With Christmas only a few days away and my birthday (The Big 3-0) less than a month after that, I did something that I made me a bit uncomfortable but was necessary: I reached out to family and friends and told them about my plans to take part in World’s Toughest Mudder and asked for their support.
I did it this for a few reasons, the biggest of which is because most of the people I reached out to are the people that would give me a gift. And I wanted to present them with the option of giving me something that would help me come next year.
So if you got a letter from me, hopefully you’ve had a chance to read it. And if you want to help me, the link to my Amazon wish list for gear can be found here.
This isn’t a complete list, just what I’ve compiled as of right now. Things will likely be added to it at a later date.
For y’all that want to know what my letter said, here ya go:
Earlier this year I completed my 4th Tough Mudder. When I signed up for my first Tough Mudder in 2016, I was beyond worried. I was working out 5 to 7 times a week, doing a mixture of cardio and strength training. I could tell that I had gotten a lot stronger but that didn’t stop me from being worried. I will admit that I considered not even going.
But I did. And I fell in love with the experience.
And this year I did three more. One of which I signed up for on the Monday before the race because I wanted to earn just one more headband before the season was over. I made the trek to Central Florida that Friday, ran on Saturday, and drove back home on Sunday.
Without intending for it to, Tough Mudder has become the driving force behind my workouts. I tend to look at exercises now based on how they will benefit me on the course. I continue to train with the knowledge that I plan on taking part in at least five more races in 2018.
A few weeks after I crossed the finish line wearing my new headband in Central Florida, I had the opportunity to travel to Las Vegas and volunteer at the World’s Toughest Mudder. This year was the last year it would be held in Las Vegas and after seeing all my fellow Mudders talking about it on social media, I realized I wanted to see what it was like and experience it as much as I could in the desert before it was no longer there.
World’s Toughest Mudder, or WTM, touts itself as “the most extreme, insane, imposing, pulse-pounding, heart-stopping 24-hour obstacle course challenge on the planet.” Fellow Mudders have called it many things, such as ‘life changing’, ‘exhilarating’, and even ‘hell’.
And I plan to be on that start line in 2018 at the new WTM venue south of Atlanta.
In addition to the obstacles I will face on the course, I have another challenge: the financial costs associated with the race itself.
The location of the venue saves me a fair amount in travel and accommodations but with WTM being my first event of this kind there is a lot of gear and supplies that I will need to purchase. This includes gear such as headlamps, shoes, a wet suit, and many other items. The gear alone will cost roughly $650.
I’m sending you this letter to ask you to consider helping me, financially, on this journey. If you are willing to, in any way, please let me know and I’ll let you know the best way to help me.
If you are interested in learning more about Tough Mudder and my journey in general, I have started a blog at: roadtoWTM.wordpress.com
