Race Report 2010: Tough Mudder NoCal

Described as Ironman meets Burning Man, Tough Mudder is an event series quickly becoming a destination event amongst endurance athletes and thrill seekers. A dramatic twist on the usual  race, Tough Mudder does not use a clock and is very transparent in proceeds going to the Wounded Warrior Project. This firmly places the focus of the participants on enjoying the course and helping others in a spirit of cooperation. Looking for a different experience for my 2010 races I participated in the inaugural Bear Valley, northern California event. 

Each Tough Mudder event has a different course based on the location of the event.  Bear Valley was a 7 mile route up, down and around a popular ski resort. Along this route are 18 obstacles of varying difficulty from required assistance to required gut check.  This event was touted as having many snow or ice obstacles and while the weather did not cooperate, it was actually quite warm, it did not detract from the difficulty of the course and the water obstacles were shockingly cold enough to remind you that winter is right around the corner. 

The obstacles are too many to discuss individually, a previous post describes them point by point. Instead I will give my personal report. 

Simply standing in the parking lot oxygen deprived at 7,500 feet and taking in the view, one realizes the course will not so much be an aerobic process or an anaerobic process. I dubbed this course a hypoxic run sure to have road runners gasping for air and crying for momma. Not only was I correct, it happened far earlier than I imagined. 

The race begins with each wave reciting the Tough Mudder pledge, listening to the national anthem and finally a bagpiper, then running down a 45 degree hill, making a sharp turn and running up an access road only to crawl under low strung barb wire. This is where I began a process of bruising my knees into crippled, bloody submission. From there Mudders run down a 1,000 feet and then up 2,000 feet of freshly bushwhacked single track. This is within the first two miles of the course. It was at the beginning of the 2,000 foot climb, with no switchbacks, that I witnessed the first person crying and ready to quit. 

Along the way to the top, Mudders had to stop and complete more obstacles than just breathing, footing and elevation. Recalling correctly the only obstacle that required a queue was called Dragon Teeth, climbing over large construction spools. For most, the first spool was impossible to do alone or with a running start. My own attempt less resembled a high jumper than Wile E. Coyote running right into a wall at full speed. The laughter from those watching was not as loud as my own and certainly not mean, but illustrative of the shared misery we were paying for. Reaching the top of the 2,000 foot climb, though not the highest point of the course, required a plunge into freezing mud, being sprayed by high pressure hoses and climbing a sixty degree slope, which had the weather cooperated would have been a glacier. 

Along the ridge line, Mudders found the mud pit from which most pictures are taken and the obstacles that involved true cooperation and assistance to complete. Of course, more climbing.  My legs at this point were tired but I was passing people fairly easily. I have thousands of miles of hiking and trail running under my feet and while I am not fast, my body understands off road movement. Road runners and Cross Fit teams (of which there were several) suffered from the lack of balance, foot placement and pacing required to tackle some of those climbs without serious struggle. 

Perhaps the funnest part of the course was the swim portion. Crawling, falling, rappelling down a steep slope into 45* water, then walking a 150 yards across. An obstacle in the middle of the crossing had Mudders submerging underwater to get past barrels. The coldness sucked the air from the lungs. A rope climb out of the pit, then a freezing water assisted slip and slide back in. Like many I chose to go head first. Then a swim around a buoy and another climb out.  By far the icy water area was my favorite portion of the course. 

The remainder of the course headed downhill, though not easily and the obstacles were more muscular than aerobic. 

Keeping the streak alive, I am known amongst my training partners as being able to find a free beer somewhere along a training route or race course.  Just before the finish line I passed a spectator with a cold one and asked if he had an extra. A moment later I was continuing my downhill run to the finish enjoying a cold beer and slurping the escaping suds from my wrist. 

Throughout the race and the weekend, I spoke with Leadville and Western State 100 finishers, ironman finishers, triathletes, road runners, Cross Fit's and gym rats. All agreed that the course was above average in it's challenge and worth the investment. I agree. This race was a significant investment of money (as any destination race is), and travel time, (24 hours round trip driving), but those two considerations would not deter me from doing another Tough Mudder venue.