Anyone’s reaction to the ‘Arctic Enema’ dunk.

(Originally published June 4, 2013)

I love obstacle courses. Ninja Warrior (known asSasuke in Japan) is the most obvious pop culture reference that comes to mind, and I would love to tackle that event. But, there are perfectly acceptable substitutes for getting my adrenaline masochistic rocks off. I do all the main ones, like Warrior Dash, Run For Your Lives, and Spartan Race,, but Tough Mudder is the king of them all, It is the original and probably most difficult overall. Ten plus miles with obstacles that require teamwork over individual abilities; teamwork is key and they don’t time your race with chips.

While the Spartan Race has comparable versions that go 10+ miles, and even the Beast that’s 20+ miles, that race is an entirely different category. I say that because the casual gym rat can train for a 5k / 3 mile obstacle run with a bit of focus and dedication; if you can run 2 miles without exhausting yourself you are doing well. The ante is up a bit for the Tough Mudder where you need to train to run at least 4-5 miles without being exhausted. The obstacles do break up the constant movement you deal with otherwise, so while you can certainly train yourself to run for 10 miles straight it seems excessive. Elite competitors will do this without blinking.

Normally I would not run except for sports. The main impetus for me in these races are the obstacles. Upper body and core strength are key here, and the ease of how well you do them is determined both by how good your technique is as well as your physical training. The only big issue I had last year was the rings, which I accomplished this year flawlessly.

The above picture, captured the instant I come up from underneath a pool of ice water, is the Arctic Enema challenge, appropriately named. Between this an getting electrocuted, the race definitely isn’t for the faint of heart.

Looking foward to doing it again in 2014.