Jersey Tough Mudder Craziness Grows
By Wes Szafran
WESTVILLE – Tough Mudder is a competition designed by British Special Forces that has been called one of the toughest events on the planet. Participants run 12 miles and navigate 25 or more military-style obstacles like the mud run, an ice-water dumpster and the possum hang.
The event is gaining popularity across the country, including in New Jersey. There are courses and events at Bear Creek in Pennsylvania and in Englishtown in Central Jersey, but a course will soon be built in South Jersey. Information on the exact location of the new course has not been released.
As Tough Mudder continues to grow, it has already raised over two-million dollars for the Wounded Warrior Project according to their website.
On Dec. 17-18, the planets top competitors will be competing in the World’s Toughest Mudder 2011 at Raceway Park in Englishtown. Contestants who finished in the top five percent in any event are eligible for the race. Spectator tickets are available.
While Tough Mudder will not officially make its way to South Jersey until next year, local residents have already made the trek elsewhere to get involved.
“The thing that I really appreciated the most was called Mount Everest,” said Tough Mudder competitor Christy Lejkowski. “It was a quarter pipe and you had to run up it. I am not tall enough nor do I have the upper body strength to grab on to the top and pull myself over the edge. So I just ran, threw my arms up in the air and two random people at the top that I never met before grabbed me and pulled me up.”
Tough Mudder is considered an event, and not a race. Since it is not a true race, the general rule of thumb is after you finish an obstacle, you wait to help the next person. Groups that attend the event usually range from four to 15 people.
But it is more than just a chance to improve team-working skills.
“I guess to get in shape, or have a reason to get in shape,” said fellow Tough Mudder competitor Rick Lejkowski. “I am past playing competitive sports at this point, so the idea starting off each time is a reason for me to run a lot and train.”
“I will go out and run three to five miles fairly regularly and as it gets closer to the race I will try to do eight or 10 miles,” added Christy.
While the event can be very challenging, it provides competitors an opportunity to cut loose and have some fun.
“They give you a beer at the finish line and it is just about the best beer you will ever drink,” said Rick. “And before it, at the starting line, they have a monster truck and they blast Guns and Roses and there is a guy on the mega-phone just getting you as amped up as you can be.
“You are in this big crowd of people and everyone else is amped up. The last 30 seconds they played the Rocky theme song and you get a big adrenaline rush and you are ready to go. And then you are off, so that beginning is awesome too.”
Tough Mudder helps build competitors’ confidence. There is nothing like accomplishing a tough task, and it is hard to find something tougher than this.
Plus it gives people a chance to take a trip down memory lane, something everyone can use from time to time.
“Growing up you watch all the game shows like Double Dare and Guts and this is sort of like an obstacle course for adults,” said Rick. “A lot of the obstacles are a lot of fun, despite the fact that you are running 12 miles while doing them. It is sort of nostalgic, monkey bars and jumping off the high jump into the river.
“It is a lot of fun and it is a great feeling as soon as you are done with it. It is always good to do something that you can be proud of and it is a good way to spice up your life.”
