It’s time to drag your friend’s excuses for NOT escaping the ordinary through the mud and draft them onto your Tough Mudder Team. With 10 miles, 20+ obstacles, 500 gallons for grade A mud, and team-oriented challenges like Block Ness Monster, Hero Carry, and Pyramid Scheme, you’re going to need all helping-hands you can get. As you crawl under barbed wire, shimmy through water-logged tubes, and swing from revolving wheels, your teammates will be your lifeblood.
Here at TMHQ we’ve seen hundreds of thousands of teams brave the mud, so we know what works and we know what doesn’t. Here are 5 things that your team needs to embody if you want to nail what is probably the toughest event on the planet.
1. One goal
If you don’t have the same goal, you aren’t a team. And nothing unifies a team of Mudders like running for a cause you care about. When you’re crawling belly-down face-first through Shawshanked and reminiscing about the mud-free-ordinary remembering your fundraising efforts will make ignoring the barbed wire inches from your head, and plunging into the cold water below way easier. Plus, you’ll feel badass about it.
Better yet, your fan club will be huge. Not only will your charity be cheering on your every move, but TMHQ be cheering you on from the side-lines as you make your donors proud.
2. Communication is key
From team-conception to on the course when you’re showing Pyramid scheme who’s boss, communicating with your team is key. Tell people you’re taking on mud to fundraise for charity and you’ll turn into a Mudder magnet- your team won’t stop growing. Need help on fundraising? Ask for it. Running through 500 gallons of mud for charity makes you an Out-Of-The-Ordinary-Superhero. Everybody you meet will do everything they can to help you smash your donation goals.
Need a hand up Everest? You’ve got ten. Communicate with your team and the other Mudder’s tackling the event with you and you’ll find yourself conquering the obstacles way faster than you would if you keep quiet. Legionnaires, First-times, and Teams who don’t keep quiet will all have a much better experience than those who don’t. It’s that simple.
3. Leave no Mudder behind
Here at TMHQ we stand by the claim that anyone can finish a Tough Mudder. Even if you’re rocking the miles of mud solo, from the moment you step foot on the course, Mudder Nation will have your back. In the mud “Leave no Mudder behind” should be your team’s’ M.O. With no podiums, winners, or clocks to race against, Tough Mudder isn’t about how fast you can cross the finish line. It’s about teamwork, camaraderie, and accomplishing something extraordinary together.
Remember, good teams start together. Great teams finish together. Besides, Mudder science says your finish line beer will taste even better if your buddy’s by your side.
4. Show your appreciation
Out on the course when you’re caked-in mud, appreciation goes along way. When you’ve just battled through 10 miles of mud, it’s easy to forget to say a quick ‘thank you’ after a teammate pulls you up Pyramid Scheme or helps you hoists yourself over Balls To The Wall or Stage 5 Clinger, but you need to remember your Mudder manners.
And if your mouth is too full of mud to speak, you can’t go wrong with a good-old-fashioned fist bump.
5. Commit to your cause
When it comes to Tough Mudder, half hearted isn’t an option. If you and your team aren’t committed, the mud just knows. (It has intuitive powers. Seriously).
If your Tough Mudder team is fundraising for a cause, get in touch with your charity and ask for some info on how they’ll be spending the money you raise. Knowing the facts and seeing the difference your support will make to your charity means everyone will bring their A-game on Mud Day.
Commit to a Tough Mudder event this year, your future self will thank you.
