Not many pictures of these obstacles - they were not easily accessible to the spectators who started where the race did. We'll see what we get towards the end though.
Obstacle 19 - Berlin Walls #2
These Berlin Walls were significantly taller than the first. This was another obstacle at which a line formed - and for good reason. Only the real athletes in the group could handle this obstacle without any help, and we saw quite a bit of teamwork in order to get over them. To get over the walls, you had to either get boosted from underneath by one (or more) other mudders, or you got a running start, planted one foot into the 2x4 step that was horizontally attached to the wall, and jumped up to grab the top of the wall. Then you had to be able to pull your whole body up from just your hands. This might have been my favorite obstacle of the day, and came as a nice break from the running. Of course I went over with no help - I like a challenge.
Obstacle 20 - Mystery Obstacle
The only way to describe this is as a dropslide. We climbed up a wooden rigging to get to a platform on the top that had smoke from a smoke machine rising out of it. We had no idea what we were walking into. We were told to count to 10 starting when the person in front of you dropped in. When we get to the top on the platform we see why. It was a 10 foot straight drop that curved and spit you out forward. Basically a slide that had a vertical drop built in. Jamie was terrified of this becuase of the drop feeling. I admit I was nervous, but less due to the drop and more due to the scaffolding being built on uneven ground. The left side was lower than the right, and I felt like I was going to fall into the wooden barrier on our left. Alas, I didn't and both our fears were unfounded.
Obstacle 21 - Turd's Nest
To borrow a line from a friend of mine, on to the next one. Turd's nest was so strangely named, I feel weird even typing it. This was two rope cargo nets horizontally laid out, probaly extending a total of 40 or 50 feet. To keep things interesting, they made sure to elevate these cargo nets about 15 feet off the ground and spray usdown with a hose while we crossed. Naturally. The only trouble this presented was a foot slip gave me a small rope burn on my calf. Don't worry, I lived.
Obstacle 22 - Kinky Tunnels
Just a little ways down the hill we came to the kinky tunnels. This presented a serious claustrophobia problem for some people, and a huge pain in the knees for others. The ground was freezing cold the tunnels were small enough that you were forced to crawl on all fours. They were completely dark, and we were pretty much up against the people in front of us, and once people got in behind us, we were pretty much stuck there in the dark. This is where Jamie and I caught some great knee bruises and cuts on the mountains rocks, but there was nothing we could do except crawl slowly and carefully.
Obstacles 23 - Shake N Bake
After continuing further downhill and coming around a corner and starting back uphill, we came to shake and bake. Short wait here, but the main point was this obstacle is a nightmare for anybody who hates being sand at the beach. We waded through water just deeper than our knees, and then crawled underneath barbed wire through 40 feet of sand. Yes, it got everywhere. Sweaty, wet, exausted, cold, and now completely sandy. And then we got to start running again. Yaaaaaaay.
Obstacle 24 - Everest
Another very cool obstacle. Climb up a halfpipe - pretty simple. The people in front of us on this one were very indecisive, and we saw a lot of people run and jump and then totally whiff on those holding out their hands. It was simultaneously hilarious and sad, but I am pretty sure everyone had a blast on this one.
Tony Hawk Jr.
Obstacle 25 - Fire Walker
Not too far away and up a hill lay the fire walker. Smouldering piles of ash and flames lay about 6 feet apart, guiding you up the path to the other end. The path had a couple turns so it wasn't just a straight walk through, but you had to jog your way through this, or you'd be paying the price. Pulling my shirt up above my mouth and nose, I slowly jogged through, which at this point was a huge ordeal. There was no way to see anything further than 1 foot in front of you. The smoke was so thick, and really started ruining my day. At the end of the pathway there was a piece of pyrotechnic equipment laying ont he ground across the track. This gave a nice little flare up of flames when you went to jump over it...entirely mental. The smoke inhalation, however, was also very physical. I actually saw one guy fall over after getting just outside the path, and heard his friend saying he needed to get up and get away from the smoke. Firefighters were by this obstacle keeping it safe, so don't cry for us mudders. So this brings us to the most disappointing part of the race. We could already see the finish line. instead of running straight for it, the course took a right turn. And then another right turn...which led downhill. Devestatin news as we could see the trail going down and around a fence, and then doing a U-turn and back up one last ski slope. This is where I saw Ryon going overhead on the chairlift, and got very jealous. My quads were so dead, I was on the verge of cramping, and I was famished. I also knew what I was walking into at the finish.
Obstacle 25 - Electroshock Therapy
Hangin live wires, some carrying up to 10,000 volts. I made it through relatively unscathed, but others were not so lucky. The video gets started a little late, but right in the beginning you can see how strong some of the shocks can be. I took a semi-strong one on the arm, but otherwise nothing big. Homeboy next to me, not as lucky:
Upon finishing, it's like landing in Hawaii, but instead of lei, you get an orange Tough Mudder Headband and a Tough Mudder T-shirt:
You can't see the whole shirt, but whatever, you get the point.
Gotta treasure this puppy.
Other offerings on the safe side of the finish line included Muscle Milk, protein bars, bananas, water, and most important of all, Dos Equis Lager and Dos Equis Ale (one per person, otherwise you have to pay up.) All in all, the course took about 3 hours and 20 minutes, although we were waiting in logjam situations that I described earlier at some of the obstacles. I would estimate this slowed us down by about 30 minutes. We had an elevation change of roughly 4,300 ft up and back down (started and ended at the same spot.) It was all it was billed to be - one of the toughest events on the planet, and definitely one of the toughest things I've ever done in my life. I had a blast, however, and would recommend for anybody who is ready to commit a long day and two days of soreness for an awesome experience. Not to mention it helepd me raise $500 dollars for the wounded warrior project in addition to however much my registration fee was contributed.
Important to note: Tough Mudder is coming to DC in May 2012. Pre-register now for $10 off. I know I will do it again (next year, if not in May,) and hopefully will have one of these, recording in HD for the race (or at least the exciting parts.)
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