Tough Mudder 2013.

When a good friend first mentioned the possibility of getting a team together for a Tough Mudder event, Sean seemed unsure. I don't know exactly what changed his mind, but suddenly he was 1 of 7 guys, all ready to train for, and eventually dominate, this intense obstacle challenge. Sean went into full out training mode during the months leading up to the event. All of the guys held each other accountable and encouraged one other as the countdown went from months to weeks, and weeks to just days...


And just like that, we were there. I was merely a spectator, but still felt nervous about the 12 mile course, which delivered 25 obstacles to be completed, including Electric Eel and Electroshock Therapy, which, as their names imply, gave the guys a nice jolt or two as they made their way through. Thanks to Megan, a fellow team wife and close friend, we were able to follow a map that lead us on a spectator route, giving us the chance to see as many obstacles as possible. I had not planned on running myself that afternoon, but we had no choice! The guys were moving at an impressive speed, wasting no time and leaving the ladies just a short amount of time to make it from one spectator point to the next.

Pre-Race: I was already so proud!


The Tough Mudder Support Team!




Getting pumped up and ready to run.


These pictures don't do the obstacles justice, and we didn't even see over half of them. You'd have to see it in person to really appreciate what they were going through! Megan and I were literally running beside the men as they approached this obstacle below. If we hadn't been running, we would have missed them! They were leading the pack.

Arctic Enema - There's nothing like a nice ice bath on a chilly November morning!



Mud Mile - Hills of wet, slick mud to climb over. The guys were almost waist-deep sloshing through mud to get to the next hill.



Walk The Plank - 15+ foot high jump into freezing water. Once you survive the jump, you get to slide down a steep hill of mud! Watch out for the tree stumps; I've heard those can be problematic...





More mud and more teamwork. I was impressed with how well the guys worked together and kept each other moving throughout the afternoon. 


Funky Monkey - Monkey bars that sloped upward to a point, then back down. Sean made a lovely splash as he hit the water. A couple of the guys did make it all the way across.


Definitely not your elementary school monkey bars!


Everest - Run as fast as you can, then leap to get over the top. All of the guys did an awesome job with this obstacle.



I wish I had pictures from every obstacle! I also captured some video, so I don't have pictures of my husband and his friends being shocked. I thought it might be funny to see (how mean is that?), but they all ran/army crawled through like it was nothing. Impressive, guys. Impressive. 

I was actually very impressed (most overused word in this post) with Sean. He and his buddies were smiling the entire time and never even slowed down much. They completed the course in a little under 3 hours. 


A few of the guys are planning on a 2014 event; and the ladies will be participating in the 5K Rugged Maniac event in April 2014! Not sure what's wrong with us, but it's sure to be entertaining for our husbands!

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