Obstacle Mud Runner - Issue 7

ForEliteAtheletes toFunRunners obstaclemudrunner.co.uk 38 How have I done OCR this long and still not done a TM? And why is it such a household name? I took along Rich Enderby to go and check this bad boy out at the second weekend of the London SW event. Even prior to arrival, it was clear to see this was going to be epic. Who else gets runners in their hoards, (literally by the thousands) to go and ruin the very clothing and footwear they save their pennies each month to splash out on. All too recently we’ve seen races drop by the way side and struggle for numbers so what is it about TM that makes this name so popular. For lots of us, when we talk about OCR, often we are asked “ooh is that like Tough Mudder?” It is the name that everyone knows. Why? Well, this was my experience... Prior to race day I was starting to picture together what I thought the event would be like. I had the all important parking, camping, how to find us, booking confirmation info efficiently emailed prior to the day of reckoning. Race day, I was up and at ‘em early, I was excited for the day ahead. A short half hour drive and the fluorescent glow of orange safety jackets shone like a beacon out from the car park confirming we’d found the destination. Parked up and off we go in search of the registration tent. Quickly checked in, loo stop and we were ready. We had some time to kill so spent that milling around, taking in the atmosphere, admiring the smiles, the nervousness of those first timers, the fancy dressers, the charity runners, the family support. The positive vibes were just everywhere. We were soon called forward. Lucky enough to be setting off in the first wave (after the competitive) we pretty much had a free run all the way round. Rather than give you the usual “first we did this, then we did that” usual type of review, I’m just going to tell you about those obstacles! Those who have done a TM will relate to everything I say, for those who haven’t, I’m sure you’d look good in an orange headband. This has to be on everyone’s bucket list to complete at least once, whether you’re a serious racer or a fun mud runner, this is something you have to experience. A very thorough warm up, a commendable applause on bended knee for those running their 50+ Tough Mudder, quite possibly the most thorough safety brief I’ve ever experienced, well wishes, a “good luck” to fellow team mate Rich and a “I’ll see you on the other side” mention and that’s it. We were off. First up… Bale bonds eased us in nice and gently, a quick hop over the top of these industrial sized hay bales. Then on to the…hang on, I said I wasn’t going to do that. Here you go, read and enjoy… Skidmarked (an incline wall to us TM unknowns). A good jump up and heel hook needed here. Kiss of mud onto our tummies we go and crawl under the barbed wire. A perfectly poised photographer at the end to see me haul my backside back up on to my feet – thank you. Hero walls OMG, 2 almighty walls in quick succession, and I mean almighty! If you’re not competent on completing these, you definitely need a helping hand, or a friend or 2 to stand on. Arctic enema a steep drop through a short tunnel into a container of ice and cold water, a full head and body submersion under a beam and then out as quickly as possible the other side. Wow, that took my breath away for sure. It took a few moments for my head to adjust to that sudden brain freeze and I was a little disorientated after emerging from the depths of the cold. “Just run” I told myself, get warm and you’ll be fine. I was. Devil’s beard a sandbag carry under a cargo net, over a hay bale, under more cargo net and return the bag. Hold your wood kind of self explanatory. A log carry. Not as heavy as it first looked and a nice short loop. Classic tunes of YMCA pumping out – no this isn’t the obstacle. It was the mud mile. Don’t worry, it wasn’t quite that long. Ditch after ditch after ditch of the glorious mud stuff though. Bath time after all that mud – Blockness monster . A floating block which rotates but you have to use your body weight to do so. You basically have to sacrifice someone to go over the top and then they pull it down Losing my Tough Mudder virginity RACE : REVIEW what’s all the fuss about... I just had to see for myself what all the hype was about with this race brand