We sprang up that first little hillside and got a face full of orange smoke for our trouble. Through the woods and a short distance to Obstacle #1: High Steppin' , a series of 4' high walls, probably 15 to 20 of them.
(High Steppin, from Tough Mudder event pics)
We hopped the hip walls one after another with little trouble. I found it was all about rhythm. Left side hop, two steps, right side hop, two steps, repeat. Clearing the obstacle we were off, through the woods and skirting a quarry toward one of the more ominous obstacles, Obstacle #2: The Arctic Enema.
The AE consists of a vat 15' long, 4' deep that's filled with ice water, dyed either bright pink, green, or blue depending on which vat you pick. In the middle there's a wood wall that forces you to get fully submerged in order to get by. Just to make sure you don't try to jump the wall, there's barbed wire overhead. The Arctic Enema is a poorly named obstacle because as soon as you hit that water your butt and everything else clench up so tight that nothing is getting in or out.
(The Atwell Arsenal emerging from Arctic Enema)
It was on Arctic Enema that we had our first casualty. Bob wore a pink beanie for the race with his wife Pam's initials written on it in honor of Pam kicking cancer's ass. We chose to jump in the pink water in her honor too. But when Bob came up for air, his hat had been swept off his head under the water. Numb hands swept through the water but came up empty. Survival instinct kept him moving forward and out of the icy tank.
We pressed on, one hat down but spirits still high, and turned to run along a road that cuts north and south through the heart of the quarries. A steady stream of golf carts, patrolling ambulances, and other race affiliated vehicles rolled in both directions. A swarm of girls dressed as bees passed us. But we caught up with them at Obstacle #3: Berlin Walls #1.
Nine foot high wood walls stood in our way. The bee girls needed some assistance in getting over the wall which Erick and I volunteered to provide. After that Jicha was the first over the wall and the rest of us followed without incidence. On the other side of the wall was... another wall. We repeated the same process from the first wall and were off again. Not far ahead came Obstacle #4: Fire Walker.
(Fire Walker – We’re in there somewhere)
This challenge was as much mental as physical. Hay bales to either side of a pair of paths smoked and smoldered giving only a few feet of visibility. The stretch through the fire was not especially long, but finding yourself amidst all that fire and smoke it was difficult not to subconsciously do a little panicking. How much further? My eyes burn. Did I get turned around? Where's my team? I can't breathe. We all kept our legs moving and came out unscathed on the other side. Next!
Obstacle #5: Bale Bonds. Possibly the most fun obstacle and certainly one of the easiest. Hay bale pyramids stacked two bales high. Bounce like a Mario brother or climb like Sly Stallone in Cliffhanger to the top and then back down. Similar to the Berlin Walls, once you were over one you had a second to contend with.
(Bale Bonds, from Tough Mudder pics)
It was around this point when the challenge really started. After another period of running through the woods and trails, we emerged to see one of the premier obstacles before us, Walk The Plank. But the path turned us from the tower, the course designers nefariously wanting to give you a glimpse of the challenge ahead before pulling you away. They'd repeat this game a few times.
(High Steppin, from Tough Mudder event pics)We hopped the hip walls one after another with little trouble. I found it was all about rhythm. Left side hop, two steps, right side hop, two steps, repeat. Clearing the obstacle we were off, through the woods and skirting a quarry toward one of the more ominous obstacles, Obstacle #2: The Arctic Enema.
The AE consists of a vat 15' long, 4' deep that's filled with ice water, dyed either bright pink, green, or blue depending on which vat you pick. In the middle there's a wood wall that forces you to get fully submerged in order to get by. Just to make sure you don't try to jump the wall, there's barbed wire overhead. The Arctic Enema is a poorly named obstacle because as soon as you hit that water your butt and everything else clench up so tight that nothing is getting in or out.
(The Atwell Arsenal emerging from Arctic Enema)It was on Arctic Enema that we had our first casualty. Bob wore a pink beanie for the race with his wife Pam's initials written on it in honor of Pam kicking cancer's ass. We chose to jump in the pink water in her honor too. But when Bob came up for air, his hat had been swept off his head under the water. Numb hands swept through the water but came up empty. Survival instinct kept him moving forward and out of the icy tank.
We pressed on, one hat down but spirits still high, and turned to run along a road that cuts north and south through the heart of the quarries. A steady stream of golf carts, patrolling ambulances, and other race affiliated vehicles rolled in both directions. A swarm of girls dressed as bees passed us. But we caught up with them at Obstacle #3: Berlin Walls #1.
Nine foot high wood walls stood in our way. The bee girls needed some assistance in getting over the wall which Erick and I volunteered to provide. After that Jicha was the first over the wall and the rest of us followed without incidence. On the other side of the wall was... another wall. We repeated the same process from the first wall and were off again. Not far ahead came Obstacle #4: Fire Walker.
(Fire Walker – We’re in there somewhere)This challenge was as much mental as physical. Hay bales to either side of a pair of paths smoked and smoldered giving only a few feet of visibility. The stretch through the fire was not especially long, but finding yourself amidst all that fire and smoke it was difficult not to subconsciously do a little panicking. How much further? My eyes burn. Did I get turned around? Where's my team? I can't breathe. We all kept our legs moving and came out unscathed on the other side. Next!
Obstacle #5: Bale Bonds. Possibly the most fun obstacle and certainly one of the easiest. Hay bale pyramids stacked two bales high. Bounce like a Mario brother or climb like Sly Stallone in Cliffhanger to the top and then back down. Similar to the Berlin Walls, once you were over one you had a second to contend with.
(Bale Bonds, from Tough Mudder pics)It was around this point when the challenge really started. After another period of running through the woods and trails, we emerged to see one of the premier obstacles before us, Walk The Plank. But the path turned us from the tower, the course designers nefariously wanting to give you a glimpse of the challenge ahead before pulling you away. They'd repeat this game a few times.
The quest continues
No comments:
Post a Comment