The orange army invaded Whistler Olympic Park (WOP) this past weekend to be put through the wringer of Tough Mudder.
More than 19,000 participants crawled, swam and climbed through over the course on Saturday and Sunday (June 22 and 23), with an estimated 6,000 spectators cheering from the sidelines.
"It was just rockin'. I loved it," said a satisfied Kirk Macdonald from Red Deer, Alta., shortly after crossing the finish line. He was joined by his son, daughter and family friend running as team "Mac Attack."
"This was my first time through and it met all my expectations. I didn't realize there was so much distance between obstacles. That was a little harder than I expected but everything else was perfect."
The course, which consisted of 20 gruelling obstacles over a 12-mile (19.3-km) distance, challenged participants in a variety of ways - physical fitness was required to go the distance, running up and over the steep hills of WOP. But the biggest challenges of the day were mental.
"When we had to jump into the (Arctic Enema), that was the hardest because I couldn't breathe," said Kelly Walden of North Vancouver, who was wrapped in a disposable space blanket handed out by organizers at the finish line.
"I just seized up. I was trying to take a breath but I couldn't. I ended up just going under and my teammates helped push me through. That was my biggest challenge."
Claustrophobia was another fear that the Tough Mudder course preyed on. Tony Marra and Neil Austin, both from Vancouver, were somewhat conditioned after running the Whistler course last year but still had reservations about getting through the Boa Constrictor obstacle.
"That f--ked with your mind," said Austin.
"You can't go forward, you can't go backwards, I was having nightmares of being extricated," Marra added.
Getting participants well out of their comfort zones is one of the main goals of Tough Mudder, which has an entire department dedicated to obstacle innovation and course design. Strength is tested on obstacles such as Funky Monkey (ascending and descending monkey bars over a pool of water), and the mental grit is challenged with tight crawls through confined spaces, plunges into icy water and 10,000-volt shocks from live wires.
"It's a neutralizing obstacle," said Peter Mack, Tough Mudder's vice-president of Mudder Experience, speaking of the icy plunge into the Arctic Enema obstacle.
"It doesn't matter if you're a three-time triathlete or a couch potato, everyone gets affected the same."
Camaraderie helped many mudders get through the course - outreached hands were at every obstacle to help those who were struggling. The Marine Corps battle cry "Oorah!" resonated through WOP as mudders showed each other - and themselves - just how tough they really are.
There were a few improvements with logistics this year after some complaints that there were excessive lineups for obstacles and to board shuttle buses returning to Whistler in 2012. The start area was moved to a more open location to allow buses to drop off and pick up participants within a few hundred metres of the registration tents. Spectators were also given maps and could follow colour-coded walking trails to access and view most of the obstacles, all of which were within a smaller radius of the start gate than last year.
The most popular mud run event in the world, Tough Mudder takes the issue of obstacle lineups seriously.
"We put a lot of energy into where we place the obstacles and how big the obstacles are to minimize the lines," Mack said.
"We have monitors in place at different obstacles where we know there is a potential for lines and we're able to help control the course flow with how big and frequent the start waves are.
"More importantly, it's what we do in advance to get the start-wave sizes right. The perfect course for us is one where we don't have to react and do anything on the day of. A perfect course is when we design the course, the obstacles and the start waves to be the right sizes so that there's no lines."
Reports from mudders participating in Saturday's event mentioned small lineups for a handful of obstacles and a short wait for buses, but overall, the second year of Tough Mudder was a logistical success.
An agreement between Tough Mudder, Tourism Whistler and Whistler Sport Legacies will ensure the return of Tough Mudder to the resort for at least the next four years.
