World's Toughest Mudder 2015

Great quote!!! Very true. once the dust settles the trophies, medals, buckles and bibs will be gone. What you are left with is the character that you have forged in training and racing which is far more precious than any award. 

Sunrise means Smiles

It's the month of "Thanks" I'm not a huge fan of only one month of that. Let's be thankful every month. Be thankful daily. We could always be much worse off.
#grateful

4OUR World's Toughest Mudders later via 210 cold-muddy miles and nearly 800 obstacles. Time sure does fly! My oldest son is nearly 4 years old so I have been doing these races his whole life. The event has changed, the obstacles have changed, but some things remain the same like the great people that do this race. The people and the community that has been built around this race is truly amazing. We come from all walks of life to unite for 25+ hours of crazyness. WTM is a year long process that is trained for, geared for and planned for thoroughly. My wife Brittany has been there supporting me with this strange hobby since the beginning. She goes above and beyond, and to have that support is rad!!! This race in 2012 was the gateway to things like the Leadville 100, training for GR Selection, and completing several other ultra-marathons. Stuff that I used to think was absolutely impossible became a reality and I must thank this wild race known as WTM for that. Below I break down some stats and compare years. Conclusion is that I placed worse every year....bummer, but instead of focusing on this race alone I have dabbled in a few other endurance events that needed me to be (a.) bigger (b.) stronger so to be 20lbs heavier and still get the job done on this race I am happy with that. My buddy said "you basically rucked 20lbs for this years WTM...cool!" GRS is still in my sights and I will be there October 2016 so the extra weight and strength will pay dividends eventually.

Sweet Video WTM2015

nice clear day compared to last year!

2015WTM vs other WTM years.

108^th /1049 place_ 50 miles_ 2012

Race weight 160.5lbs

2012 was very cold. There was actually  ice and people dropped like flies. My first WTM. Small percentage finished based on the cold alone. Obstacles were basically normal tough mudder obstacles. 32 obstacles per 10 mile lap. Only 141 racers made it 50 miles or further. My first 24 hour race and first ultra distance anything.

119^th /859 place _60 miles_ 2013 

Race weight 160lbs

 TMHQ Changed the format. Instead of 10 mile loops the course turned to 5 mile loops. 22ish obstacles so instead of 32 obstacles per 10 miles you are facing 42 ish obstacles so the obstacles get repetitive hitting them every 5 miles which leads to more grip and overuse fatigue.. Yet the obstacles were still fairly easy and the course was very run-able. Tore infraspinatus around mile 32 on the infamous Leap of Faith obstacle. Had poor usage of my left arm the remainder of the race-was on track for 75 miles. Temperatures were warm this year 2013 as far as WTM standards go.

224^th /1045 50 miles_2014           

Race weight 175*gained weight for other silly endurance events…ahem GRS

Drastic change as the course moved from New Jersey to Las Vegas. From super flat NJ terrain to hilly desert Las Vegas. Huge temp swings, severe sand storm and a more hypothermic environment due to the harsh winds. They upped their standard of obstacles and introduced a 35ft cliff jump into the mix. First year and first time in my life I have ever been hypothermic. At mile 40 I had to pit for 4.5 hours to bring my core body temp up. First year I thought My race was done, luckily got back out there and did 2 more laps.

248^th / 1140_50 miles _2015  

Race weight 180lbs gained weight for other silly endurance events… ahem GRS

Note to self….Don’t run this race at 180lbs!!!!! New tougher obstacles were added. Tougher “Must complete”  obstacles too. In WTM you can fail an obstacle and have a chance to do a penalty which typically leads to more mileage and carrying something heavy like a cinder block or sand bag. They also had harder must complete obstacles meaning if you failed to complete it you were disqualified from the race. In years past they had must complete obstacles, but they were much easier. I actually saw several people get disqualified this year because they failed to climb and complete an obstacle which was a WTM first. They added more water/mud obstacles and positioned them before grip intensive obstacles which made the course trickier. Wind still plays a heavy role here because it speeds up the hypothermic conditions and this desert is windy. All in all this 2015 course made for the hardest course to date for WTM by far. They added more steep climbs too that didn’t give you all that much elevation gain, but they were very slow very steep and technical/rocky climbs and descents which lead to a slower tougher course.

My love!!! Britt

Lessons I’ve Learned:

I am stubborn

I don’t quit

Suffering is the new comfortable

Stay ahead of calories and nutrition early on or you’ll pay for it later

You can always run just a little bit more even when your legs are toast

Being cold sucks, but there is a mental aspect that is attached to this. If you trick your mind into embracing the cold to almost looking forward to it you will survive. Bring tons of layers! and its better to be hot early on than to be freezing early on. When in doubt put your wetsuit on

You can do more than you think you can. Everyone has the ability to endure races like this. We often sell ourselves short or automatically call things out as impossible. I challenge you to sign up for a race that you are afraid of. It’s truly amazing what the human body can endure. Once we take the mental handcuffs off…. the body will go anywhere the mind allows it.  

You will want to quit, but don’t! When your mind is screaming “Quit!!!” hang in there for some more steps. I wish I made a tally of all the times my mind has wondered and was begging me to quit. Think of it like an annoying commercial or radio add. You just have to zone it out.

We are so fortunate to be able to test our limits in a race like this! Don’t take it for granted.

You will eventually get injured either in training or the actual race. This will solidify how important training and racing is to your well-being so you will rehab to the best of your ability and make do with what you have. Stay positive.

Perspective is everything! These races change your outlook on life. You start looking at people and situations differently. You will start to find the light in even the darkest of times. You will complain less and appreciate more. I feel like we as humans are longing for races and adventure like this, but our society has become so soft and less active. Unleash yourself and adventure more.

Most People won’t understand why you do these races and that’s okay.

Pain tolerance has grown drastically

Smile More

Take time during the race to “take it all in” enjoy the people around you and be thankful for those that have come to support you

If you have a pit crew don’t be snappy or rude to them(Sorry Britt!.) They are there to help you and want to see you succeed. You will be in pain and discomfort, but make sure to be nice and appreciative.

Peeing in a wetsuit is an acceptable thing to do. Just no poops!

This isn’t an ultra marathon, this is something much different

The World’s Toughest Community is unique to all other endurance cliques in that people don’t let their egos get in the way. It’s the most loving-caring and helpful band of endurance athletes in the world.

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