Event Flavors

I originally got interested in mud run/obstacle events because they sounded interested, and after running three marathons in my 20s, as well as a number of 10Ks, I'm not at all interested in just running on the road, particularly for several hours.  I wanted something that was different, a bit of a challenge, a lot of fun, and keeps me in shape.  As an added benefit, when I started looking around, I found that some of the events support and benefit various charitable organizations, such as the Wounded Warrior Project.  For me, raising money to support our wounded veterans is a plus.

One of the things I really like about these events is that they each have their own "flavor" or "culture".  In trying to establish their "brand", each of the events, regardless of distance, brings something new and different to the table.  I'll give you my take on the differences between some of the events.  Terrain can only vary so much, and the obstacles on the course tend to mirror the culture of the event.

Tough Mudder

As of Nov, 2011, Outside Magazine will tell you that the Tough Mudder is one of the big four events.  I'm presenting it first here simply because it's the first one I did, and I've done it more than any of the others, due primarily to the proximity of the events.

The Tough Mudder is billed not as a race, but as a challenge.  Everything about this event pushes that mindset, from the logo, to the signs that appear on the course, to the motivational speech that each wave receives prior to launch, to the lack of participant timers.  It's all about the challenge, camaraderie, and helping your fellow mudder.  There are going to be obstacles that you can breeze through (particularly if you've been training), and there will be obstacles that you cannot complete without help, such as the Mud Mile (the Mid-Atlantic Spring event in 2013 had 2 of them).  The culture of the Tough Mudder is such that even if you can complete an obstacle without assistance (such as the Everest), that you stick around and help your fellow mudders out.

Throughout the entire event, TM is all about overcoming fears and challenges, and making it through the course assisting others, as well as getting assistance where you need it.  In the events that I've done, I've seen people freeze up at obstacles (Walk the Plank) out of their fear of heights, and nothing else.  I've seen people climb to the top of the platform, and then climb back down.

The Tough Mudder is primarily a 9-12 mile event course, with a World's Toughest Mudder event that you can qualify to run at the end of the season/year.  I know that it's now being billed out at 10+ miles, but my first one was around 9.5 miles.

Finally, the Tough Mudder supports the Wounded Warrior Project, so much so in fact that in 2013, the WWP presented Tough Mudder "with the Talkhouse Award to honor an individual or company whose efforts personify patriotism, demonstrate compassion, and have helped to further the mission of WWP in support of the brave men and women of our armed forces."  Each time I've run the event, I've posted the donation link provided as part of my registration, and friends, family, and in some cases folks whom I've never met have donated to support the WWP.  That's pretty awesome.

Spartan Race

The Spartan Race is a completely different beast all together from the Tough Mudder.  First off, the Spartan Race is just that...a race.  Each participant gets an electronic timer that they wear on their wrists.  You can run as a team, but for the most part, the "flavor" of this event is every man (or woman) for him or herself.  That's not to say that you can't help someone, I'm just saying that it's not part of DNA of this event.

What I thought was really cool about the Spartan Race was the participation by Team EXTREME.  I have no idea how someone goes through an event like this and when they get to an obstacle, think to themselves, "I can't...", when Cpl Todd Love is out there doing it.  When a triple amputee in a gas mask climbs a muddy rope, how does someone stand there and think to themselves that they can't do it?  Honestly, it's pretty motivating, and it makes you think about what you're doing.

I used to think that the Spartan Race came in four sizes; the Spartan Sprint (5K), the Super Spartan (8-9+ miles), the Spartan Beast (10-12 miles), and the Death Race.  Checking the events listing more recently, it appears that in some cases, the Beast is 13+ miles, and there's an Ultra Beast at 26+ miles. 

Others

Now, these are the biggy events that I have experienced, and I know that there are other event types out there.  There is at least one zombie run (5K obstacle course where you get chased by zombies a la flag football), a fireman/police-type "Hero Rush" event, and others with their own individual flavors.  While all of these events are co-ed, they are predominantly attended by guys, and there are other events specific to (and they only allow) women.

I think that most of the smaller events are intended to attract a different crowd, as evidenced by the attendance, as well as the course route and obstacles.  I've even seen participants bring their own flavor to the events...while some events, such as the Superhero Scramble, encourage participants to dress up in costume, some folks go to the events in some sort of costume and don't seem to require much encouragement to do so!

Something to watch out for in these events is their longevity.  I ran a 4 mile mud/obstacle event in the spring of 2012 and signed up for the fall event in the same location, only to receive an email in August that the company running the event had gone out of business.  Based on how the event had been run, I really can't say that I was surprised.  The Jungle Cup, billed as "the toughest 5K of your life", is another example.  I ran this event in Frederick, MD, in the spring of 2013, and I have to say, I was a little underwhelmed by the presence of the event, although some of the obstacles were actually pretty good.  There were also a laundry list of complaints on the event's Facebook page following the event, to include folks from the canceled NC event complaining about not receiving their refunds.  As of today, I haven't received my promised VIP entrance to another event, nor the promised t-shirt (the event staff ran out of t-shirts before the event was half over).  Also, in writing this post, I wanted to provide a link to the event web site, but it appears that the domain registration expired on 8 June, according to GoDaddy.

Watch out for the new Extreme Nation, the first event of which was due out later this summer.  From what I've read about this event, they're taking a different approach to obstacle racing...rather than stretching the course out over 6 or more miles, they're reportedly doing all of the obstacles in two miles!  The first running was scheduled for 14 June, but was postponed, and the Facebook page hasn't been updated since 10 April.  Let's hope that this one kicks off...obstacle events are a great and fun form of fitness for a lot of folks, and the 'community' is anything but saturated at this point.

Addendum, 25 June: A friend pointed me to Limit of Advance, a new event that has some elements of the GoRuck events.  The flavors just keep on coming!