Big hype from the start and the chance to be a great obstacle race I took the plunge and paid close to £90 for Tough mudder.
I am in shape and like a challenge so when this race was announced close to home I signed up and despite the high entry cost i was convinced this could be something.
The mudder of all mudders, plenty of photos and video footage to back it up, sounded like something great to achieve.
On the day itself we had to arrive early and it became apparent that this is a big money making machine. Extra for parking (in a field!) extra for dropping off your bag. Etc. Why? Surely the entry cost, double that of other obstacle races should cover that?
Then the start, so busy, you would think the whole midlands were invited for a free beer. Wave after wave was filled up so our starting time moved by an hour.
Finally race underway and even though it is not timed you do want to push yourself and feel like you have given it your all.
After a few simple obstacles we found out that you can, and lots of people do, just walk around obstacles. No penalty, no nothing.
What a joke. Then the obstacles themselves, often too busy and certainly covered in mud making them impossible to hold on to even with dry gloves.
Fast forward to the end we completed the event as a team and though I enjoyed that part it was overshadowed by the sheer amount of people dodging obstacles and still getting the finishers headband and some obstacles being boring or just madly made.
All in all no real challenge I personally felt, and the day probably cost me £120 with parking, baggage drop en lunch not to mention travelling cost.
The goodie bag advertised was a joke. Finishers towel, honestly, you call a 20x30cm piece of fabric a towel? I could not even dry my feet with that! And a very cheap non technical T-shirt. Bit disappointing.
So i will not be doing a Tough mudder again as it is not that tough and there are better and cheaper races out there.
And I also would not recommend it unless you want to show off to people that do not know and live in the illusion that this is an amazingly hard event to complete.
