Psalm 40:2 “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.”
Kylen and I had been training for Tough Mudder for months – the ultimate test of strength, endurance, and mental fortitude. 12 miles of mud, ice, hills, and water, along with 23 military-style obstacles designed by British special forces. Tough Mudder is not a race—it’s an event. The goal is to complete the course with a focus on teamwork and camaraderie with your fellow Mudders.
The event was held at the Freestone County Raceway in Wortham, TX, about two hours south of Frisco. Kristen, the kids, and the rest of the Perry family decided to come with us to watch. Our start time was at 11:00 a.m. so we left home at around 7:30, thinking we had plenty of time to get there and get ready. However, once we turned on to the county roads, about 5 miles from the venue, we realized that we were going to miss our start time. The lines for parking were way too long and moving way too slowly. At 10:15 a.m., Kylen and I got out of the car, grabbed our bags and started the 2.5 mile walk to the check-in tent. We arrived just before 11, registered, got our body markings, checked our bag, changed into our matching camouflaged shorts, gloves, and skull caps, taped our ankles, and waited on the remainder of our crew. We figured that it would be pointless to start without them—they would never be able to find us once we were out on the course. Thankfully, they arrived shortly after we completed our preparations. We said our good-byes and climbed the wall to enter the Tough Mudder holding pen. Once inside the pen, the official Tough Mudder hype man gave us a motivational speech, led us in the star-spangled banner, and prepared us mentally for what we would endure. Once the pageantry was completed and our adrenaline was pumping, we started the Mudder.
Overall, the course was much muddier than I had anticipated. Recent rains had made the entire 12 miles soggy and wet. The weight of the mud and water, along with the suctioning effect of the mud, made running extremely difficult. Also, there were lots of hills that were both steep and slippery. Obstacles were spaced out about every half mile or so, which broke up the monotony of running. However, the obstacles were all very taxing physically and mentally. Some of the obstacles included: climbing over walls, crawling under barbed wire, navigating underground tunnels, swimming through ice cold water, carrying heavy objects, etc. My favorite obstacles were probably Mt. Everest (a quarter pipe ramp caked with mud), Funky Monkey (inclined monkey bars), and Walk the Plank (a three story climb and jump into the lake). One of the scariest obstacles was Electroshock Therapy—a mad dash through electrical wires, some of which carried 10,000 volts of electricity. We both got shocked pretty badly. Running through two feet of mud and water at the same time didn’t help much.
After four hours in the mud, water, and sun, we crossed the finish line. It was an incredible experience, and we were both very proud to have completed it. Kristen, Keeton, and the rest of the crew completed a “mini-mudder” by following us to several of the obstacles. Pictures from the event are below.
Kylen and Robbie Before the Start
And They're Off!
Robbie About to Jump Into an Ice Bath
Completing Another Obstacle!
Crawling Under Barbed Wire and Into Another Tunnel
Kylen and Robbie At the Top of a Mud Mountain
Robbie Climbing Up a Slippery Quarter Pipe
Mile 11 - The Boys are Pretty Exhausted at this Point
Robbie Completing the "Funky Monkey"
Running through Electrical Wires (Some of which had 10,000 Volts of Electricity)
That's Kylen Falling Face First Into the Mud
The Tough Mudders - At the Finish Line
