Mud Runs

Warrior Dash is considered the easiest, most entry-level of all the big name mud runs. Unlike most of the others, it's not meant to be challenging. Rather, it's meant to be easy enough for anyone -- even those who are severely out of shape -- to finish.

The participants who are in good shape and have had prior obstacle course experience typically go for time and/or multiple laps. The vast majority of its participants do not fall into this category, though.

I did a run hosted by "The Original Mud Run" Saturday. I only entered the competitive heat because it was the earliest and I wanted to make sure I got to work on time later that day. I ended up coming in 2nd of 90 competitors (there were over 600 fun runners in later heats). It was challenging but I was able to do each obstacle first try and I'm not in very good shape. Does their exist a hierarchy of mud/obstacle runs based on difficulty and competition?

ganzelly wrote: »

I did a Tough Mudder, these are not timed and team work is needed to do many of the obstacles. Many are difficult and they are about 10 miles. But, there is no penalty for skipping so some people walk the whole thing and skip obstacles and still get the finisher headband. (I'm all for people participating and doing a physical activity but that still irks me a little). The Spartan races are I believe a step up from Mudder.

I did a TM last year and one run by Extreme Events this year. Some of the TM obstacles I realised were downright malicious, and not intended to challenge - what is 'challenging' about electric shocks?. The Extreme Events race had far more obstacles, although was shorter overall, required only a little teamwork, and all the obstacles involved using your own strength of ingenuity to get through. I agree with being irked by people not challenging themselves through the obstacles (some of my team-mates did just that which I felt missed the point) but if I did a TM again, I would feel no shame in walking around the obstacles I felt were pointless as challenges.

cs4156 wrote: »

I think the 'challenging' part about electric shocks is mental as some of the high jumps into water etc. I just finished my third TM and only first timers have to do the Electric shock.

I agree that some of it is about mental challenges, but I still don't get even what is mentally challenging about knowing you are going to be zapped and feel your heart shocked and get thrown to the floor whilst your kidney gets a double blow. I've had real electric shocks and that was more pleasant.

Mentally challenging things are about getting over a fear and doing something - like the jumping into water from on high, or doing the whole of El Caminito del Rey before they made it boring spruced it up, hanging onto a rope in the rain with one foot doing Elvis impressions on a slippery piece of steel bucking up the courage to jump to the next bar.

Don't get me wrong, TM was fun, and next time I'd make sure I had plenty of upper body strength and endurance run training, but some of the obstacles I just didn't 'get'.