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The morning of Aug 16, 2014 (Saturday) arrived with clouds, winds, and a feeling of intense soul searching for me complete with a profound question — “Am I stupid or what? What made me pay and sign up for The Tough Mudder?” I in fact did voice it and was advised very categorically by Mala (my better half) that it was my normal insane state of mind that was responsible (so I could not pass the buck).

 

The Tough Mudder is regarded as one of the premier obstacle challenges in the world covering a distance of approximately 15-17 km. It is a global program with events taking place in cities of Australia, Asia, Europe and North America. Our event was held 100 km north of Toronto on the grounds of a ski hill with slopes having gradients over 10 degrees and distances of approx 1.5km to 2km each. This is all great if it is the winter and you are skiing downhill with the assistance of gravity, but quite the opposite if you have to climb it in the summer defying gravity and with the added benefit of heavy rains and mud making things a tad more challenging! Of course, doing this over 17 km with 8 hills, and adding 10 various obstacles on the way does make it even spicier, with temperatures of 6C and heavy rain/thundershower adding to the festivities!

 

Going back to my original query on why I was doing it — as a great man once said, “because it is there”. It was a part of my Roarin’ Fifties project and was one challenge I was looking forward to in my effort to push my mental boundaries, with a single goal of finishing the damn event! Albeit, I must admit that the thought of shouting “Medic” and being carted off in an ATV did cross my mind on a few occasions but in the end guts (and maybe even foolishness) did prevail and I completed the course (felt pretty good when I heard that the drop-out rate was close to 50% on that day).

 

Would be remiss of me if I did not mention my other crew members — Pras a very close family friend and Ankush my training partner and son. Due to the effort of these two guys, I completed the course. Of course, there was our die-hard support crew of Pras’s wife (and my niece) Urmi and my ever-supportive significant other Mala, both of whom braved the rains simply to be a spectator and cheer squad!

 

Since a picture is worth a thousand words in an effort to give you an idea of what the event was all about, the following pictures will tell the rest of the story.