Tough Mudders - Endurance Obstacle Course Challenge

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Posted 2012-05-01 by Hamish Holmes ⇒ follow

Have you heard about the 'Tough Mudder' craze that recently left the shores of the U.S. for the first time and landed itself onto Oz soil?

Well, as 5 Adelaidians, we were recently swept up by the "Mudders Craze" and decided to team up and trek our way over to Phillip Island, Victoria for the weekend. Our Team Goal - together we wanted to be crowned as Tough Mudders, by finishing a 20km obstacle-course, designed by British Special Forces.

The pull of the Mudder craze seemed to be so strong that 1 of us 5 Adelaidians who departed for Melbourne, was hoping that they could somehow find a way to make it onto the Mudder band-wagon, after all tickets had been sold out online - this they achieved!

As described by the event organisers "Tough Mudder events are hardcore 20 km-long obstacle courses designed by British Special Forces to test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie. With the most innovative courses and half a million inspiring participants, Tough Mudder is the premier adventure challenge series in the world."

Right before our team of 5 began the course at the start-line, we were asked by the race starter to recite out loud the Tough Mudders Pledge:

**- I understand that ToughMudder is not a race but a challenge.
- I put teamwork and camaraderie before my course time.
- I do not whine - kids whine!
- I help my fellow Mudders complete the course.
- I overcome all fears. **

It's important to re-state: It is not a race but a challenge, all teams that cross the finish line win. For those who want to compete individually, there is a separate race category for that.

It wasn't soon into the course that we discovered why (for some unknown mysterious reason) it is so fun to wade, be pulled, run and crawl through piles of thick clay mud.

It was also discovered that the pledge "I help my fellow Mudders compete the course" was often the case, in the spirit of the event many of us were helping each other out at the various obstacles, and sometimes we didn't have a choice but to help out those around us

For example: The Mud Slide Challenge - where if one person slipped enough, it would cause a domino effect of many people sliding back down the hill.

As an Adelaidian & a Tough Mudder fan, this article has been written in an attempt to promote the event to other fellow Adelaidians and hopefully bring it to SA soil.

If you'd seriously like to give it a go with a group of mates, simply go to the Tough Mudder website and pre-register yourself.