At a glance
I registered to the Tough Mudder being held in Pittsburgh in 2013. The registration fees were $175, which is on the expensive side for a race. It seems that a bunch of people did the race. I was supposed to start at noon so, we leave Pittsburgh at 0930am. After one hour driving, it turns out what we got into a traffic jam and finally started with the last wave at … 01pm. The packet is very minimal: you get your bib number, some basic information and … that’s all about it ! Nothing else.
You start the race with other folks and are waiting in the sun while a guy give you instructions. The obstacles were fun but not really challenging. The water and food stop are very minimal and not worth the money you put: half banana at some stop, only water at others … very minimal, and very few options. For a race like this, you would expect more than that.
The obstacles are not very challenging and pretty easy. However, you can sometime wait a lot of time, which is very not convenient if you wait to go fast. On the other hand, the organization is pretty well done; the staff is supportive, and anybody that requires help or assistance will get it in a couple of minutes. The race is probably one of the most secure one I ever see.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Organization
Cons
- Expensive
- Water/food stops
- Waiting line for obstacles
Let’s do it ?
Obviously, if I had to choose, I would not do it again. The race is clearly overpriced for what you get. You can go to way more cheaper race organized by clubs that supports the local community. You will have more fun and help the local business in your country instead of supporting a big organization like the Tough Mudder. I do not want to say that Tough Mudder is not a good race or a bad company, just point that there are little events organized by local groups that are potentially better. It depends on what do you want to do and what are your objectives. Anyway, even if there are sone drawbacks, this challenge is the kind of thin you are proud to have it done, so, it might be interesting for you to do it at least once !
juli1 diary 