You know I love a good mud run, or an obstacle run, and this one doesn’t require you to actually drive into the city! Save 25% on the Tough Mudder half, full, or Tougher Mudder with this discount code, but be quick about it: it expires soon.
If you’re into obstacle course running at all, you know about Tough Mudder. It was probably the first one I ever heard of or considered running, but the dates and locations never lined up for me.
The classic Tough Mudder is 10-12 miles, 20 obstacles, “probably the toughest event on the planet.”
Gulp.
Now that I’ve run a number of these things, I can say that yes, they are hard, yes, they are challenging on a physical, mental, and emotional level. But they also foster this intense sense of teamwork and camaraderie. You will get through it. There will be no end of people ready to encourage and help you, but it’s way better when you come with your own squad all prepared to work together to cross the finish line.
The Tough Mudder Half is 5 miles, 13 obstacles, and much less intimidating for someone like me who has (cough) not been spending as much time training lately as she used to. There is “no ice or electricity” which is good news; the minimum age to run is 14, so get the teens signed up!
The Philly event weekend also includes a Tougher Mudder and a Mini Mudder for smaller adventure seekers (1 mile, ages 7-12, only $20), but not the 5k offered at some locations.
my mini muddy buddy
I love, love, love doing these events with my family, and my husband will be joining me for the first time on an obstacle run! We have been offered free registrations in exchange for writing about the experience, and he will be running the Tough Mudder Half (Cass will be tackling the Mini Mudder, her next-to-last time doing a kids’ mud event before aging out— she’s also doing the Delaware Mud Run Jr. in June).
Because of the fun factor, and because training and running together is such a bonding thing, registrations to one of these events is a GREAT Mother’s Day gift (assuming Mom doesn’t hate mud. Or exercising. It’s ok to hate running). Not JUST Mom! Do it as a family or organize a girls’ day out.
You can save 25% off the registration with code MAY25. This code expires at 11:59pm on May 9th.
Details on the Philly Tough Mudder
Location
Not actually in Philly. This event takes place in Coatesville, which is more over by West Chester.
Dates
Saturday and Sunday, May 20th and 21st
Difficulty
Tough Mudder is NOT a timed event. It does NOT have penalties for skipping an obstacle. If you are afraid of jumping into water with so many people or are not a strong swimmer (like me) you do NOT have to do the water obstacles. This is a team building and empowering experience. It’s hard, but it’s not meant to break you.
Training for Tough Mudder (or any obstacle race)
Get some running in, but remember you’ll be stopping to do the obstacles or sometimes even waiting to get to the obstacles. You don’t have to have mastered running that distance straight to be a success on Mudder day.
I recommend doing lots of push ups, pull ups, lap swimming, anything to build up your upper body some. These will be the exercises you’ll be thankful you did.
What to Wear
I highly recommend going with wicking athletic gear so that your clothes don’t get heavy with water and mud, and sturdy shoes with good traction. Merrell is sending me some shoes and an outfit to run in— I’ll let you know how that goes in my race recap!
Will I see you there? Time to get muddy!