Each year more and more people are entering road races, marathons and triathlons, but for a small group of athletes from our community, that’s not quite enough. Many of them are now entering an obstacle course race designed to test an individual’s fitness and mental toughness. They’re heading in droves to the ‘Tough Mudder‘ challenge.
The competition is based on the training programs of the British Special Forces, and currently these events are held in states across the country. This year, one of the events will be held on Aug. 12 & 13, at Mt. Snow, Vt.
According to the Tough Mudder website (http://toughmudder.com), over 14,000 people have participated in the grueling 10-12 mile course, but perhaps the most significant piece of information about the event is that the proceeds go directly to the Wounded Warrior Project. To date, the Tough Mudder events have raised over $2.8 million for this cause.
So if you see some of your neighbors running through the woods, crawling through puddles and pulling themselves over fallen trees, they may just be training for the next ‘mudder’.