LEXINGTON, Ohio – First-timers and seasoned veterans alike encountered some unfamiliar challenges on the infamous Tough Mudder course this weekend, including new events and revamped returning obstacles.
Redefining existing challenges and adding new ones is all part of the Tough Mudder experience, according to Marketing and Communications Associate Jodi Kovacs.
“It’s really important to us and to our participants to keep the experience fresh,” she said. “We want it to be new for people who have done this multiple times, so we try to evaluate how we can make it more challenging and more exciting for a new experience.”
A course design team plans the Tough Mudder course, brainstorming creative ideas before bringing them to life. Kovacs said creating a Tough Mudder obstacle is a five-step process, starting from ideation all the way to bringing the obstacle to life – including beta testing and numerous safety tests.
“We definitely want to have a mix of physical and mental challenges,” she said.
A new Tough Mudder obstacle at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this year was “King of the Swingers,” requiring Mudders to climb a 20-foot platform and take a running jump onto a trapeze, swinging to ring a bell before dropping into a pool of water.
“It was different, kind of like a leap of faith,” said John Leight from Pittsburgh, who ran his second Tough Mudder on Sunday. “It really wasn’t that bad but I enjoy stuff like this, I’ve done a couple of mud runs before.”
Another new obstacle was Cry Baby, which required Mudders to crawl through a tunnel filled with a teargas-like substance.
“Somebody who might be claustrophobic would have a mental challenge when they’re in Cry Baby, but then somebody who might not feel like they have upper arm strength would have a physical challenge in Funky Monkey,” said Kovacs. “We really want the mental and physical challenge combination.”
Funky Monkey 2.0 is a familiar obstacle for past Mudders, but got a makeover this year by adding a swing and parallel pipe for participants to climb down. Another redesigned obstacle that Mudders will remember quite well from years past is the Arctic Enema 2.0 – Kovacs explained Mudders slide under a fenced-in slide into the cold water, then climb over a middle barricade before plunging back into the water.
“The new Arctic Enema I liked better, the one I did before was similar but you had to go under a board instead of over it, and I didn’t like going under the board,” said Leight. “I actually enjoyed it better this year, it was definitely better going over than under because you kind of freak out in muddy, murky water.”
The difficult Everest 2.0 climb kicked the challenge up a notch this year with a redesigned lip at its summit.
“Everest used to be a 90-degree lip at the top and you could just vault it; now it’s much harder,” explained veteran Mudder Chuck Richards, who traveled from Guam to complete the course. “I liked the new obstacles. It was different for sure; the old ones were more archaic but the new ones are good fun. If I could I would do this every weekend, but they don’t have a Tough Mudder in Guam.”
The climb to Everest proved especially difficult for first-time Mudder Megan Kruse from Columbus.
“I’m short, so I don’t have the height and the jump to get up to the top – that took a couple tries, and I definitely needed help to get over it,” said Kruse. “The Liberator was my favorite, I really enjoyed that because it was right on par with my talents and skills, and it didn’t matter that I was short.”
Yet throughout the new and revamped course, a few tried-and-true obstacles proved to be the most challenging both mentally and physically. Richards mentioned Electroshock Therapy in particular was the most intimidating for the newcomers in his group.
“Mentally everyone always has trouble with the electric stuff, most people will not do a Tough Mudder just because they get electrocuted,” he said. “That’s a mental game, because really it’s not that bad, it’s like a bee sting. I’ve gotten it in the back of my head and my jaw would lock, I’ve blacked out and it’s like waking up from a dream.”
“We just locked arms and went through,” added teammate James Magurno, a student at State College in Pennsylvania. “It got the back of my leg and I fell, it gives you a muscle spasm when it hits.”
For those who make it through the 10-mile course and across the finish line, Kovacs said nothing compares to the sense of relief and pride that comes with completing a Tough Mudder.
“It’s a huge accomplishment and I think that’s what sets Tough Mudder apart is you have this sense of accomplishment and teamwork because you’re working together to complete this challenge,” she said. “It’s a really exciting experience.”
