Toronto, ON (January 3, 2012) – For the first time ever, Tough Mudder is taking its straight talk and fit focus north of the border with a challenge to Canadians across the country to shape up in 2012. Billed with good reason as “probably the toughest event on the planet,” and the ultimate test of strength, grit, stamina and camaraderie, Tough Mudder is a grueling endurance challenge featuring more that 20 military-style obstacles throughout a 16-20km outdoor terrain course.
The inaugural Canadian events will take place this summer in Vancouver the weekend of June 23 and 24 at Whistler Olympic Park, followed by the Toronto event at Mount St. Louis Moonstone on August 18 and 19. Registration for both events is now open at www.toughmudder.com.
“Tough Mudder is the ultimate alternative to straight-forward marathons and triathlons. Our events put you to the test physically and mentally, but they also challenge you to work together with your teammates and other participants,” said Will Dean, CEO and co-founder, Tough Mudder. “We’re excited to bring Tough Mudder to Canada because we know nothing like this has been offered here before, and we’re positive that Canadians from coast-to-coast will be up to the challenge to prove how tough they really are.”
Founded in 2009, Tough Mudder is the US’s fastest-growing and most-recognized endurance series with 35 stops around the world in 2012. Unlike other traditional endurance events or mud runs, Tough Mudder events are designed by British Special Forces to offer a 16-20-kilometre trail-running experience like no other. Tough Mudder puts participants to the test with challenges along each course such as “Funky Monkey,” oiled-up monkey bars; “Fire Walker,” a run through four-foot-high flames; and “Electroshock Therapy,” a 10,000-volt-charged gauntlet. The event is not about finish times or winning a medal – simply completing a Tough Mudder is a badge of honour. On average, only 78% of participants finish a Tough Mudder event, and with a course designed to be impossible to complete individually, 80% of participants register with a team.
Located outside major metropolitan cities, courses are based on rugged terrain, featuring steep inclines and water hazards, highlighted by 18-25 military-style obstacles testing one’s fitness, strength, stamina, mental grit, teamwork and toughness.
With a unique crossover appeal for high-performing endurance athletes, fitness enthusiasts, risk-taking adrenaline junkies and conservative commoners alike, Tough Mudder events were created to test individual limits in a one-day challenge that showcases the core characteristics of will, intensity, camaraderie and teamwork. Tough Mudder events are not timed and are won by all those capable of completing the course.
Tough Mudder participants have raised more than $2 million (USD) in support of its official charity partner, the Wounded Warrior Project, a non-profit organization aimed at helping American servicemen and servicewomen who have been severely injured in combat. In Canada, Tough Mudder will partner with Wounded Warriors of Canada, an independent not-for-profit charity that supports Canadian soldiers wounded overseas by acting as a fundraising mechanism that supports existing programs that tend to injured soldiers and their families.
Participants range from injured veterans to Bay Street executives to pageant queens to 81-year-old grandfathers. Tough Mudder is more than just a weekend event; with happy hours and training runs, the Tough Mudder community is fiercely expanding. More than 1,000 diehard Mudders have even had the Tough Mudder logo permanently tattooed on their bodies.
“While we encourage everyone to give Tough Mudder a shot, these events aren’t for wimps or couch potatoes. Training for Tough Mudder is a motivational tool to get in shape,” said Guy Livingstone, COO and co-founder, Tough Mudder. “When you train for a marathon or a triathlon, you’re training for yourself, but when you train for a Tough Mudder event, you’re training for yourself, your teammates and everyone else on the course with you.”
