Tough Mudder

Pretty sure #3 is my last Tough Mudder. I already had some hard feelings going in, as I despise the addition of the «Half Tough Mudder.» Call it a Fun Mudder, or any other name. When you take away all of the difficult parts: the distance, electroshock, etc. — it can no longer be labeled with the same name that prides itself as being tough.
That personal rant aside, Tahoe 2016 was not executed well. Early packet pick-​up was great. 1 star. Cage crawl was great. 1 star.
Here is why I will not be participating in any more TM events:
The line to pick up your bib the day of was a consistent 30 minute wait, or more. My buddy couldn’t arrive the day before, so our team had to wait for him to get through that before we could start.
The line to start was massive. Dear TM, you cannot sell 12,000 tickets and not enforce wave start times. That should be a no brainier but they continue to do it, year after year. By the time we started, we had stood in sunny B.O. starting corrals for over an hour.
The provided safety pins were of the cheapest possible quality. They didn’t stand a chance through obstacles. I lost 2 of mine, right away.
The provided water tastes heavily of iodine, bleh.
As we turned the trail at mile 3, we saw masses of people (again) standing around. It was the «line» for King of the Swingers, my spectator friend told me the line was taking approx. 45 minutes to get through. I had already stood in 2+ hours of lines and ran 3 miles. I was angry and hungry. My team decided to wait in that line, I knew I couldn’t do it and finish happy (or healthy, as I am anemic) — so, I opted to run the rest of the course solo. I was able to complete some of the obstacles I wanted to. I was the «lucky» one. As I crossed the finish line, it began to rain. Because my team waited in the King of Swingers line, they were cheated out of all of the other obstacles. Officials closed them down, due to the thunder.
There were no mile markers. I had studied the map & obstacles, so I had an idea of where I was. Everyone was trying to find staff or guess. When you are running 11 miles, you want to know how far you have gone & how much there is to go.
I would give Coach 5 stars, but he is awesome with or without Tough Mudder.
Unless you have a personal assistant following you around with food & water, I wouldn’t recommend this race anymore.
The finisher t-​shirt is so see through, it’s almost mesh.

Im from Sacramento but travel for work. I flew in the night before from DC to make this event. My group signed up for the 2016 tahoe 10 am start time. Days before the event we received an email from tough mudder that said our start time is 1200pm. This event is unorganized. We checked in at 10am, got breakfast and went to the starting line at 11. There was a extremely long line and we asked Event Staffs about wave times and were told that wave times didn’t matter. We stayed in line in our spot and finally got to run at 115pm. We only got to do 6 obstacles before we were told the obstacles are closed due to storms. We had to wait an hour at the Tarzan obstacle bc there were only 8 lines. On top of a poor event, nutrional bars had ran out and several water stations and food stations were unattended and abandoned. When we finally got to the shower hoses we were told by Event Staff that we couldn’t use the shower hoses. We could not rinse ourselves down and had to change into clean clothes feeling dirty.
I expect a full refund or a voucher to next year’s event. Had we known wave times didn’t matter we would have showed up to start in time for our preferable time at 10am. This event is unorganized. I’ve ran marathons and Spantan races before and I’ve never seen this before. I was promised a 10 mile course with at the minimum 10 obstacles. Tough Mudder did not fulfill it’s contract that was advertised. I was coached by the Coach himself about being a legionaire, about the importance of finishing the event and to not make it a race. I could not do this today. It was not my decision to quit. Sadly, Tough Mudder quit on the participants today. It was a regrettable experience.

This was my second year to do Tough Mudder in Tahoe. I’m already looking forward to next year! It definitely kicks your butt but worth it in the end. Such a wonderful feeling when you cross that finish line. You should start as early as you can bec as the day goes on it gets PACKED. It doesn’t really matter about your assigned start time, YOU CAN start whenever you want. Lines start to form at the obstacles and its really annoying having to stand in the hot sun for over an hour. I wish there was more photography people there this year like last year. The new obstacles this year were awesome! Have to admit tho. I wasn’t very happy having to stand in line to START for OVER AN HOUR!

ONE WORD = EPIC!
I finally did my first Tough Mudder here last month and it was one of the most exhausting yet pleased accomplishment I’ve done in awhile. I’ll definitely be back here next year to do it again!

I took a couple year hiatus from these things because I was getting a little burnt out on the California events and felt I needed a better challenge but since I got a pretty good deal on an open ticket, I guess I just couldn’t resist. Unfortunately the only one that fit the schedule was another California event but at least it was in Tahoe which should produce some nice scenery… although it wouldn’t be a huge difference from snow valley. Still, it was worth a road trip and the Tough Mudders are always fun anyway. Not a fan of the cost of parking being $ 15, $ 30 & $ 50 for standard, premier and premium parking depending on how close you want to be.
So what did they change up this year to make it better? Well, a lot of the obstacles now have the «2.0» specification after them. That means you slide on your back into the ice water, the vert ramp is 20% taller and the funky monkey got a little more interesting. The coolest new addition was the «Crybaby» which was an enclosure of «safe tear gas» which you had to crawl through. The word safe is pretty much a clue that it isn’t going to be quite like real tear gas. Let’s face it, it’s not even remotely close. However, there is a mild burning of the eyes and you’ll feel like you are breathing in an extremely concentrated aerosol form of Vicks Vaporub. I’d probably suggest you just breathe steady and don’t hold your breath and take a deep breath. It will only make it worse. The good news is that it will clear your sinuses. Either way, this was probably the most entertaining «new» obstacle that I encountered here, everything else was just a matter of upper body strength. Outside of that, be prepared to trek uphill… a lot.
A couple things to note here, I think base elevation here is about 6,500 feet so and it might approach closer to 7,500 on the trek upwards so you’re going to find yourself having to work a little harder than you’re used to if you’re coming from sea level. In addition to this, there are a bunch of hills and the weather was hot and humid which was causing a lot of people to cramp up all over the place, myself included. So that unfortunately caused me to have to slow my pace down a bit. I couldn’t run as long as I wanted to afterwards regardless of how much water I drank.
These obstacles courses are fun and honestly they’re more fun than they are difficult but that doesn’t mean you should come ill prepared. A lot of people claim that the water stations are enough but I bring a Camelbak anyway. It’s better to have too much water than not enough. It felt a lot hotter than I expected and I was pouring sweat at the staging area at about 9:30AM before the event even started. Additionally, I sweat like a tweeker going through withdrawals when I exercise so I always bring my Camelback anyway.
Even though this wasn’t excessively hard, it was the longest Tough Mudder for me to complete due to a combination of the elevation, the weather and the having to drop the pace due to a uncharacteristic muscle cramp (thanks to the buddy carry). It was definitely more fun than difficult but this being my 3^rd one, I’m starting to feel that they are getting a bit redundant and I want something fresh, new and challenging.
Either way I’m glad I did it and it’s always a fun experience especially with a group of friends but it’s also a great place to meet people while doing something a little out of the ordinary. The Tough Mudder isn’t necessarily very hard (if it was they wouldn’t make any money) but it is still fun. Then again, isn’t this just foreplay for November anyway? Maybe I’ll see you there. Go get dirty, ladies.

This year was the first time I have done Tough Mudder. Most of the TM volunteers said Tahoe is hardest one due to the elevation and hills. I trained for about 3 months on and off. It was a love hate relationship if you will. I wore a dry fit tank, dry fit Capri pants, regular tennis shoes and a hat which is a must because of the sun. Don’t risk your lululemon clothes, just go buy some cheap clothes. The first 2 – 3 miles are straight up hill and 99% of people walk the entire first part until you get to the 1^st obstacle. The hills were the hardest part for me not only because of the elevation, but also because of the length we went straight uphill (2 miles or so it felt that way). The obstacles that I can offer advice on:
1. Everest 2.0: Start as FAR back as you possibly can, run as HARD as you can all the way to the top, and make sure somewhere is there to catch you at the top.
2. Electroshock Therapy: Run as fast as you can with your arms blocking your face and chest. Avoid the blue wires. I only got shocked 1 time!
3. The Liberator: I would suggest go rock climbing several times before doing TM. Because I have been rock climbing several times, it REALLY helped me on this obstacle. This ended up being my favorite obstacle.
4. Arctic Enema: It isn’t THAT bad. It doesn’t last long at all. The worst part is how cold you are after you get out.
5. Funky Monkey 2.0: You need momentum and need to learn how transition from regular monkey bars to a swinging bar then to a pole. The key here is to NOT stop along the way, just gain momentum and it should guide you through this obstacle so you don’t fall into the water.
Changes I would make if I was to do another Tough Mudder:
1. Train on hills or where there is elevation as the elevation is what KILLED me. I thought that was the hardest part to be honest (4,250 foot elevation gain).
1. Wear long pants instead of Capri pants
3. Wear long sleeve dry fit shirt around your waist until you get in water where you put it on the side. Once out of the water, put the long sleeve shirt on as you will be freezing.
2. Wear elbow pads as my arms are tore up from the floor up!
3. Put more sunscreen on my shoulders as I am peeling pretty badly.
4. Train in more upper body strength such as pull-​up, push-​ups, etc.
Remember this is NOT a race! It’s about teamwork and comradery. I could NOT have done this without my teammates cheering me along because at one time during the race when I was going up those hills, I didn’t think I was going to make it. But the encouragement from my team was motivating. When I crossed the finish line, I literally cried because I was so proud to have finished it and the feeling of accomplishment made me think I could do anything.
All in all, it was a great event. Would I do it again? Ha probably not but it was worth it in the end!

great obstacles, fun atmosphere but long lines at certain obstacles

What can I say?! Every year I tell myself, this is the last time I’m doing this thing and here we are now. It’s a love and hate relationship. 3X mudder legioneer here. I love the idea of going to Tahoe for a cabin trip but really dislike the Cliffhanger part of the tough mudder hike. Tips: do train. It will help you out bc this is a test of endurance. Do wear Dri-​Fit clothing or under armor gear, comfy socks and shoes, hydrate well, bring a camelbak, sunblock, Chapstick, and a great positive attitude. For the most part, I enjoyed their obstacles and I like how they change it up every year. It keeps me coming back for more. Additionally, if you finish their survey you’ll receive a discounted offer for any future mudder event and I’m a sucker for saving. Happy 10 mile hike! P. S. Elevation sucks.

Really fun event and super happy to cross this off my bucket list!
I participated in yesterday’s event (June 13^th, 2015) with two friends. Everything was pretty well planned and laid out. The information booth volunteers were helpful and registration lines moved quickly.
I thought the toughest part of the event was definitely the ridiculous incline that you start off with. I ran inclines at home to train for this but the elevation totally got to me and most people. We all ended up walking it. Most of the obstacles were doable. I failed the Monkey Bars because they were just too far apart for my short arms. My favorite event had to be the wall with the pegs. Thank you pull-​ups! You do get a finisher shirt this year, but it’s not the nice dryfit workout shirt. It’s a cheapy cotton shirt. Disappointed for the amount we spent!
Tips:
— Wear arm sleeves and leggings to protect your elbows and knees. My knees are banged up, but not as bad as my elbows as they were exposed.
— Don’t wear your bibs. Most of the time they come off and the safety pins can hurt you or other participants. One safety pin got lodged into one of our group member’s hand!
— Layer on the sunscreen. I put on a ton and wasn’t able to reapply, but really didn’t get sunburned.
— Gloves helped me a lot. If you choose to wear them make sure they are snug!
— Hold your breath in «Crybaby.» This is the tear gas event. More like the suffocating event!
— When running up the «Everest» event, don’t stop running!
— Bring a change of clothes or lots of towels to put down for your ride home.
— Bag fee is $ 10. If you’re there with a group, try to put everything together in one bag! I personally think this service should be free for the amount we spent on this event.
— Most importantly, have fun! This event is not timed. It’s more about comradery and getting through this together. There are a lot of people who are willing to help!

HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE. My experience with Tough Mudder and EventBrite as companies has been horrible. This review does not reflect the actual event itself.
First of all: I had a discount code that I wanted to use; instructions had told me to enter my personal information and then continue to the confirmation page (which is the logical next step when fucking paying for something). And instead, it charged me immediately. No confirmation page, no secondary page at all. Apparently the discount code was supposed to be entered before any personal information (including names, etc). Entering the discount code before proceeding to buying the ticket is rather unintuitive in general and I hope no one else runs into that mistake. I am positive other people have though because my friend did the exact same thing, completely separately.
Additionally, when I immediately emailed both EventBrite and Tough Mudder to deal with the issue, I got no response. What a terrible terrible customer service from both companies. I was able to only get the discount retro-​actively applied from AnyPerk (the place where I originally got the discount code from). Their customer service was completely the opposite from these two terrible companies and was completely amazing. (BTW, still have not heard back from Tough Mudder or EventBrite… so that’s cool).
Finally, and I admit that Tough Mudder does a very good job at making it clear that it’s very difficult to transfer tickets. However, some shit comes up; and sometimes you just have to reschedule (not even transfer to someone else, just plain reschedule). Rescheduling is not impossible but they make the overhead high. You have to pay $ 30 for rescheduling, plus a $ 3 processing fee for EventBrite. You can only transfer one ticket at a time, even if you bought multiple. What a farse.
Completely disappointed in their customer service and rescheduling (not transfer) policy.
All of the negative reviews are the same: they treat their customers like dirt.

TEAM MUD DOOMM EEEHHH, REPRESENT! :)
*if you speak Tagalog, you can translate that team name lol
BLOOD. SWEAT. TEARS. That simply describes my experience with Tough Mudder, Lake Tahoe.
Tough Mudder events are hardcore 10+ mile obstacle courses designed by British Special Forces to test your all around strength, stamina, and mental grit. COMRADERY is the key word for Tough Mudder. Its not a race, so if you see a fellow Tough Mudder struggling, help them out if you can!
This event happened to be 12+ miles (6 miles of hiking up and 6 miles hiking down!) with 19 obstacles. If you are uncomfortable with an obstacle you can always skip it.
We joined as a team of 20+ and we made a promise to each other. .. that we would start together and we would finish together. No one would be left behind. And we did just that! I couldn’t have asked for a better team.
Some of these obstacles are no f’n joke. The last obstacle, the Electroshock Therapy made several of us faceplant and one cousin blacked out and lost partial hearing for an hour due to it. And no doubt, you will get battle wounds (my legs were bruised from top to bottom). .. sign at your own risk!
This event is all about testing yourself so train for the hills, get ready for the elevation and heat, and don’t be scuuuured. .. its all about mind over matter. .. YOU GOT THIS! OORRAAHHH!!!

Event: Tough Mudder Tahoe 2014
Not a long review but I just wanted to say, yes its hard, yes its fun, yes you can do it!

it was my first time at TM on Aug 16 and i had a blast! Personally the hardest part was the hiking. The obstacles are somehow difficult but super fun… you really get a sense of what your body can do or cannot do. I did all obstacles!
This is not a race contest so you can take your time and do some strategy and help your fellow mudders. I’m planning on joining again next year if my friends are still down!

Event: Tough Mudder Tahoe 2014
Location: NorthStar Ski Resort
Date and Wave Time: August 16; 1:20 pm
Distance and Elevation: 11 miles, 6000 — 8000 ft
It’s been a long time goal of mine to complete a Tough Mudder course and I did it this past weekend! It was difficult but so much fun! They say that Tahoe is one of the hardest courses to complete due to the elevation and I can’t really say since I have yet to try the other courses, but the elevation change is definitely a challenging factor. I encourage everyone to try it at least once in your life!
Some tips and things to consider:
1. Go in a team! This is will probably be the biggest external factor in you completing the entire race because going with a group of people that will support and encourage you will help you overcome any doubt that you couldn’t finish. Plus, it helps with some of the courses when you need hand :) It’s not a race but a challenge!
2. Drink up and Eat up: hydrate before and after, and carb up before and after. You will need it.
3. Knee Pads: out of everything I purchased for this race, I was so glad that I got knee pads because it saved my knee from a lot of abuse as I was crawling, jumping, and hitting things. Can’t say the same for my elbows, forearms, and shins):
4. Camelbak and Gels: If you’re the type of person that get’s thirsty quite often during a hike and needs an energy boost then carry some sort of bag with some energy gels. You’re going to need it since its an 11 mile hike and the water stations are spaced out every 2 miles. It’s not easy and I know the gels and camelbak helped some of my teammates out during the course. Plus, you can carry your camera/​cell phone to record/​take pictures: D if you care about getting it dirty, you can just put it to the side when you are doing the obstacles.
5. NO COTTON: this will be the biggest regret you have. Stick to anything dri-​fit, polyester, or some sort of sweat wicking material. Don’t forget about your socks because no one wants to be walking in wet socks for 10+ miles.
6. Prepare yourself mentally: The key to finishing tough mudder is that you have to have the right mentality. You have to want to finish and your teammates will only motivate you more. For some of the courses, I felt like I couldn’t do it but I put that behind me and just did it and surprised myself. It is definitely a mental challenge as well as a physical challenge.
7. Don’t Skip out on Electroshock Therapy: It’s the last course, everyone is watching, and the emcee is ready to call you out with his mic if you skip. The shame of skipping will sting more than the shocks. Trust me, the last 11 miles you just endured was far worse than this one obstacle.
Training: I would stick with hiking so you can get use to using those muscles and some sort of P90X or Insanity for cardio and stamina training. If you really want to excel at the obstacles then do pull ups and practice climbing walls that are 8ft or higher. Being able to jump and pull yourself up is a HUGE ADVANTAGE and having upper body strength in general. I didn’t really train that much and I managed just fine, but I was physically exhausted from all the hiking x_​x
I loved the camaraderie and the spirit of Tough Mudder. I saw people helping each other out and just having a good time completing the courses. I know that I couldn’t complete some of the courses without a little bit of help and I was glad that someone was always there ready to help and I was also ready to help anyone that needed it. It’s super cheesy at first when they talk about it in the beginning of the course but I felt it and experienced it and it was awesome. So for anyone interested: Don’t be scared, just do it.

This is a great challenge if you’ve never done something like this before. I’m a 2012 and 2013 tough mudder finisher and the two experiences were by far super different just due to weather conditions. Sept 2012 was my first time: great experience, our bus broke down so we pretty much had to do a little trail blazing before the race, traffic was horrendous, wave time around 11, didn’t have to wait too long to go through each obstacle, warm, a lot of dirt and dust being kicked up, and more rocks and dirt instead of mud. Sept 2013: learned from the first time to rent out a place inside North Star to avoid traffic, wave time 8am, SUPER cold (27 degrees out), considerably more miserable, snow on the side of the trail, no lines for obstacles, rumors of people getting hypothermic, didn’t do the cage crawl because my body froze up. The camaraderie in this event is the most warming portion of the entire race. Everyone is super nice and they help you through tough obstacles. Not only that but finishing the race is extremely rewarding. I’m happy to have done this not once but twice. However given the conditions of the last tough mudder, I probably would hold off on doing it again unless it was in a different location and in a warmer location.

Ok so I’m pretty fat compared to most other Mudders. However, I have done Mudder twice (SoCal Summer 2012 and Tahoe Summer 2013)
I trained a lot for this. I’ve done P90X, P90X2, Tapout XT, and I’ve run half marathons and go on hikes. I’m still a big guy because I eat like crap. I understand this is what’s holding me back… so yeah it’s my next challenge.
So when I did SoCal Summer 2012 we did a 1PM wave, and the busses broke down that afternoon. Everyone was stuck at the resort for hours, and it was a crappy experience. The course itself was fun and definitely a challenge for me.
This year when we went to Tahoe, We knew what had to be changed. The best part about Mudder is not knowing what to expect 100%. Here are some tips for first-​time Mudders:
1. Get there early regardless of your start time. Parking fills up quick. We were lucky enough to have a friend who owned a house at the Northstar Resort, so we parked in her driveway. Her house was less than a quarter mile walk to the registration tables.
2. Start early. We did the 8AM wave and were done before 1PM. Starting early means all the obstacles aren’t as slick, Arctic enema isn’t as gross, the port-​o-​potties don’t smell like death, and most importantly, there are plenty of snacks at the water stations.
3. Conserve your energy. A lot of first-​timers run up the mountain. There’s a reason why «don’t run up the mountain» is an old saying. On the way down all the gung-​ho guys are grabbing their quads and calves from the cramping and are limping down the mountain.
4. Eat a breakfast and hydrate before. Don’t show up hungry or thirsty… you’ll regret it.
5. Get over the mud and dirt. It’s called Tough Mudder for a reason. Go on a hike and run through the creeks instead of over and around them. Carry a rock with your bare hands. Do some free running or park-​core. Do what you need to get over the whole dirt thing.
6. Don’t look at the course list. Honestly you’ll just psych yourself out. There are YouTube videos on exercises you can do to train. That’s all you need. Practice pull-​ups, core, and hill-​training.
7. Dress as inappropriately as you can handle. Under Armour is recommended for newbies and fatties because it dries quicker than cotton shirts. Workout shorts or board shorts are good too. Speedos and bikinis are recommended… lol.
8. Don’t dawdle when you’re done. Take in the atmosphere for a bit… but get the hell out of there. The shuttles home will be the last thing you want to deal with.
9. Don’t skip any obstacles. Do the best you can on everything. I struggle with Monkey bars, but I still try. If you have to pee… honestly…just go… anywhere. As for $hitting, see item 1 and 2. Don’t stop running up Everest.
10. You’re going to get shocked at least once. You should definitely get over that. If you can’t, do a Spartan Race.
Most importantly, this is a challenge, not a race. Help out a fellow Mudder even if you’re not on the same team. Cahnces are someone will help you out down the line, too.
See you all next year! OOORAH!!!

Intro
Went on Sunday, September 29^th with a team of 27 people consisting of paddlers from both Davis Racing Dragons and Cal Dragon Boat! (woot woot represent) Our heat was supposedly at 9:30AM, but we didn’t start the run until ~10:30AM. We finished at 4:30PM. The weather was sunny but quite windy and temperatures ranged in the mid 50’s during the hottest part of the day and dropped quite a bit towards the end.
The Course
There’s a wall that everyone has to climb over before even reaching the start line. The MC’s all like, «We just got extra wood laying around, might as well.»
~11miles with the first 6 miles uphill. Yup. The hills are steep!!! You’ll be going up black diamond routes at some points. My team and I basically hiked up the hills and jogged down. You will definitely want to conserve energy for the obstacles.
The trail is pretty rocky at many points, so you’ll have to be careful about rolling ankles. I rolled my right ankle 3 times. :/​
The Obstacles
You can find the obstacles on their website, but here’s a list of the ones that we faced and some tips.
— Glory Blades: Just need to be able to pull yourself up or have someone boost you up to get to the other side.
— Cage Crawl: Reach out and pull as far as you can! Note: There were small, red worms at the bottom of the water!!! EWW. They got caught on our girls’ hair. Gross.
— Walk the Plank (my favorite): Don’t think. Just jump.
— Mud Mile: Be careful of random ditches.
— Funky Monkey: Don’t lose momentum on the incline. You’re almost screwed if you do.
— Kiss of Mud: Stay low. Really. You don’t want barbed wire on your ass
— Berlin Walls: This is where you need a team or people helping you. It’s doable by yourself, but chances are, you’ll need a boost. Don’t be scared to push some ass up. ;)
— Electric Eel: Go fast and stay low in the water. Unless, of course, you want 10 000 volts through your body.
— Lumberjacked: Probably will need people to help boost you. The logs are slippery.
— Mystery Obstacle — :D
— Logjammin — Easy, but watch your head when you go under.
— Just the Tip — As long as you have a decent grip, this isn’t bad at all.
— Hold Your Wood — Group logs are more of a shoulder workout whereas individual logs are a bicep workout.
— Arctic Enema — (Personally did not do) — Jump in and out. Quick.
— Warrior Carry — Piggy back or over the shoulder works
— Everest — Get a good running start! There was a small ditch for us that we had to jump over, so watch the ground for that.
— Electroshock Therapy — Honestly, Electric Eel was worse LOL.
Other tips:
— Watch your breathing. It’s really high elevation, and unless you’re from Denver or something, breathing can be hard especially after the obstacles up the mountain.
— Take off your shirt if you can before the water obstacles. Seriously, you’ll be so much warmer once you put it back on.
— EAT before. The main reason why I can’t give this event a 5 stars is because they ran out of food! They provided bananas, CLIF bars, and more bananas, but my group and I only got about half a banana at the first station. There were many people behind us who got nothing.
— BRING SNACKS. It’s a long course and they might run out of food like they did for us.
— Wear comfortable clothing. If you’re wearing cotton, DON’T get it wet or you’ll regret it.
— Gardening gloves with lots of grip can help a lot on Just the Tip and Funky Monkey. It also saves some cuts and scrapes on your hands on the other obstacles.
— Remember that it’s not a race but a challenge. Help others out and likewise, ask for help when you need it.
— If you gotta go, you gotta go. They place porta-​potties like every 2 – 3 miles apart, so it’s probably better to just go in a random bush.
— Drink LOTS of water all day. There aren’t that many water stations either.
— Sunblock up. You’re up there for 3 – 6 hours. You’ll get burned.
Overall, this was definitely a fun challenge. Would I do it again? Maybe. If they provided more food for everyone, definitely. Spending that much time up there without food really sucked. Good luck to future Mudders! That Dos Equis at the end is AMAZINGGGG.

We did this course September 28^th 2013, started at 12:30PM, finished at 5:30. The obstacles were more mentally challenging then physically. I went through w a team, we started with 5 and finished with 3. It’s NOT EASY! But it was AMAZING!
We didn’t pay to park, we did the shuttle thing and it was fine! We didn’t wait in any lines at all but maybe we just got lucky. Would I do this course again YES! Especially now that I know what to do and what NOT to do!
My only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is because the one thing tough mudder did not do was prepare enough food! Which sucked horribly. There were no more bananas, no more blocks, and not much water. Working and burning calories at that altitude, you really need to stay fueled & hydrated.
DO’s & DONT’s (from me)
* DO dress WARM! It started at 60 degrees but temps dropped fast, especially because you’re wet the entire time
* DO wear clothes that are meant to be WET and something you can move in.
* DO — knee pads saved my ass on several obstacles. The light volley ball ones are all you need. Next time I’ll wear elbow pads too. Crawling under barbed wire on the gravel made my thighs and elbows raw
* DONT wear anything cotton. It never dries and would be more comfortable just being naked.
* DO wear comfortable shoes w sturdy soles. The course is about 12 miles mostly on rocks & gravel
* DONT worry about the gloves. Mine got in the way more then they helped. I’ve crossfitted w fingerless grip gloves for 3 years and thought I couldn’t do the mudder w/​o ‘em but I ditched those after about 3 obstacles.
* DONT freak out! You can skip obstacles if you want and just walk the entire course (I completed all but 2!)
* DO bring a light bag or camelback on the course. Have snacks & water bc they do not provide enough for everyone. Maybe if you start earlier in the day there is more food though. You can leave your bag to the side while you complete an obstacle and then grab it after.
* DO bring a change of WARM DRY clothes, socks and shoes for AFTER. There is a $ 5 bag check and I highly recommend having something warm & dry waiting at the finish line.
* DONT wear your hair in a big bun or high on your head. It will get snagged in the barbed wire and you will get sprayed w a fire hose until a fellow mudder comes and unhooks you (this happened to me) I shoulda left my flat braid in
* DONT worry about looking glamorous. You will be a muddy, freezing, wet mess in no time! There are no guys on the trail to impress, these boys are motivated to finish and most of them are doing their guy thing w ea other.
You WILL get electrocuted. It’s not too bad though, I got a few good quick zaps. COVER your face! My friend got one in the eyebrow and it knocked him completely out but only for a millisecond but he was done after that.
You WILL submerge yourself in the arctic enema and you will come out screaming and feeling delirious and wondering why on earth you’re such a psycho!
Walk the uphill portion of the course and conserve your energy, it’s a LONG ASS DAY! When you arrive at obstacles, there is usually a wait for a few minutes.
It’s not a crazy face paced race. There is no TIME when you finish. Just FINISH.
You Will meet amazing people on the mountain! There are tons of people willing to help, motivate and cheer you on.
When you’re UP and it’s YOUR turn, just GO!!! The more you think about what you’re gonna do, the longer you have to talk yourself out of it. Don’t think, just GO! You’ll be on the other side in NO TIME! Most of the obstacles take LESS then 1 minute! Several are LESS then 30 seconds!
The altitude is HIGH, if you’re not accustomed, I’d arrive a day early and maybe do a brisk walk or light run the day before to open your lungs and acclimate a bit.
There are very few porta potties and the lines are RIDICULOUS. When you find a private tree just GO, waiting in those lines will kill your mojo, keep MOVING!
Bring a friend or two, you’ll need each other.
When you cross that finish line, you will have accomplished something pretty F’n major! This course isn’t for everyone! 2 of my friends left about ½ way through. They’re more then physically capable it’s the mental & emotional part that’s tough. If you’re in decent shape or super motivated then you can do this.
Hope this helped!

I spectated with two people for a group of 6 who ran. Spectating was a pretty self-​guided adventure, and not always in a good way.
The spectator map is very basic and recommends one route to view only 5 obstacles via a small network of ski lifts. Finding the lifts was easy, but once you left base camp the signage and staff disappeared. The recommended route was also packed with a long wait so we would have missed our group on the trail– we took a different lift (purple route) and tried to hike down.
Northstar staff were friendly and plentiful, but weren’t as informed about alternate routes or how to get to x obstacle from the lifts.
The map notes said spectators wouldn’t be able to view every obstacle and were only allowed on designated hiking/​road trails (not ski trails) but did not show on the map (or signage) what differentiated a ski trail from a hiking trail.
Basically, we wanted to hike most of the day but were told day-​of that we couldn’t hike alongside competitors; finding alternate routes to meet our group was difficult with the poorly marked map and few Mudder staff outside of the base camp.
We made our own adventure of it, but I essentially paid $ 20 (plus a weekend cabin) to take a ski lift to the top, see our group once at the summit, overpay for a hot dog and beer, and then wait for them at the finish. If the weather had been worse or the staff less friendly, this would have been a miserable experience.
From the participant perspective, the 2 returning Mudders of our group felt Tough Mudder seemed stingy/​money-​grabby this year (it operates as a for-​profit and donates a small percentage to its charity partners). Parking was sold out early, rumor had it people were auctioning off passes, and to top it off you needed $ 5 cash to check your change of clothes.
Our Mudders (who started at 11:30am) also said staff either ran out of or severely rationed snacks at the water stations and the obstacle sponsor booths for Clif Bar and Aleve distributed neither. For a $ 130 registration fee you’d think the basics would be sorted out. Even at the summit, where you could buy snacks, many items were sold out by noon. The only sponsor who seemed to have brought a plentiful supply was XX with the beer (granted, this is important, too, but still).
I don’t doubt this event is its own logistical obstacle course, and I think it’s a great idea… But it seemed like some really important logistics were missing (and shouldn’t have been, considering the expense and effort for participants to get there).

Tough Mudder Northstar at Lake Tahoe
Date: Saturday, July 13^th, 2013
Our Start Time: 10:20am.
Logistics:
1. Premium parking for $ 20.00 (bought online in advance). We arrived early for parking and registration. This is the best parking you will get. Avoid the shuttles (long lines).
2. Walked to event is one mile away to gondola. Gondola to event is 30 minutes.
3. Register — bring ID, left the electronics and cell phones in the car.
The Course (12+ miles with 19+ Obstacles):
1. Climb over eight foot wall before the starting line. This obstacle does not count. And yes, there were some people that got hurt already and had to bow out already. Be careful here!
2. First six miles are uphill. Yes, uphill. Trail running is ideal here. We hiked 80% of the course. Conserve your energy (you’re going to need it).
3. List of obstacles:
3.1. Glory Blades
3.2. Kiss of Mud
3.3. Artic Enema
3.4. Just the Tip
3.5. Log Jammin
3.6. Lumber Jacked
3.7. Trench Warfare
3.8. Electric Eel
3.9. Berlin Walls
3.10. Kiss of Mud # 2
3.11. Boa Constrictor
3.12. Funky Monkey
3.13. Mud Mile
3.14. Hold Your Wood (0.25 mile uphill)
3.15. Walk the Plank
3.16. Cage Crawl
3.17. Warrior Carry
3.18. Everest
3.19. Electroshock Therapy (face it… run for dear life… everyone at the finish line is watching… earn your «balls» and «get it over with» … there’s no way out of it… don’t skip this one!!!).
4. Failed: Lumber Jacked (the logs tore through my left arm).
5. Miles 6 to 11 is downhill. 30% are steep (take your time).
Notes
1. If you’re uncomfortable about an obstacle, you can skip them.
2. We stayed at rental condo the night before to get acclimated to the altitude.
3. This is the «toughest» Tough Mudder event because you’re up against the Black Diamond Mountains at Lake Tahoe. You will have a hard time breathing in the air at the summits. Yes, you will earn your bragging rights here!
4. This is not a timed event. This is team building and bonding with your team.
5. Everyone is there to help everyone out. We helped many participants that were doing this alone.
6. Listen to the emcee at the starting line. Everyone takes a knee and builds a connection of brotherhood — very inspirational to remove all your fears.
Here’s our team video:
…
Sorry, the GoPro camera battery died out before the Electroshock Therapy obstacle.
* MUCH RESPECT TO ALL THE PARTICIPANTS THAT ARE PREPARING FOR THE SEPTEMBER 2013 TOUGH MUDDER EVENT. I HOPE MY Unilocal REVIEW HELPS. Please feel free to message me if you have any questions. This is a well sought after event!!!