Tough Mudder UK (English Version)

When I told my friends I was going to be crazy enough to get married (I'm just kidding, Eli), Miguel, who's been living in Glasgow (Scotland) since September, told me to do the 'Edinburgh Half Marathon' together. Nevertheless, after a while he changed his mind and proposed me to do the challenge that names this post, if we want to translate the name into a few words we could say something like 'having mud up to every single cavity in your body being mental and paying for it'.

For those who don't know what it is, it's basically a race of about 12 miles, with obstacles or 'challenges' in between every mile (although it wasn't exactly every mile and the distances differed a lot). During the race I kept telling him that the 'stag party prank' couldn't have been more accurate.

Miguel and me teamed-up with his trampoline team mates. It is not what we would call a race itself, meaning that the time is not that important, but it is more about overpassing or trying to overpass as many obstacles as possible.

All of us in the start line

We went to the start line, and a few meters after we saw the first wall we had to climb (not very high), the mud made its first appearance. Right in front of that wall was the real Start Line. Before we started, the speaker shouted a few cheering statements (I couldn't understand a few of them though). Once there, we were alternating the jogging and the power-walking. And this is the list of the obstacles we had:

'Kiss of mud': Crawl like you would in the army under barbed wires, that stop you from rising your body. Done!

'Glory blades': 8 feet walls inclined towards the mudder. Done!

'Just the tip': It was about crossing a vertical wall where you only had a wee space to place your fingers. If you were to fall, water and mud was waiting for you. There was also some parts where you could put the feet to help yourself. Done!

'Balls to the walls': Climb a 12 feet wall with the help of a rope cover in mud, and going back down on the other side. Done!

Super-Caley team, after the first obstacles

'Arctic enema': Dive into a little pool of muddy VERY cold water. I don't know what was the exact temperature (there was ice there, so VERY much), but as soon as I went in I couldn't breath so I had to leave. It was about going under a wall in the middle of the pool that forced you to go in with your head. Not done :(

'Walk the Plank': Jump from a 13 feet high platform. There were a few meters of swimming afterwards. Done!

'Mud Mile': The mud mile started with a part where on every step your feet sank up to the knees. Lots of people lost there shoes pulling them out of the mud (I was one of them and I had to bury my arm up to my elbow to get it back). After that there was a part less extreme but very hard to run in. There were parts where you had to go up and down slopes followed by muddy water. Done!

'Electric eel': Crawl, the same way we did in 'kiss the mud' trying not to touch the electrified wires hanging very close to your back. I had a shock but it wasn't that bad. Done!

'Hanging tough': The challenge with the lowest success rate (30%). Swing like a monkey between rings hanging separated 5 feet one to the other. Not precisely clean water was waiting for you if you failed. Didn't even try. Shame on me :(

'Cage Crawl': 20 meters of a cage with just a few inches to breath over your head and the rest of the body under the water. Ease obstacle unless you are afraid of small spaces. Done!

'Berlin Walls': 12 feet high walls where there was nothing to hang onto. Most of the participants required help from the others, teamwork here is necessary. Done!

Berlin Walls

'Island Hopping': Floating platforms in the water separated by 5 feet-ish. Under them then there was water you could cross walking. I actually did it like this as I fell in the second one. Not done :(

Clare crossing the platforms

Pamela, trying not to fall down

'Carry a hero': A mile where you had to carry on your back/shoulders one of your team mates, with a swap half way through. Mi partner, as you can guess, was Miguel (who was very happy that I lost weight in the last few months). Done!

'Boa constrictor': Tubes where crawling was very hard and there was mud and water all the way through them. Done!

'Everest': One of the most challenging obstacles. You sprint right before you start the slope that inclines to finish almost vertical, and you hope for someone to be up there and help you reach up. It's impossible to make it without any help unless you can do a pull up without any place to help you and after almost 4 hours competing. After reaching up Miguel and me stayed up there for a while being that helping hand for others. Done!

'Electroshock therapy': The last obstacle before the finish line, the one that I feared the most and probably the easiest one. Small distance you have to cross running/walking over the mud (what a surprise), with hanging electrified wires around the knees length. None of them touched me. Done!

Finish line! 'I did it!'. When we cross they gave us the headband, a ginger cyder and something to eat. After that the photo to remember it forever. As something curious, the shoes that I brought were already quite broken before even starting and I left them there after I saw how much mud there was in them. There were hundreds of them abandon in the car park, it wasn't just me who thought the same thing.

Very funny race, I'm so glad I did it, and also something completely different of what I usually do. Great experience.