Tough Mudder (To Benefit the Yes2Kids Handball Foundation) Raises nearly $2k!

by ashley moler     

     The toughest event on the planet!  We didn’t really know what we were getting ourselves into.  The website calls it a “...Hardcore 10-12 mile obstacle course designed by British Special Forces to test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie”.  Ten miles seemed doable.  Two weeks before the event we received an email that the 'previously decided' course wasn’t tough enough.  Try 12.5 miles instead, plus 29 obstacles to overcome.  Well, considering the event was soon after the holidays, let’s just say the training wasn’t the best we could have done.  I’m pretty sure there were side-bets on whether or not I’d finish (since I’m girlie).  Since Abe and I decided to do this as a fundraiser for Yes2Kids (Abe Montijo is the Executive Director of the Y2K program in Tucson, AZ), we knew we had to finish.  

     Arriving at the event, we couldn’t really see the scope of the course.  We did see a man who had just finished the course.  He looked like he just got back from war and was walking like a 75-year old handball player.  That’s when the nerves started.  As it got closer to our start time, we prepared with war paint and tied our shoes as tight as they’d go (it is called tough mudder for a reason; see pics below). 

When our start time got called, we had to scale an 8 foot wall just to get to the start line.  Then, we listened to a comical introduction to the course and then it got serious.  We were specifically warned that people do get seriously injured and that you can’t do the course alone.  Finally after chanting the Tough Mudder Allegiance and giving tribute to the Wounded Warriors, we took off.  The first obstacle (after a couple miles of running) was the Kiss of Mud.  We had to crawl on our bellies through muddy water.  Eight inches above the water were lines of barbwire.  Did I mention the water was freezing cold?  Story of the day.  Everyone seemed pretty unscarred from the wires, so we trekked on to the next obstacle, the Artic Enema.  It was as bad as it sounds.  Not only did we have to plunge into ice water (literally an ice cube bath), but we had to swim two feet underwater to clear a wall to advance to the other side.  Another half-mile of jogging brought us to the first Berlin Wall.  An eight foot wall doesn’t sound so bad until you’re freezing and soaking wet.  The boys cleared the wall no problem, but I did need a little boost.  The next obstacle consisted of about 10 ditches in a row that you had to jump over.  I definitely thanked my mom for long legs on this one.  The first five weren’t so bad; until the legs started burning only to look up and see you’re only half-way there.  This was definitely the most exhausting obstacle.  By the end of this one, we were only ¼ of the way finished.

                After a couple more minor obstacles, we had to go through the Boa Constrictor.  It is two long pipes filled with freezing, muddy water.  It doesn’t sound too bad, unless you’re claustrophobic.  I really had to hype myself up for this one.  A random stranger next to me gave such encouraging words and talked me through the tight spaces.  (The one thing about this event that really stood out is the camaraderie.  It’s like nothing I have ever seen.  Everyone was looking out for everyone)  A couple more obstacles later we came to Twinkle Toes.  This is where everyone learned Abe needs to work on his balance.  About halfway across the 3-inch wide board, he started wobbling.  Then, his head went one way and his legs went the other.  His knees bounced off the board before plummeting into the freezing cold water.  He was definitely a crowd-pleaser with a crash like you’d see on the show “Wipeout”.  However, like a champ, he got up and kept going since we were barely halfway through the entire course. (I have the video.  Contact me to see this amazing spill)

                There was a common theme throughout the course of making sure we were entirely soaked before doing any sort of climbing.  This happened before the second set of Berlin Walls.  Only this time, the walls jumped up to 12 feet tall.  Only the ninjas were able to scale the wall without any help.  It definitely took a lot of teamwork to get everyone over the wall.  However, Abe and our other teammate Jon showed us their inner ninjas.  Exhausted after climbing the wall, we looked up only to see another one standing before us.  Perfect.  Once we recovered from the walls, it was the muddy mile.  There were several mud hills that ended in a waist-deep pool of muddy water.  Freezing muddy water.  By this point, our shoes were entirely filled with mud and soaking wet.  I was very thankful for wearing double socks, but wasn't even sure I was still wearing one of my shoes??

                The next major obstacle was Log Jammin.  There were a series of logs you had to make your way over and under without being stabbed by the barbwire.  We were at about mile 8 by this point, so the fatigue was wearing in.  After all the climbing, we were forced to Walk the Plank.  We had to leap off a platform 15 feet high into an icy pond.  I will admit it took me a few minutes to convince myself to jump.  Luckily there was a nice scuba diver lifeguard to give me a countdown and encourage me on (he was cute too).  Fear number two was tackled.  Eventually we came to the 3^rd set of Berlin Walls.  Dread was apparent in everyone’s eyes.  It definitely took much longer to get over these.  Once we did we had a nice jog until the Electric Eel obstacle.  This course let us crawl on our bellies again, except there were strands of electrical wire hanging down to shock us.  We didn’t find it very comforting to get shocked, but by the end of the event we would have taken that in a heartbeat over what was to come.  During the last two miles, our grit was definitely challenged.  We could see the finish line, but knew there were four more obstacles to go.

                The first one was to crawl up a hill of sheer mud.  Basically, the person behind you had to push you up the hill.  Luckily we used our smarts to find the driest side and climb up.  Then, my favorite part was sliding down the other side!  We were already completely muddy, so what was a little more?  The next event, Everest, definitely saw some blood.  It was a half-pipe that we had to run up (completely muddy), while people at the top pulled you up.  One lady slipped and smashed her nose on the ground, spraying blood everywhere.  It took me two times to get up, but there were great guys helping everyone get over the top.  The obstacle with the biggest failure rate was next.  It seemed innocent enough and looked like the childhood monkey bars I remember from Elementary School.  However, there was no way to dry your hands, and the bars were already mud-soaked.  To add pain on top of that, the bars twisted to throw you into the neon-green mystery water.  A few of us made it halfway before falling.  One of our teammates made it all the way across. 

                At this point we could see the finish line, but knew we had to do a little Electroshock Therapy first.  I made the comment early in the race that I’ve never been electrocuted and wanted to know what it felt like.  Well, I definitely got my wish.  There was a maze with knee-deep mud water.  Hanging down from the ceiling were yellow cords I still have nightmares about.  A man was on the side telling people to just run.  We took off in a group, but everyone was dropping like flies.  Some of the cords contained 10,000 volts of electricity.  Just the sound the shocks made gives me the creeps still.  You would hear ZZZTTT, followed by a shriek.  Many of the people were knocked to the ground by the power of the shock.  They definitely saved the best (or worst) for last.  Once we finished, we were all too mad to smile and be happy about what we did. "I heard the zapping sounds from the shock wires for two days as I tried to fall asleep at night," claimed Abraham Montijo days after the race.  "Shock therapy has changed me (smiling)."  Eventually the pain wore off, and we congratulated each other on finishing.  We made a toast to each other with the free beer at the end.  We definitely earned it.

                In retrospect, I’m extremely proud of our team for finishing, even though my legs are still sore four days later.  The biggest impact from the race was the teamwork everyone displayed.  It was the most unselfish event I’ve ever been a part of, and it was very inspiring.  Not only was it a huge personal accomplishment, but Montijo and I raised roughly $2000 from very generous supporters to our Yes2Kids handball program.  They were a huge factor in us finishing the race, and we are incredibly thankful for the moral support.