People who do a Tough Mudder without training
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spartan_d
Posts: 727 Member
How do you feel when people attempt to do a Tough Mudder or similar event without any training? By this, I don't mean individuals who are physically active and well-conditioned, but who don't train specifically for an obstacle course. Rather, I mean people who aren't in very good shape, but who attempt a long OCR anyway and somehow manage to complete it.
Personally, I cringe when I hear stories like that. Kudos to them for finishing, but honestly... if you're not in decent shape, you can hurt yourself rather badly. I'm not just speaking theoretically, as I know someone who tore his hamstring because he wasn't properly conditioned. I also saw a badly overweight woman fall from a cargo net and fall flat on her back once. It was a scary moment, to put it mildly.
Also -- and I know that this remark might offend some -- I feel that this rather cheapens the event. Tough Mudder bills itself as "probably the toughest event on the planet." I know that's hyperbole, but still... when poorly prepared people attempt these events, skip multiple obstacles, and somehow manage based on sheer tenacity, I can't help but feel that this makes the challenge sound overly trivial. To my mind, at least, it detracts from the significance of the event.
Again, I'm not saying that everyone needs to be a ninja warrior type. I certainly am not. When people make it sound as though it's something you can just sleepwalk through though... well, that bothers me a little.
Personally, I cringe when I hear stories like that. Kudos to them for finishing, but honestly... if you're not in decent shape, you can hurt yourself rather badly. I'm not just speaking theoretically, as I know someone who tore his hamstring because he wasn't properly conditioned. I also saw a badly overweight woman fall from a cargo net and fall flat on her back once. It was a scary moment, to put it mildly.
Also -- and I know that this remark might offend some -- I feel that this rather cheapens the event. Tough Mudder bills itself as "probably the toughest event on the planet." I know that's hyperbole, but still... when poorly prepared people attempt these events, skip multiple obstacles, and somehow manage based on sheer tenacity, I can't help but feel that this makes the challenge sound overly trivial. To my mind, at least, it detracts from the significance of the event.
Again, I'm not saying that everyone needs to be a ninja warrior type. I certainly am not. When people make it sound as though it's something you can just sleepwalk through though... well, that bothers me a little.
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If an untrained person can complete it, is it really that hard of a challenge?0
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OK I didn't exactly mean that to sound snarky but it kinda came out that way.
My (perhaps slightly douchebaggy) opinion: completion of a short distance race is not an accomplishment. Completion of a long distance race in a ridiculously long amount of time is also not really that great of an accomplishment. I will use my experience in running and triathlon as an example.
An out of shape person can train themselves up to a 5k distance using the C25K program. Is that cool? Absolutely. Should that person feel proud that they "completed" a 5k at the end of the program? Sure. But remember that this is a race. The goal is to go faster. If your "main accomplishment" is to cover the distance, well, that is kinda lame. If your goal is to use it as a stepping stone for longer distances, ok. But the real point of a 5k is to race it. That is why it is called a race. It *should* not be some massive undertaking to cover the distance for any able-bodied adult human. Once you do it, give yourself a pat on the back but realize the work isn't done. Pick a time goal (you can compete with yourself if you like) and beat it. Then do it again. Set PRs. I would guess the same thing happens in the OCRs. Just about anybody that has all of their limbs intact *can* complete it, trained or not. That is *not* the point of the event though.0 -
risk wise, meh. It's your bodily injury at risk. Sign the release of liability and knock yourself out. Literally or figueitively
As far as cheapening the event, a few bloody wounded solders makes it look tougher then a bunch of people slogging through the mud.
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You said it yourself, they are skipping the most challenging obstacles and deep inside know they didn't make it. But they are out there, which I am so happy to see. You and I don't know their story. We see generally untrained individuals, but they may very well have dropped 60 lbs in preparation and from a 320 to a 260 are feeling quite spry.
I imagine there are quite a few people wondering what I'm doing out there. I'm obviously not a long distance runner and I'm obviously not built to climb. None of the events require someone to deadlift anything, so each event is a thorough challenge for me. I'm a high challenge guy, so I keep signing up for them. Sludge through and am happy to drink a beer or four at the finish.0 -
It goes without saying that people can choose to risk their bodies if they so choose. That doesn't make it smart, though. That's why I cringe when I hear about people who attempt to finish these courses with little or no preparation. It's simply not a good idea.risk wise, meh. It's your bodily injury at risk. Sign the release of liability and knock yourself out. Literally or figueitively
I don't see how. If somebody falls from an obstacle because he's badly out of shape, that doesn't make the course seem tough. Rather, it simply means that this person was foolishly unprepared. I don't see much point in taking pride that you managed to conquer an obstacle simply because a few couch potatoes were injured in attempting it.As far as cheapening the event, a few bloody wounded solders makes it look [tougher then a bunch of people slogging through the mud.0 -
There will always be people who do these without training for them. Some will make it through, some won't. The event only gets cheapened if they lower the standards of completion to compensate for those who weren't ready.
IMO, if you didn't do EVERY course, you didn't complete the event. Try again next year.
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I don't think that much about it.
I mean, is a TM really a super competitive event? Its not even timed. I mostly find it a fun day spent with my buddies crawling around in the mud. Tougher than your average half marathon? Sure. "Toughest event on the planet"? Snort. That statement is in a whole different dimension. it can't even get to reality from where it is. I figured it was a cool thing that emphasizes teamwork and is satisfying to complete. So what if someone is not at top shape to do it? Color runs don't cheapen the meaning of the Carlsbad 5000.
Its just a fun challenge. I enjoy my beer at the end, but I'm not gonna weep for joy at finishing it.0 -
Glevinso- I totally get what you're saying... However, I would have to respectfully disagree. I am a runner who has done multiple road races (5k- half marathons) and multiple OCRs. I race, but I do not set a time goal or try for a PR. If I happen to make one that's even better. But to me racing is about challenging yourself to push to your limits and join in on the comraderie and community that is running and OCR.
As for the OPs opinion. I definitely have had similar feelings. But when it comes down to it, people are going to do what they're going to do wether it's intelligent or not. I personally cringe when I hear people state they're just "going to see what happens" because as a health fitness specialist and a massage therapist I know what they can potentially do to themselves from being deconditioned.
In the end, as much as I love OCRs and the community, they're a business. If you have money you can participate.0 -
I think Allen hit the nail on the head. Maybe they just seem unprepared to your standards. We never know what other peoples story is.
My injury remark applies to everybody, fit or otherwise. It's their choice. When it's your turn to choose, well as the saying goes. Make good choices.0 -
OK I didn't exactly mean that to sound snarky but it kinda came out that way.
My (perhaps slightly douchebaggy) opinion: completion of a short distance race is not an accomplishment. Completion of a long distance race in a ridiculously long amount of time is also not really that great of an accomplishment. I will use my experience in running and triathlon as an example.
An out of shape person can train themselves up to a 5k distance using the C25K program. Is that cool? Absolutely. Should that person feel proud that they "completed" a 5k at the end of the program? Sure. But remember that this is a race. The goal is to go faster. If your "main accomplishment" is to cover the distance, well, that is kinda lame. If your goal is to use it as a stepping stone for longer distances, ok. But the real point of a 5k is to race it. That is why it is called a race. It *should* not be some massive undertaking to cover the distance for any able-bodied adult human. Once you do it, give yourself a pat on the back but realize the work isn't done. Pick a time goal (you can compete with yourself if you like) and beat it. Then do it again. Set PRs. I would guess the same thing happens in the OCRs. Just about anybody that has all of their limbs intact *can* complete it, trained or not. That is *not* the point of the event though.
I bloded the part I have issue with. what is a ridiculous amount of time, is it basewd on your own expierence? if so well that time frame you suggest may not be achievable for some but that in no way detracts from them feeling accomplished. if someone has worked towards a goal they set reguardless of thier fitness level and they complete it that is an accomplishment! the goal wuld not have been set if it wasnt something they thought would beeasy to do, it was hard, they worked for it, they accomplished it. i am not a runner. i jog, there for I am slow. I used to be 70 pounds heavier and still have 30 to go. I am a back of the packer. I set a goal to finish a marathon. I will, I may not be fast, but traveling 26.2 miles in a set time limit from the organizers of the event is a huge accompishment when once upon a time I couldnt walk a a half mile with out running out of breath. everyones journey is different.AllanMisner wrote: »You said it yourself, they are skipping the most challenging obstacles and deep inside know they didn't make it. But they are out there, which I am so happy to see. You and I don't know their story. We see generally untrained individuals, but they may very well have dropped 60 lbs in preparation and from a 320 to a 260 are feeling quite spry.
I imagine there are quite a few people wondering what I'm doing out there. I'm obviously not a long distance runner and I'm obviously not built to climb. None of the events require someone to deadlift anything, so each event is a thorough challenge for me. I'm a high challenge guy, so I keep signing up for them. Sludge through and am happy to drink a beer or four at the finish.
just this. are only seeing the end of a journey for the participant. the goal they worked towards, you can not judge the accomplishment without knowing the journey they came from0 -
For me, it's less about the person than it is the mindset. Events like TM are about the team, comradarie, and simply finishing. I know what to expect from events like those, and I don't care how untrained the person is. Races (events where finishing time matters, or events like TM that you treat as a race), people should train for. If you're racing, act like it. If your not racing, then that's fine, but get the hell out of my way.0
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OK I didn't exactly mean that to sound snarky but it kinda came out that way.
My (perhaps slightly douchebaggy) opinion: completion of a short distance race is not an accomplishment. Completion of a long distance race in a ridiculously long amount of time is also not really that great of an accomplishment. I will use my experience in running and triathlon as an example.
An out of shape person can train themselves up to a 5k distance using the C25K program. Is that cool? Absolutely. Should that person feel proud that they "completed" a 5k at the end of the program? Sure. But remember that this is a race. The goal is to go faster. If your "main accomplishment" is to cover the distance, well, that is kinda lame. If your goal is to use it as a stepping stone for longer distances, ok. But the real point of a 5k is to race it. That is why it is called a race. It *should* not be some massive undertaking to cover the distance for any able-bodied adult human. Once you do it, give yourself a pat on the back but realize the work isn't done. Pick a time goal (you can compete with yourself if you like) and beat it. Then do it again. Set PRs. I would guess the same thing happens in the OCRs. Just about anybody that has all of their limbs intact *can* complete it, trained or not. That is *not* the point of the event though.
Not slightly douchebaggy. Completely douchebaggy.0 -
OK I didn't exactly mean that to sound snarky but it kinda came out that way.
My (perhaps slightly douchebaggy) opinion: completion of a short distance race is not an accomplishment. Completion of a long distance race in a ridiculously long amount of time is also not really that great of an accomplishment. I will use my experience in running and triathlon as an example.
An out of shape person can train themselves up to a 5k distance using the C25K program. Is that cool? Absolutely. Should that person feel proud that they "completed" a 5k at the end of the program? Sure. But remember that this is a race. The goal is to go faster. If your "main accomplishment" is to cover the distance, well, that is kinda lame. If your goal is to use it as a stepping stone for longer distances, ok. But the real point of a 5k is to race it. That is why it is called a race. It *should* not be some massive undertaking to cover the distance for any able-bodied adult human. Once you do it, give yourself a pat on the back but realize the work isn't done. Pick a time goal (you can compete with yourself if you like) and beat it. Then do it again. Set PRs. I would guess the same thing happens in the OCRs. Just about anybody that has all of their limbs intact *can* complete it, trained or not. That is *not* the point of the event though.
This is just... ugh. I'm 250 pounds with fibromyalgia and dislocating kneecaps. What's a "ridiculously long time" for you may very well be my PR. It's attitudes like this that make me ashamed and afraid to sign up for runs and triathlons because I know I'll cross the finish line of a 5k at 45 minutes or a triathlon at 2:15:00. If you see someone hobbling along, encourage them. They may have trained hard but have a physical problem that will never allow them to go much faster.
Hopping off my soapbox now... well, stepping off it so I don't dislocate my kneecaps since I'm not wearing my braces at the moment.0 -
I wondered how this thread was going to go. I'm proud of anyone who attempts a tough mudder type of event. I did mudderella last year and there were lots of people on the course that I worried about crossing the finish line on their feet. I won't do the tough mudder myself because there's an obstacle where water and electricity mix...........ummm hello! I hear it's low voltage but seriously I'm not willing to chance it. For me personally if I can't complete every obstacle then I didn't complete the event. That doesn't mean I failed if I only got half way across the monkey bars, it means I have to work harder for the next time. I'm talking skipping an obstacle, to me that means you did not "complete" the course.
I don't believe that runners need to set times to beat, that's a personal choice. I personally enjoy the fact that I can run at all, I strive to increase my distance but I don't care how long it takes me to get there I just like to keep a steady pace. I have friends that love to be first and that's fine, we agree to disagree and cheer each other on as friends should.
My honest opinion is that if you sign up for an event and don't train (no matter what the event is) then you're asking for an injury.0 -
it still felt good when I completed it with a (walking pneumonia). and I was still passing those "want to be in shape people" .0
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OK I didn't exactly mean that to sound snarky but it kinda came out that way.
My (perhaps slightly douchebaggy) opinion: completion of a short distance race is not an accomplishment. Completion of a long distance race in a ridiculously long amount of time is also not really that great of an accomplishment. I will use my experience in running and triathlon as an example.
An out of shape person can train themselves up to a 5k distance using the C25K program. Is that cool? Absolutely. Should that person feel proud that they "completed" a 5k at the end of the program? Sure. But remember that this is a race. The goal is to go faster. If your "main accomplishment" is to cover the distance, well, that is kinda lame. If your goal is to use it as a stepping stone for longer distances, ok. But the real point of a 5k is to race it. That is why it is called a race. It *should* not be some massive undertaking to cover the distance for any able-bodied adult human. Once you do it, give yourself a pat on the back but realize the work isn't done. Pick a time goal (you can compete with yourself if you like) and beat it. Then do it again. Set PRs. I would guess the same thing happens in the OCRs. Just about anybody that has all of their limbs intact *can* complete it, trained or not. That is *not* the point of the event though.
This is just... ugh. I'm 250 pounds with fibromyalgia and dislocating kneecaps. What's a "ridiculously long time" for you may very well be my PR. It's attitudes like this that make me ashamed and afraid to sign up for runs and triathlons because I know I'll cross the finish line of a 5k at 45 minutes or a triathlon at 2:15:00. If you see someone hobbling along, encourage them. They may have trained hard but have a physical problem that will never allow them to go much faster.
Hopping off my soapbox now... well, stepping off it so I don't dislocate my kneecaps since I'm not wearing my braces at the moment.
FWIW, that's not how I interpreted his post AT ALL.
Additionally, why do you care what other people think? Regardless, in none of the races I've ever done have I heard or seen someone mocking or discouraging someone slower than them.0 -
I did one of those races an I would guess that most people at the race assumed I didn't train before hand. I was over 200 pounds...I had not yet been diagnosed as having a hormone disorder. I did train though...a lot. I was running every day, lifting weights, doing HIIT and eating less than 1200 calories. During the race there was only one obstacle I skipped. I was damn proud of myself. Here I was...almost 220 pounds and I ran up and down hills (it took place at a ski hill), I completed all but one obstacle and I was not the last to finish! I worked hard and pushed myself to accomplish what most people said I couldn't.0
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OK I didn't exactly mean that to sound snarky but it kinda came out that way.
My (perhaps slightly douchebaggy) opinion: completion of a short distance race is not an accomplishment. Completion of a long distance race in a ridiculously long amount of time is also not really that great of an accomplishment. I will use my experience in running and triathlon as an example.
An out of shape person can train themselves up to a 5k distance using the C25K program. Is that cool? Absolutely. Should that person feel proud that they "completed" a 5k at the end of the program? Sure. But remember that this is a race. The goal is to go faster. If your "main accomplishment" is to cover the distance, well, that is kinda lame. If your goal is to use it as a stepping stone for longer distances, ok. But the real point of a 5k is to race it. That is why it is called a race. It *should* not be some massive undertaking to cover the distance for any able-bodied adult human. Once you do it, give yourself a pat on the back but realize the work isn't done. Pick a time goal (you can compete with yourself if you like) and beat it. Then do it again. Set PRs. I would guess the same thing happens in the OCRs. Just about anybody that has all of their limbs intact *can* complete it, trained or not. That is *not* the point of the event though.
This is just... ugh. I'm 250 pounds with fibromyalgia and dislocating kneecaps. What's a "ridiculously long time" for you may very well be my PR. It's attitudes like this that make me ashamed and afraid to sign up for runs and triathlons because I know I'll cross the finish line of a 5k at 45 minutes or a triathlon at 2:15:00. If you see someone hobbling along, encourage them. They may have trained hard but have a physical problem that will never allow them to go much faster.
Hopping off my soapbox now... well, stepping off it so I don't dislocate my kneecaps since I'm not wearing my braces at the moment.
Regardless, in none of the races I've ever done have I heard or seen someone mocking or discouraging someone slower than them.
No, they go to a public forum and post about how they look down on them instead. Because pointing at them in public would be *rude*.
ETA: I did a half marathon last year. Around the 9 mile mark, I passed a teenager who was wearing a shirt that said "if you're behind me, you didn't train either". I trained my butt off for that run. I'm just still fat, and will probably always be slow. That doesn't mean I don't try.
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OK I didn't exactly mean that to sound snarky but it kinda came out that way.
My (perhaps slightly douchebaggy) opinion: completion of a short distance race is not an accomplishment. Completion of a long distance race in a ridiculously long amount of time is also not really that great of an accomplishment. I will use my experience in running and triathlon as an example.
An out of shape person can train themselves up to a 5k distance using the C25K program. Is that cool? Absolutely. Should that person feel proud that they "completed" a 5k at the end of the program? Sure. But remember that this is a race. The goal is to go faster. If your "main accomplishment" is to cover the distance, well, that is kinda lame. If your goal is to use it as a stepping stone for longer distances, ok. But the real point of a 5k is to race it. That is why it is called a race. It *should* not be some massive undertaking to cover the distance for any able-bodied adult human. Once you do it, give yourself a pat on the back but realize the work isn't done. Pick a time goal (you can compete with yourself if you like) and beat it. Then do it again. Set PRs. I would guess the same thing happens in the OCRs. Just about anybody that has all of their limbs intact *can* complete it, trained or not. That is *not* the point of the event though.
This is just... ugh. I'm 250 pounds with fibromyalgia and dislocating kneecaps. What's a "ridiculously long time" for you may very well be my PR. It's attitudes like this that make me ashamed and afraid to sign up for runs and triathlons because I know I'll cross the finish line of a 5k at 45 minutes or a triathlon at 2:15:00. If you see someone hobbling along, encourage them. They may have trained hard but have a physical problem that will never allow them to go much faster.
Hopping off my soapbox now... well, stepping off it so I don't dislocate my kneecaps since I'm not wearing my braces at the moment.
I don't think that, as in the OP, untrained people should go out there and halfass an event or race, but I can't fault someone who sets finishing a race as a goal. Or who sets an incrementally better time as their goal. If you've been out of shape for years or a lifetime, I don't think anyone should shame you for hanging out at the back of the pack.
But back to the OP, any out-of-shape person who pays the fee (and possibly the burpee penalties) just to say they've competed is just paying to delude themselves. If you didn't do it all, you really didn't do any of it. No matter how slowly you did it.0 -
The tough mudder mentality is that it isn't actually meant to be a race - instead it's supposed to be more of an event. I get the idea behind your post and I think you're right: everyone can enter the event, but you should definitely prepare to avoid injury and to achieve completion of the course if possible. Enter the Spartan Elite heats if you want a true race.0
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