to wear ?

Shoes

– Throw away running shoes worked best for us, trust me whet I say your trainers will not be the same afterwards.

Clothing

– For best results, lightweight tops & shorts that dry quickly are a godsend, you don't want to be lugging round heavy, wet, t-shirts & shorts. No need for multiply layers either, after the whole workout you stay warm by continuous movement. (& do not forget a clean change of clothes afterwards.

Gloves

– We found them to be an advantage, apart from protecting your hands they also provided additional grip. I found rugby fingerless gloves the best, as they give more grip & are tight to you hands so they wont slip off, plus they are made for muddy conditions. 

Extras

The extras we had with us included:  
- watch for timing
- cheap camelback for water while on the run
- GoPro for footage
- Duck-tape to tape our shoes to our feet so not to lose our shoes in the deep mud.
- Gummy bears at a 3/4 way way point around the course were another good idea, a quick sugar rush kept us going & the breaking point.

Pointers 

- You will need photo ID on the day to allow you to compete
- Turn up at least an hour before or you might miss your place
- Consider asking someone to spectate, they can provide you with food / sports drinks around the course during the day & give you some encouragement. (& as a bonus they can drive your crippled body home afterwards)
- In preparation the day before the race eat more then normal, especially complex carbs in the evening. This will make you feel energetic in the morning, and you will feel great for the race!

Closing Paragraph

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog & don't forget to like, follow & leave a comment. I have to say it was awesome fun, a real sense of accomplishment, a goal to work towards & a tick off the bucket list. Why not challenge your gym friends early so you get a discount @ Tough Mudder website.