Press Room

TOUGH MUDDER RACE SERIES – PRESS ROOM INFO

Tough Mudder LLC is a business organizing and marketing mass participation events in the United States. Tough Mudder events are a test of all-round toughness, requiring not just fitness, but also strength, stamina, and mental and physical endurance.

Each event consists of between a 7-12 mile mud/trail run over uneven, hilly and wet ground followed by around 17 sets of military-style obstacles. Each event will be slightly different and will incorporate varying features depending on the local terrain.

The first event, Tough Mudder NY&PA, was held Sunday, May 2 at Bear Creek Mountain Resort near Allentown, Pennsylvania, which is two hours from New York City and one hour from Philadelphia. The event sold out all 4500 spaces in a record 35 days. Over 4,000 spectators attended the event.

Other events being held in 2010 are Tough Mudder NorCal at Bear Valley Mountain Resort in California, and Tough Mudder Tri-State at Raceway Park, Englishtown, New Jersey. In 2011 Tough Mudder will have events in twelve regions of the US.

Completing the event is a badge of honor that participants will be proud of, since it is both different from other US events, but also easy to explain to others. For the majority of participants, the aim is just to complete the course, since the course is tough enough that 10% of participants are not expected to finish. Aerobic fitness alone will not be the criterion by which people succeed or fail.

The event also allows people to experience camaraderie with both teammates and strangers in a way that is missing from most other aspects of modern life (including other events). The event thus lends itself to a post-event party where participants can drink and relax with other participants, knowing they have earned it. The post-event party at Bear Creek was sponsored by Dogfish Head Brewery.

The post-event party is designed to be in keeping with the counter-cultural feel of the event. It will feature an award ceremony offering prizes to the top male, female and veteran finishers, free head shaves for all participants wanting to compete in the Tough Mullet competition, free tattoos of the Tough Mudder logo, and the Tough Mudder Awards celebrating those who have competed after overcoming illness, injury or misfortune.

With thanks to:
Brightroom photography
Stefan Jeremiah
Jessica Kourkounis

FOUNDERS’ BIO

Will Dean, CEO: Will is a graduate of Harvard Business School where he finished in the Top 10% of his class despite sadly finding much of his time there very boring indeed. Prior to business school, he worked for the UK Diplomatic Service, where he worked in the Middle East and South Asia overseeing UK Overseas Counter Terrorist Finance Operations. He also.worked on the investigation into the 2005 London Bombings. He has founded two companies; BollywoodOriginals.com (an online Vintage Bollywood Poster Gallery) and Just William T-Shirts (a national supplier of UK University Graduation T-Shirts). A native of Great Britain, Will grew up in the Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire, England, where his family still live. He is a keen sportsman and has competed in the marathons and triathlons on three different continents. He lives in Brooklyn with his American girlfriend.

Guy Livingstone, COO: Guy trained and qualified as an attorney with leading international law firm Allen & Overy LLP in London, where he specialized in business law. Guy is a graduate of Edinburgh University where he gained a Masters in Modern History. He has travelled widely around the world including significant lengths of time in South Asia, South America and the Middle East. Immediately before starting Tough Mudder in November 2009, Guy was learning Arabic in Damascus, Syria. He is also a keen sportsman and enjoys marathons, half marathons and trekking. Will and Guy are high school friends.

PRESS RELEASES

Click Tough Mudder NY&PA
Click Tough Mudder Tri-State Press Release

COURSE MAPS & POSTERS

October 9 & 10, 2010
Northern California course map
Northern California event poster

November 20 & 21, 2010
Tri-State course map
Tri-State event poster

February 5 & 5, 2011
Texas course map
Texas event poster

TOUGH MUDDER IN THE NEWS

The New York Times–April 28, 2010
“Tough Mudder appears to have found an opening in the burgeoning action-sports realm, tapping into the growing appetite for accessible-yet-demanding competitions.”
Fair Game News–May 18, 2010
“It was the most fun I’ve had in a long time…I tested myself and came away totally spent, but with the memory of a day that felt like my birthday all day long.”
BroBible – Interview with Tough Mudder COO Guy Livingstone
Harvard Business School Press
The Thrillist NYC
“A blood spilling, chest hair growing, balls-to-the-wall obstacle course set up across 7 miles of unrelenting off-season ski mountain, Mudder’s inaugural US challenge is the brainchild of two Brit buds who designed the layout based on their own terrifying real-life experiences: hunting down terrorists in the Middle East, and…being a lawyer!”
Poughkeepsie Journal
Pittsburg Tribune
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Philly Enquirer
New York Daily News
Pottstown Mercury
Channel 69
NJ Online (NJ.com)
CBS Morning Show
CNN
ABC News
Thrill List San Francisco