Bucket List #126: Tough Mudder - My Experience with the Tough Mudder Half

I'm so excited for this post because I'm checking something off my bucket list! I completed a Tough Mudder along with my brother, brother-in-law, and my brother-in-law's cousin (does that make him my cousin-in-law?).

Tough Mudder is a team race that focuses on completing a series of obstacles rather than speed/time. This is a map of the course for the full, half, and 5k participants. We did the Half so we ran 5 miles and completed 13 obstacles. By the end I was struggling!

The weather on the day of the race was intermittent pouring but we didn't mind. You're getting dirty anyway you know? Plus the rain added a level of legitimacy to the mud that made the race that much better.  Loved it! It also made us feel super bad ass.

I do not take pretty running photos. So I'm going to put this photo up and then let's not talk about it, mmmkay? I'm right next to the red elbow. That's my cousin-in-law pointing at the camera and my brother-in-law in the blue. I'm making a suuuuper attractive face yes?? Moving on.

My brother takes great running photos though. Look at how happy he looks to be alive (he's in the gray):

I definitely should have trained just a tiny bit more.

Let me walk you though the obstacles we completed:

1. Bale Bonds - a series of hay bales that you had to jump over. Yes, they were almost as tall as I was. No, I didn't need help to make it over them.

My brother had the easiest time jumping over these. And look at that mud on his shins! Glorious!

2. Quagmire - I honestly don't remember what this one was about. Suffice it to say it was probably muddy. According to the TM website it was 1000 gallon 10 foot crate of mud (yummy) with an 8 foot climb out at the end.

3. Berlin Walls - This obstacle was no joke. A daunting 10 foot wall that you had to jump up and hoist yourself over, only to have to find a way down. I think I'm slightly scared of heights because this one made my heart pound a little more than the running did.

(This photo is not of me or my particular race. It just shows the obstacle--taken from here)

4. Kiss of Mud - Army crawling for 40 feet under barbed wire in the mud and passing through dug out mud swamps? Yes. This one was kind of fun. Because it was SO muddy it was easiest just to kick off with your legs and slide on through.

5. Hero Carry - The only obstacle I legitimately failed at. You had to carry someone on your back and then switch half way through so they carried you on their back. I started out on brother's back, made it to the halfway mark, and then couldn't lift him, so I ended up going on my brother-in-law's cousin's back until the end. He's a personal trainer so he handled it well.

6. Mud Mile 2.0 - One of the hardest obstacles by far. Huge mounds of mud separated by varying depths of water. We all needed a lot of help on this one. I went first and then would grab my brother's hands and help pull him up. Then he would help the other two (I would try but I was pretty much useless). There were...7 of these I think. By the end my legs and arms were so tired. But we weren't done!

7. Skidmarked - This was one of the scarier obstacles. It was similar to Berlin Walls except that it was pitched at an angle so when you walked up to it it was angled toward you. Despite the fact that it was looming over me I was able to get up and over (with a LOT of assistance from the boys) and made it safely back down to the other side.

8. King of the Mountain  - A heap of haybales forming a pyramid. You climbed up each level, over the top, and then back down again. Wasn't too difficult except for the twig that I rammed my butt cheek into. I've got a nice bruise from that.

(Not from my race but shows what the obstacle generally was like. Taken from here.)

9. Pitfall - A pit of mud with a bottom that contained some holes and some steps. I had to walk very carefully and I still ended up submerged multiple times. You'd be walking fine and then bam, fell in a hole.

10. The Block Ness Monster - By far my favorite obstacle. A series of turning blocks in a pool of mud where you had to keep it spinning to hoist yourself, your teammate, or some random stranger over the top. Once they made it over the top they had to hold on and use their weight on the way down so you could get hoisted up. I was too short to reach the bottom so I had to tread water the whole time.

(Not from my race. Taken from here.)

11. Devil's Beard - A long cargo net that you had to walk under. I took the easy way out and just followed a taller guy. So, even though my shortness was a pain at Block Ness monster it definitely came in handy here.

12. Everest 2.0 - The hardest and scariest obstacle. I nearly gave up.

(Not from my race. Taken from here.)

I was able to run up the incline, reach the rope, and climb up, but then my arms just would not go anymore. I couldn't reach anyone at the time even though they were trying so hard to get to me. A guy from the bottom climbed up behind me on the rope (no lie) and tried to hoist me up further so I could reach them but eventually we ended up failing. I went to walk around the obstacle but two people started yelling at me that they could get me up the wall and not to give up. Against my better judgment I decided to listen and try again. Well, sure enough, I ran up the wall, climbed the rope, made it to a similar stopping point, and then they really stretched to grab my hand (they held someone by their legs and lowered her to reach me). Once they had my hand they grabbed one of my legs and up they pulled. I am eternally grateful for them helping me over that wall. There is no way I would have enjoyed it as much as I did if I failed at the most iconic Tough Mudder obstacle ever. I wish I knew who they were.

13. Happy Ending - One of the easier obstacles. Grab a rope and then walk up a way less steep incline, cross over the top, and then slide down a slide into the last pool.

(Not my race. Taken from here.)

After Happy Ending we climbed out of the pool and ran to the finish line. My arms were jelly and I was sure I broke my elbow on Everest but everything was fine and we made it through!

And I got some pretty sweet bruises as souvenirs. Lol.

Overall we had a fantastic time and would definitely do it again. Maybe if I train I'll give the Tough Mudder Full a go! Here is a parting photo of me rocking my "Tough Mudder Half Finisher" T-shirt from when I was cleaned up. Such pride!