Driving LONDON SOUTH 2013 Tough Mudder bound blasting "eye of the tiger", fist pumping out the window, adrenalin pumped, sporting neon yellow vests and headbands-
We were most certainly in full "fight or flight" mode!
Months of hill sprints, reptilian crawling, burpees, battle ropes, chins and built up running/cross fitness (not to mention gym based training) we were well equipped challenge ahead!
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| 2nd week training plan, it progressed in volume/intensity throughout the weeks! |
Our 14 odd comrades left the comfort of our people movers to what seemed a festival environment only to hike a couple of miles towards the TM registration point.
It felt like a scene from a world war II movie
Flesh wounded, fatigued, limping war veterans covered in mud were heading in the opposite direction and us, the fresh recruits, hearts pounding, anxious but exited for the challenge ahead!
I unfortunately bumped into an old Ozzie battler "G'day mate how are ya" bearing 2 pints of cider, muddy facial make up - sporting a grin that reached his ears, he winked and muttered "YEEEUP glad I'm standing in my shoes and not yours"
"Nuff sed... Lets do this shit"!
We could hear distant commands, AC/DC blasting and constant Hoorahs, as the 2:15pm soldiers lined up for battle!
Tough Mudder is a badass 12mile obstacle course of rolling hills, rough terrain, and 21 obstacles to face along journey to the prized Orange Headband that sings VICTORY!
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| Army tankers offering the sense of military presence |
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Deceptively hard yakka, down to a mud pit and inclining up (no time for claustrophobia)!
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| Funky Monkey |
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| Electro Shock Therapy :/ |
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Everest, some flew, some reached and slid back down, strategically placed after 11miles legs were well heavy!
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The more desired/fun obstacles being; Walk the Plank, Funky Monkey, Island Hopper, Everest and Cage Crawl...
To the dreaded
- Electric Eel (crawling through a low barrier with threads of electric cables which are capable of paralysing body parts).
- Arctic Enema (a skip bin full of icy cold water, then forcing you to duck under a barrier which causes a severe case of ice-cream head ache and borderline hypothermia).
- Electro Shock Therapy; Good news is you can see the finish line, bad news.... Erm- Electricity! It sent some people face first to the mud as if to be shot by a sniper!
The true sense of camaraderie made the whole TM experience worth while, I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fresh challenge, it offers everything from team cohesion, mental toughness and physical exertion.
Ultimately after 2hrs being crowned with the trademark Orange Headband you've now earned bragging rights in the office for months to come "Hoorah"!
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| BOOM!!! |
Tough Mudder is a badass 12mile obstacle course of rolling hills, rough terrain, and 21 obstacles to face along journey to the prized Orange Headband that sings VICTORY!
