These were mentioned in the Fitness thread but those posts will soon get lost so here's a thread for them.
There are loads of these events about and one is specifically called Mud Runner but I'm not just posting about that one, I just couldn't think of a better title!
So...
Mud Runs are a combination of cross country running and assault courses that may include water or mud-filled ditches, ponds, rivers, climbing frames, monkey bars, tunnels, cargo nets, mazes, balance beams, diving platforms, fire and even electric wires.
If I remember correctly, racer once mentioned a race called
Warrior Dash (
http://www.warriordash.com/) which was the first I'd heard of.
SM recently mentioned
Tough Mudder (
http://toughmudder.co.uk/) which professes to be pretty hardcore.
I've been roped into doing one at the end of July with 7 colleagues for charity. Out of all of us, there are possibly 3 who could run for more than a couple of miles as things stand, I am not one of them!
The (foolishly) chosen race is called
Nettle Warrior and is part of the
Tough Guy event
http://www.toughguy.co.uk/NW12-EVENTS.phpIt's a 12 mile (19km) run that involves running around 6 miles over various obstacles before passing through the Killing Fields assault course twice. It's insane!
Here's a few snippets I've picked up when reading about Nettle Warrior:
"Tough Guy is a race in two parts. First is a challenging cross-country run, involving seriously steep hills, streams and woodland. Next is the scary bit:
an assault course so demanding that the army uses it to toughen up the troops before packing them off to Afghanistan."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jun/10/tough-guy-how-to-trainWe go over that part TWICE, remember!
"A lot of other events claim to be the toughest but, although some might be a little longer, most can't possibly compare to the brutality of Tough Guy's 19km of twisted features."
"As I waded through a swampy area, an uneasy feeling that was harboured in my conciousness started to grow. I knew that the dreaded Interrogation Chamber was fast approaching. This is, by far, the most twisted of Tough Guy's creations. You crawl into a dark underground chamber on your hands and knees and, before your eyes can adjust you find your face running into dangling lumps of wood. You then drop down onto your belly in a few inches of water in an attempt to avoid the dreaded stingers. These electrifying strings pack one hell of a punch. They go off with a CRACK and are always followed by a gut-wrenching scream. Getting hit by one stops you dead in your tracks and tenses up every muscle in your body."
"After the second crawl under barbed wire the end was practically in sight. To finish you off there's a long tire-covered run, followed by another couple evil electric shock features. The final one sees you sliding down a hill underneath a series of electrocuted strings. Half way down the hill I found myself coming to a halt. As I lifted my knee to propel myself on I felt the familiar jolt ramming its way through my body. The applauding crowd were rewarded with a shriek of pain and several expletives!"
http://www.mudstacle.com/2012/07/tough-guy-nettle-warrior-2012-review-in.htmlPart of me is looking forward to it. The rest of me is dreading it and doubting I would even make it to the end by walking!
So have any of you had a go at these sort of runs before?
How did it go?
Any tips?