Has anyone ever done one of these events? There is one close to me in October, which gives me time to get ready for it if I do it. Kind of intimidating looking course, but I think it would be a blast.
They aren't as tough as the pictures make them out to be... Fun obstacle course either way though. I'd recommend it if you have never done one before!
I thought about doing one, but then I had a few buddies do one and they said it kinda sucked. Most of the time you are just waiting in line. Not really that challenging for someone that is in decent shape.
My wife and I are signed up to do one on 30 May, exactly one week before the Navy 10 Nautical Mile run we're signed up for. I'm not a fan of sloshing through the mud and climbing over obstacles, but my wife really wants to do it so we're doing it.
They're not all created equally, but I agree with Trevor, all in all, they're made out to be harder than they really are. In fact, I think they're watering them down to appeal to the "average" crowd. Weather can be a factor (cold weather and the cold water), and geographical location (Ski Resort courses are usually brutal compared to the flatter locations). I did one two years ago in June. Super easy. I could have done the course again if I wanted to. The heat was the biggest factor, though. They shut part of the course down right after our wave made it through due to heat stroke victims (the paramedics were busy that day). With that being said, you should be in decent shape if you plan to finish all of the obstacles. We had a guy in our group that almost dropped out because he was unprepared. If you can run 3-5 miles low effort and lift your own body weight, you will do fine. I won't do one anymore due to the fact that they have silly, non-physical challenges like a "gas" chamber. It was fun, though. Here's a video I shot with my GoPro (wear one if you have it, it's fun to watch). [video=vimeo;67948511]https://vimeo.com/67948511[/video]
If you want to complete it without lines, do it on Sunday or sign up for the early waves. All of the WTM (World Tough Mudder) qualifiers run in the first heat due to time).
I did one in Michigan a couple years ago and got sicker then crap. Apparently there was a participant that had the NORO virus and it spread like wild fire. It was a disaster. By far the sickest I have ever been in my life: Tough Mudder participants were sickened by norovirus, Michigan Department of Community Health confirms | MLive.com
We're doing the Spartan Sprint in Tahoe this October. My buddy and I wand to do the Trifecta next year.
Beth and I did ours on the 30th. All things considered, it was a good time, but as Trevor and Matt said above, they aren't as difficult as they're made out to be and they aren't all equal. There was a lot of waiting in line for the obstacles. Still, it was a good time.