Tough Mudder

Usually when I walk in Dalkeith Park the only sights and sounds are the trees and flowers, cows, wild animals, insects and birds and a few people. This morning the place was full of the sound of fork lift trucks, diggers, water carriers, lorries, hammering and banging. All of this was in preparation for the Tough Mudder which is on this weekend. The photo was taken looking from the Montague Bridge.

The Tough Mudder is a difficult 12 mile obstacle course that has been designed by members of the special forces to test all-around strength, stamina, teamwork, and mental grit and is described as “Probably the toughest event on the Planet.” There are all sorts of gruelling obstacles generally involving crawling up, under or through cold slimy muddy obstacles while traversing across a very varied terrain mainly through woodland.

Looking down here just out of sight is Everest which is coated in mud and grease, a combo that might send you right back from where you came.

In the centre is the Boa Constrictor where you crawl through a series of pipes that force you downhill through muddy water, then up a slippery climb to the other side.

Then it’s on to the river where you’ll be hopping from one floating island to the next as fast as you can without falling into the muddy water beneath you.

Among other obstacles I passed was the Kiss of Mud where you crawl commando-style under barbed wire set just high enough for you to squirm under. This obstacle is true to its name – you have to belly-crawl through mud in order to avoid getting snagged by the barbed wire above.

Paths that are normally possible were already extremely muddy so I had to backtrack and wonder what they will be like after hundreds of Mudders racing along. It should be an exciting but gruelling event but there’s no way I could even think of taking part even in my youth.