Imagine a race that tests endurance, strength and stamina, but that's not timed and racers are encouraged...no make that sworn...to help each other.
A race that's not about how long it takes to finish, but the stories that you have to tell after you cross the finish line while enjoying a beer with your buddies.
A race that's being held this Sunday near a ski resort near Allentown, Pa. And a race that is already twice as big as an Ironman in terms of the number of people racing.
That's right, 4500 people have signed-up (at $100 per entry) to test themselves against a variety of obstacles including flaming bales of hay.
Does that sound fun because that's pretty much the new Tough Mudder race series in a nutshell.
It was started by a British Harvard Business School grad on a tight budget, and so far the entire race management team are all in their 20s.
The race was modeled on similar European races like the Grim Challenge and in Germany the Strongman Run.
According to the New York Times:
"Sunday’s race will feature long slogs up ski slopes, wades through mud bogs, crawls through corrugated pipes and under barbed wire, climbs over vertical walls, traverses on rope bridges and a drop from a plank into a cold pond. The finish line is through a ring of fire — next to the free beer, near the live band."
“The thing I really disliked about triathlons and marathons was that the only real arbiter of how well you did was your time,” said Dean the British Harvard Biz School student who started the race. "People ask, ‘What time did you run?’ There really isn’t anything else left to ask. Here, you can ask, ‘What did you think of the burning obstacle?"
Does this sound like something that you might like to try
You can read a fun story about the race and how it came to be HERE.
And yes, we believe that flaming bales of would add a much needed element of excitement to your local triathlon as well.
Follow on twitter @everymantri or view latest videos on YouTube.
Photos: New York Times
