This isn't another blog post where I'm going to regale you with another one of SJ's podium finishes. As I figured out within a few minutes of arriving at the race site, the Tough Mudder isn't a race. There are no chips, no times, and no prizes for the fastest team across the finish line. Instead, there are 13 miles of incredibly muddy trails with 22 obstacles along the way. By obstacles I mean jumping into a dumpster full of ice cubes and getting electric shocks while crossing a muddy field.
Don't get me wrong, SJ's team would have stood a chance of winning, with a Kona qualifying triathlete and the former leader of Navy SEAL team one, but the day was about commraderie and teamwork. SJ was part of a 45 strong team raising money for Little Warriors, a charity started in honor of Navy SEAL Brian Bill. It seemed like almost everyone in the event was part of a team, whether it was a charity team, a football team or a cross fit class. They were all there just to have fun, get dirty and push themselves to do something they wouldn't normally do.
When I arrived at the site, after a 40 minute school bus shuttle from the parking lot (could have done without that!), the scene was apacolyptic. Thousands of people, covered from head to toe in mud, milling around a big open field. It could have been a filming of The Walking Dead. With a little luck, I was able to locate SJ's team amongst the 20,000 "zombies" participating in the race. Yes, 20,000. SJ says the hardest part of the course, even for him, was the 20 foot long monkey bars perched high above a pool of muddy water. He plunged after a few feet, but a member of team Wounded Warriors with only one arm made it the entire way.
The course took most teams about 4 hours to complete. Most people looked very happy to see the finish line, the beer garden and the shower tent. Here are a few photos of the Little Warriors team on the course. --Bec
