Tough Mudder Scotland 2016

This time last week I was up bright and early, travelling across Scotland to take part in my first ever Tough Mudder obstacle course. I've done a few OCR's with Team Epic over the last couple of years but this was the longest and most challenging one yet... and I bloody loved every minute of it! I'm still absolutely buzzing from the day - so much so that I've signed up to do it all again next year already!

There's not much I can say that the pictures don't already tell you. I've popped my vlog in at the bottom so you can see us in action! 

Tough Mudder is all about the teamwork and camaraderie rather than competitiveness and we couldn't have asked for a better team. We all have our own individual strengths and weaknesses, but we used them to our advantage and made it round the entire course together - with lots of fun and banter along the way! The race isn't timed and there are signs encouraging everyone to help their fellow mudders, which makes for an awesome atmosphere!  

 Set in the picturesque grounds of Drumlanrig Castle, the 11.5 mile course features 24 gruelling obstacles. Running 11.5 miles alone is tough enough for me. That's basically a half marathon! Electricshock Therapy is probably the most infamous of them all but wasn't as bad as I'd anticipated! When you build something up in your head to be absolutely horrific, it never turns out to be as bad as you imagined. King of the Swingers was the only obstacle I chickened out on. You throw yourself from a 12 foot high platform, grab hold of a set of handlebars and swing towards a bell, before dropping off into a pool of water! I had no fear when I headed for the obstacle but my legs had other ideas and turned to jelly. I just couldn't jump!

Arctic Enema saw us plunging into a bath of ice and ducking under barriers to get out. The noise that came out of me as I hit the freezing cold water was something I've never heard before - I sounded like some sort of wounded animal! All of the obstacles I enjoyed the most seemed to be more team led challenges. Pyramid scheme had us build a human ladder to climb our way to the top of a very slippery slope, Everest 2.0 involved running up a curved 15ft half pipe (and face planting at the bottom in my case) and my absolute favourite by a mile was Block Ness Monster, where we had to push and pull a rotating barrier, submerged in water to get ourselves and our team mates over!

  

The whole day was well organised, with toilets and water stops dotted along the course, and even the opportunity to refuel with 9 bars and bananas! Marshalls were in full force and we had a safety briefing at the beginning, before we pledged allegiance! I love that there's a system for finding fast medical assistance - something that was lacking in previous races I've taken part in. The race village has plenty food and drink options, mini challenges, a well stocked merchandise shop, lots of toilet facilities, plus showers, changing areas and even hot tubs for some post race relaxation! Spectators have access to quite a few of the obstacles to catch their mates on camera, although you do have to buy a spectators ticket. Your entry fee includes the race (as many times as you like - I know someone who did 3 laps on Saturday!), a finishers t-shirt, the famous head band, free photos (which I've used for this post - thanks TM!) plus an ice cold cider, water and snacks at the finish line!

Tough Mudder is not for the faint hearted - the clue is in the name! If you fancy a challenge, you'll certainly get one but I can guarantee you'll end your day on a high. The buzz I get from every obstacle race I complete is indescribable. Nothing compares to the feeling of accomplishment and comradeship. If you fancy it, get booking ASAP before the price rises!

Start your training now, test your obstacle skills at other events (such as the Banchory Beast Race!) or if you're not ready to commit to the whole hog, give the Tough Mudder Half a try first!