What: Toughest Mudder Northeast (Philadeliphia)
Where: Plantation Field, Coatesville, PA
When: May 20, 2017 (12 a.m. to 8 a.m.)
Predicted Weather: High of 75°F, low of 58° overnight with scattered showers
Format: 1 five-mile loop course, 17 obstacles, 8 hours, as many laps as possible
Total gain per lap: 782 feet
Numbers: 780 participants
Live Overnight Coverage: Facebook and Instagram
For Live Race Standings, click here.
Toughest Mudder Northeast is less than an hour from the metropolis of Philadelphia but will be worlds away from both the bustling city and the rich history of the Brandywine Valley, home of the event location at Plantation Field. Your drive to the start may take you through gorgeous vineyards, along rolling hills, and past beautiful homes saturated with history, but Toughest Mudder Northeast will be anything but peaceful. Expect this to be one tough course with the quintessential Mudder mud, steep hills, 17 obstacles–meaning an average of 3.4 obstacles per mile, as opposed to the 2.4 obstacles per mile at Toughest Mudder West and South–and a lot of mud if it rains, which it’s almost guaranteed to do.
Start making friends now–you’re going to need help to get through this one.
The Course
Expect Toughest Mudder Northeast to be harder than both Toughest Mudder West and Toughest Mudder South thanks to an increase in obstacles per mile, a single circuit loop, and a lot of elevation thanks to treacherously steep hills. With a high point of 512 feet and a low point of 331 feet, the elevation change is never dramatic but that always comes with a drawback: you’ll be going up and down a lot. An estimated 782 feet of elevation gain per lap is forecasted, so get ready to fire your glutes.
Obstacles
Birth Canal
Funky Monkey 2.0
Kong
Augustus Gloop
Quagmire
Arctic Enema 2.0
Pitfall
Everest 2.0
Ladder to Hell
Stage 5 Clinger
Skidmarked
Balls to the Wall
King of the Swingers–Hang Time
Mud Mile
The Block Ness Monster
Pyramid Scheme
Operation
Women’s Preview
Lindsay Webster has won every Toughest Mudder she’s entered this year, with top performances at Toughest Mudder West and Toughest Mudder South. While absent from the most recent Europe’s Toughest Mudder, held in the U.K., Webster should be primed to take home the win.
Other possible podium contenders include Sara Knight, who has finished within the top five in all Toughest Mudder events so far and with two second-place finishes at Toughest Mudder West and Toughest Mudder U.K. Knight will likely be at a disadvantage here following a strong performance the previous weekend in the U.K. “I don’t have big plans for this race as I’m definitely still recovering from Toughest Mudder U.K.,” says Knight, “so I’ll be there to have fun and help my fellow Mudders reach their goals.”
Allison Tai, who placed third at Toughest Mudder West and second at Toughest Mudder South is fresh, having not completed Toughest Mudder U.K. If she can stay injury-free, she has the ability to take the win here, too. “I’d love another podium spot,” says Tai. “Yancy [of Yancy Culp of Yancy Camp] has been coaching me so I plan on thinking as little as possible. If I just follow his advice and keep moving forward, I’ll do as well as I can.”
Other notable contenders include Alex Roudayna, third-place at Toughest Mudder South, and Morgan McKay, who placed third at World’s Toughest Mudder 2016.
Men’s Preview
Ryan Atkins has both won and reached 50 miles at Toughest Mudder West and Toughest Mudder South, but it’s possible Toughest Mudder Northeast will slow him down due to the increase in obstacles and the potential for cold, rainy weather.
Trevor Cichosz, the male winner of World’s Toughest Mudder 2016, is a possible contender for Atkins, but needs a strong performance here after trouble at Toughest Mudder South. In order to earn elite contender status for World’s Toughest Mudder, Cichosz will need to place top five. “My goal is to do better than my last race,” he says, “so I would like to hit 45 miles.” Expect Cichosz to perform well at challenging obstacles like King of Swingers, Kong, and Funky Monkey. “I love the upper body and skill-based obstacles.
Other notable contenders include Kris Mendoza (3rd Place 2016 World’s Toughest Mudder Finisher), Austin Azar (2nd Place World’s Toughest Mudder Finisher), Mark Jones (5th place at Toughest Mudder West), Nicholas Allmond (8th place Toughest Mudder South), Evan Perperis (10th place at Toughest Mudder South) and Joel Forsyth.
