Tag Archives: Tough Mudder

You always know when May rolls into Texas. April's weather is nice and pleasant with a few hot days here, a few humid days there, but overall I call it perfection.  Like clockwork, we get a quick preview about ten days before May for the temperatures coming our way. This year was no different after a warm drive to just outside of Austin, Texas. I enjoyed a pre-race meal and went to sleep. I wake up at 5 am and say hello to Texas in May. Warm and humid already but I am ready to return to the first major race series I participated in. After four years I was returning to try out Tough Mudder’s (TM) first go at a competitive series - Tougher Mudder.

With each race series jockeying for the podium, the racers find themselves with more options than ever. OCR has grown into a multi-billion dollar sport and finding a race near you becomes easier each year. Network Television has been booming with OCR coverage and Tough Mudder has announced that they will follow suit. TM will introduce a new race series as well as a broadcast event dubbed Toughest Mudder.

We all know the big players of OCR, but as we look to challenge ourselves more and more, sometimes we need to look at things a little differently. Green Beret Challenge (GBC) is one of those takes, a Veteran Owned-Race Series that will hit Georgia, Pennsylvania and Texas this year; offering a different take on how we view Obstacle Course Racing. Mark Ballas was kind enough to take some time to talk about this great race and the areas it takes on. In addition they partner with a charitable organization in the area they hold an event in. For example in Texas, GBC has partnered with Sean Valigura to support the Chris Kyle Memorial Run, currently held at the Rough Creek Lodge in Glen Rose Texas each fall.

Tough Mudder has released some new obstacles as well as updated some of the favs of the past for 2016. This isn't the first time in recent years that Tough Mudder has stepped up to the plate with confidence and pointed towards the bleachers... they did this in 2015 as well.

You’ve already been through this obstacle once, but here’s a second chance to keep it fresh in your memory. Crawl and push your way through a gauntlet of sloshing, weighted barriers to find freedom on the other side. With over 100lbs of water resting on your back, this is no time to be a baby.

The Legionnaires’ version of The Liberator, this 12' wall is built the same, but the challenge increases tenfold. This time it's fewer pegs – fewer holes. There’s only one way up this mountain, and it won’t be easy.

Guaranteed to induce fear, a step up from Cage Crawl for Legionnaires only. The pit is deeper, water pours in from above, and it all starts in darkness. This watery trough will test your mental grit in a whole new way.

As a Legionnaire, you earn the right to bypass Electroshock Therapy at the end of a Tough Mudder Course. Unlike the walk of shame you did this morning, this obstacle takes you to higher ground to watch first timers dodge a field of wires. After your exit to a crash pad below, what comes next is up to you - go straight for a Cold Shock Top or go back for a dose of Electroshock.

The Block Ness Monster is as epic and tricky as Nessie herself. Mudders have to push, pull, and roll their way through 60ft of slick, rotating barriers. With a little help from your friends, you can rock and roll your way through Tough Mudder's newest obstacle taking teamwork to a whole new level. - See more at:

In this final test of grit and upper body strength on a Half Mudder course, you can either catch air from a trampoline bounce, or a mouthful of muck as you crash into the pit below. Assuming you can stick the landing, catch the zipline, and hold on, you could …