Tough Mudder is Here!

That video gets you pumped up, doesn’t it!?  Or you may think it’s just crazy.  Either way, I’ve been looking forward to trying out the Tough Mudder (wiki) ever since the July 2012 announcement that one was coming to Buffalo in 2013.  When registration opened in September 2012, I signed up the first day.  I don’t know what it is about the Mudder, but it’s drawn me in from the beginning.  Being in my mid-30s and never having been a person who does really crazy things, I feel I have a void to fill, I guess.  I still play competitive soccer and run 5ks, but the Mudder takes competition to a whole new level.  But that’s not accurate either because it’s not a timed race.  It’s meant to be a team-building event as well as a personal challenge.  The competition is within yourself and your preparation, determination, and grit.  I guess my biggest motivating factor is proving to myself that I can do it!

Tough Mudder Buffalo 2013

The Course

This whole thing became real when they published the official “Spectator Map” which shows the layout of the course as well as what particular obstacles they’ve chosen to include.  Click on the image to the right to see a full pdf of the map!

You’re not reading it wrong – over 11 miles through Andover, NY with 15+ obstacles in the way.  Scroll down to the second page of the map to see photos and names of each of the obstacles we’ll be challenged with.  To see even more, searching for the obstacle names on Google returns a ton of videos.  For instance, check out the Arctic Enema, Boa Constrictor, Funky Monkey, or Everest, to see some of the more famous ones.

My family knows how much I’ve been looking forward to this because I’ve talked about it for months.  But, now that it’s finally approaching and I’m seeing the map and watching videos – I’m getting nervous!  But, the good news is, the Mudder is best done with a team and it sounds like I’ll have a good one.  I’m going with 3 of my co-workers and we’re teaming up with a friend of one of theirs as well as 14 others.  My co-worker’s friend is the father of Army Spc. Blake D. Whipple, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2010.  We’re all running in his honor and will have shirts with “Blake’s Buddies” on them.  I think it’s a little added motivation, plus it should be great to have such a large team to keep everyone entertained and motivated for the 4+ hours we’ll be on the course!

If anyone has any last-minute advice or well-wishes, I’d be glad to hear it!  Otherwise, I’m sure I’ll be writing another blog post after the race to recap the craziness.  Think of me this Saturday (7/27/2013) starting at 8:40am!

Stay muddy, my friends!

P.S.  Yet another great video that gets me excited for this: Tough Mudder 2013