We put some of our police gear to the test as we ran, biked, and trekked through the mud in Englishtown, NJ to get an experience that will not be soon forgotten.  For anyone who is active and into testing your own limits, but like to do them in a positive atmosphere the Toughmudder is by far one of the best options.  The event is hosted in strategic locations across the country, and we opted to travel to the a longer mileage event to really get the experience. The Toughmudder is an obstacle course that is run on foot and it typically ranges between 7 and 12 miles depending on the host site.  This Tri-State event was 12 miles and full of mayhem and obstacles.  To make things more interesting the temperatures were in the 40's and the water was frigid.   

We went down with 3 guys from our team and wanted to get some photos, as well as the experience of trekking through mud.  Upon arrival there is a huge parking lot with ample spaces and the registration process was only about 5 minutes (you must sign a waiver and get your bracelet for a free beer). 

The event has heats that leave every 20 minutes so it didn't feel like a mob scene at the starting line.  For every start they fired up a monster truck right next to the kick off and people took off while the monster truck raced along side.  Instantly we recognized a new found passion for the event and we had only been 20 feet into the race. 

Next runners were subjected to hitting a short distance on racetrack pavement, and most could feel the anticipation and anxiety in the air as groups of joking runners hit the first obstacle. 

In the photo to the right runners were diverted into the water and back out before hitting the tight rope.

Waist high water treks woke everyone up and the obstacles became more menacing as the distance wore on.  The event had a way of weaving water, mud, and grass into the mix.

The photo above is our coveted Montague Paratrooper folding mountain bike.  We had so many questions about the bike and people were in shock as we took it out and put it away because of its functionality.  We put one of our crew members on it to capture shots of the obstacles, plus we wanted to track a few Green Berets from the GORUCK team through the course who decided it would be more fun to load a backpack with 25lbs and run the entire course.

One might think time was a factor as most people use it as an indicator for progress, but the Toughmudders and the Green Berets proved everyone wrong as more than 3000 runners spent precious moments waiting to help a fellow runner up or over any given obstacle.  That's what truly sets this event apart from others (besides the fire, mud, and barbed wire).

We have a ton of pictures, and will post more on our facebook page.  In addition we will be running some independent articles for gear that went the distance, so make sure to check back for updates. The word is spreading faster than the fire on the course so if you have an interest in hitting a 2011 run either as a participant or spectator, grab a spot by visiting www.toughmudder.com