True grit – When your desk job isn’t enough
Published 5:00 pm Monday, June 10, 2013
- <p>Fifteen thrill-seeking enthusiasts of Grant County will put their physical and mental stamina to the test on June 15 as they work as a team to try and survive the 2013 Tough Mudder event in Fossil. The event features 20 obstacles, including 10,000 volt electrical wires (as shown above), fire, ice and much more.</p>
FOSSIL One of the toughest obstacle-course challenges is coming to Fossil, in Wheeler County, with 6,000 entrants gearing up to put their bodies to the ultimate test June 15-16.
The turnout includes 15 brave individuals from Grant County, who will seek to answer the following question: Can you handle more than 20 military-style obstacles, over a nearly 10-mile course, that were designed for the British Special Forces?
The Muddy Medics of Grant County include 15 thrill-seeking, honor-earning fitness enthusiasts who will meet the course head-on. Their start time is set for 10:45 a.m. Saturday, June 15.
Participants must face an array of challenges: dangling electrical wires packing 10,000 volts, neck-deep mud pits, 4-foot flames, and other obstacles to test their mental strength and physical stamina.
Tough Mudder officials try to keep the specifics secret until two weeks before the event, but then the word goes out.
You can expect a hefty dose of mud, ice, fire, and electric shocks to test whether or not youre tough enough to earn the coveted orange headband and an ice-cold Dos Equis at the finish line, according to the Tough Mudder website.
The average completion time of a course is typically three to four hours, although the courses may differ substantially.
The competition is not regarded as a race. Competitiors say that completion earns the badge of honor. On average, only 78 percent of participants finish a Tough Mudder event, and with a course designed to be challenging even impossible to complete individually, 80 percent of participants register as a team.
The event has wide appeal. Participants known as Mudders include military veterans, business executives, pageant queens, and 81-year-old grandfathers. For many, Tough Mudder is more than just a weekend event its a lifestyle. More than 1,000 diehard Mudders sport tattoos of the Tough Mudder logo.
Tough Mudder is the largest supporter of the Wounded Warrior Project and its mission to assist severely injured veterans. To date, Tough Mudder participants have raised more than $5 million for the Wounded Warrior Project.
Registration for the Tough Mudder Oregon event is ongoing, and spectator tickets are also available. For more information, visit www.toughmudder.com.
Interested yet? Come see what youre made of.
