20 Weeks after our first Winter Tough Mudder Training Session, Los Neuty Osos arrived at Gunstock Mountain to take on Tough Mudder!  We started 10 strong (with 8 virgins) and finished 10 strong (literally, interlocked Phalanx-style strong)!  Personally, it was my longest and most enjoyable Mudder yet!

Here’s how it went down as I remember it:

The first 6 miles were easy!  It reminded me of when you’re waiting for a comeback or counter-punch from someone…

We did lots of trotting downhill and yogging on the mostly flat terrain and then the other shoe dropped.  Soon after the arctic enema the course got mean!

The second half was  hilly and action-packed!  I’d guess 70% of the obstacles and elevation gain happened in the last 6 miles.  Mother nature kicked it up a notch as well by turning up the heat for us.  It’s cool though, we’d been practicing!  The times spent at Neuty really showed as our crew marched up and trotted down the challenging grades at Gunstock.  We conquered every obstacle together and didn’t skip anything!  When we couldn’t physically help each other we gave out mental boosts as shown below (except for the hecklers):

As we approached the last couple obstacles (after the 2nd or 3rd “one more hill”) the skies grew dark and a wicked storm started was brewing.  You can see the clouds moving in on Everest:

Finally, the finish was the perfect way to cap off the experience!  20 weeks after doing our introductions in the parking lot at Neuty, we interlocked arms and walked though the wires as one!

I think those pictures say enough about our team finished off probably the Toughest Event on the Planet!  I’m so proud of how this group handled the course and themselves on the course!  Kudos to Los Neuty Osos!