Mudder You Need to Meet: Joe Perry

Chances are you recognize Joe Perry—or at least have seen this amazing face-painted Mudder crushing it on course. This tremendous OCR athlete from Ontario, Canada, has completed 135 Tough Mudder events, including seven World’s Toughest Mudders, all while sporting the impressive art his wife MJ paints on his face before every race.

“Joe Perry is truly the guy who puts the “Can” in Canada,” says Eric “EROCK” Botsford, Creative Director of Tough Mudder Bootcamp. “At over 50 years old, this man is a staple on the Tough Mudder course. When you see him running you know that he is doing it for the love of the sport and the community. He is one of the toughest dudes I know, and during WTM, he is always the first to crack a smile or share a hug.”

Here’s how Joe got started doing Tough Mudders and more about his journey to those stunning 135 finisher headbands!

TRANSFORMING INTO A TOUGH MUDDER

I first heard about Tough Mudder when I was asked to help sponsor a team that was doing one. I had no idea what it was, but as soon as I looked into it, I agreed to sponsor the team. But only if I could become a member of it, too! A team member had some land and we built some obstacles on it. We trained there for months until and after our event.

THE A-HA MOMENT

I did my first Tough Mudder in 2012 in Indiana and it was life-changing. I knew I was meant to do these. I signed up for another event as soon as I got home. From there it hasn’t stopped. My wife and I travel the planet doing Tough Mudder events.

Every weekend there’s something new to inspire me to keep coming back. Seeing people overcome fears and challenges in life is priceless. On the course we leave reality behind and conquer the course together. Age, gender, or background don’t matter. On the course we are all the same with the same goals to accomplish together. Tough Mudder is filled with many like-minded souls.

THE OBSTACLES

Initially my biggest fear was swimming. I don’t float very well. Fortunately there’s always a helping hand out there to get us through any obstacle. My main obstacle now is choosing between which events to do. Every weekend I have friends at events and I wish I could be there with them at all of them.

I’ve run over 200 full/classic laps over the years but my proudest accomplishment is meeting hundreds of people along my journey. So far I’ve crossed the finish line with over 300 different Mudders. Among this list are my very best friends. Every weekend is a family reunion.We’ve attended several weddings of friends we’ve met along our journey.