If you ever needed convincing of participating in a Tough Mudder, I highly recommend you spectate one. Watching the team building happen right before your eyes is pretty addictive, and will leave you with a major case of FOMO (the fear of missing out). As the announcers repeated over-and-over, “Tough Mudder is NOT a race, it’s a challenge.” – A challenge indeed.
It all started a few months back when my friends at Old Spice asked me if I would like to spend a few days in Cincinnati and go behind the scenes at Procter & Gamble (Old Spice’s parent company). In addition to the Old Spice HQ tour, we were also invited to attend the Tough Mudder in Sparta, Kentucky, which Old Spice is an official sponsor.
What is Tough Mudder?
Tough Mudder was designed and created by Will Dean while he was attending Harvard Business School. Participants, aka. Mudders, challenge themselves, not race, through a 10-12 mile-long military-style obstacle course. Many of the obstacles were created with common human fears in mind, such as fire, water, electricity and heights.
Am I Ready for the Tough Mudder?
I asked myself this question while choosing whether I wanted to spectate or run the course.
Despite working out 3-4 days a week at Orange Theory Fitness, I wasn’t quite sure if I was up to the challenge of participating in a Tough Mudder just yet. Boy, I wish I had.
Armed with a Spectator badge and camera equipment, I took the course to cheer on my fellow journalists who were brave enough to join the other 250-something Mudders, on what was said to be the hottest day of the year in Sparta, Kentucky. Trust me when I say, it was extremely hot. I shouldn’t be complaining though, because as my colleagues ran, jumped, and avoided electric shock, I was taking photos and drinking beer. Sorry, guys!
Old Spice, as I mentioned before, is an official sponsor of the Tough Mudder this year. This means they had activations throughout the entire course. One of them being the Mud Mile 2.0 (see photo above). Their partnership is kismet, in the sense that Tough Mudder is going to make you dirty, while Old Spice is going to get you clean.
After Tough Mudder particpants conquered the Mud Mile 2.0, they would stop and snap photos with the new Hardest Working Collection. Some even got to get their Instagram on with the man himself, Isaiah Mustafa, aka. the Old Spice Guy (see photo below).
Photos from Kentucky Tough Mudder 2016
I may have only spectated the Tough Mudder, but at least I got some great shots from it. Take a look at some of my favorite photos from the day and see why I’m excited to run one this November.
If you’re interested, checkout Rick Stella’s Tough Mudder experience over on TheManual.com. Rick is in the top photo sporting the Old Spice shirt and manly beard.
I can’t speak for all of the Tough Mudder participants, but I can for the group I was with. We all had on Old Spice’s Hardest Working Collection, from body wash to deodorant. Before my buddy Paul Eide ran through the last obstacle, which happens to be Electric Shock Therapy (harsh), the host of the finish line decided it was wise to sniff his arm pits. You know, just to see if the deodorant was working hard. To no surprise it was, and she gave his pits a glowing review. Photo evidence below!
After my Old Spice comrades finished the grueling obstacle course, they hosed off the dirt with Old Spice’s Hardest Working Collection, which can be found here. I plan on putting it all to the test myself to see if I’m #Smellegendary enough at the Tough Mudder in November – Temecula to be exact. Hope you’ll join me!
This post was sponsored by Old Spice. All opinions are my own.
