Tough Mudder X

SKIP THE ARTICLE AND GO STRAIGHT TO APPLICATION

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Tough Mudder, one of the original giants in the OCR space, launched a 10-12 mile grueling obstacle race. Initially, only 75% of people who start go on to finish. It’s designed by military special blah blah blah. As I said, you’ve heard it.

But then one day, they added a new event – World’s Toughest Mudder.

“Off brand!!” – They screamed. “Why are they timing?”- Said a person “WTF!!?!” – Said another.

Then Tough Mudder created Mudderella, It was just like Tough Mudder, but for women, and was purple. Similar cries of confusion were let out across the land.

Over recent years, all of us in the OCR world then had the same conversations and online arguments with Urban Mudder, Tough Mudder Half, Tougher, Toughest, and The Tough Mudder 5k.

And now the one you thought they would never do. The one that if I told you even 2 years ago, you would have never believed me. The one that was created as a joke Facebook group because that’s how far from reality, OCR fanatics thought it was possible.

Are you ready for…DUN DUN DUN…

A Tough Mudder 1 mile course?

Tough Mudder announces an event they are calling –“Tough Mudder X – The Toughest Mile On The Planet”.

The one mile course consists of 10 Tough Mudder obstacles and 10 “Functional Fitness Workout Zones”. The Zones will have exercises such as pull-ups, box jumps, and wall balls. All obstacles and workout zones are MUST complete. This means there are no penalty loops or penalty alternative exercises. You either complete the obstacle and/or workout zone or keep trying until the race is over.

Additional Highlights:

First event is Friday, July 14th at Wild Wings of Oneka, Minnesota. (Which is not a wing place)
It is not an open event – You must apply to be chosen or be personally invited.
12 athletes per qualifying heat – Top athlete in each heat moves on.
Judges will be present for each obstacle and each “Fitness Zone”.
Last chance heat that allows top 12 non winners to move on.
One final heat for all of the marbles of $50k prize pool. ($25k to top man and woman)
Events to initially air on CBS, with repeats airing on CBS Sports.
For those looking to apply- go here.

When we asked TMHQ who they had already invited to this event, we were told:

“We put it out to a wide range of athletes including top OCR competitors, Decathletes, Crossfit Pro’s, Ultrarunners, Parkour Athletes, a couple of the Harlem Globetrotters, etc… The event will have some of the best athletes in the world competing against each other”.

Since everything has been under wraps until today it has been hard to get in touch with athletes to confirm their attendance. However, a little birdie told us a certain “Macho Man” has made plans to attend.

The complete press release, which includes TV air times for Tough Mudder X, and Toughest, is below.

CBS SPORTS AND TOUGH MUDDER EXPAND BROADCAST PARTNERSHIP

Tough Mudder Launches Tough Mudder X – The Ultimate Race to Determine Fittest, Fastest Athletes in the World

NEW YORK (June 1, 2017) – CBS Sports and Tough Mudder, Inc., a leading sport, active lifestyle and media brand, have expanded their multi-year media partnership to debut all Tough Mudder programming on the CBS Television Network. CBS will broadcast seven shows this year beginning July 22.

The deal features the launch of the new sports event, Tough Mudder X, named “The Ultimate Race to Determine the Fittest and the Fastest Athletes in the World.” With the new agreement, all Tough Mudder television programming – Tough Mudder X, America’s Toughest Mudder and World’s Toughest Mudder – will now debut on CBS. Encore presentations of the shows will air on CBS Sports Network in prime time.

The two-part Tough Mudder X event debuts August 27 (1:00-2:00 PM, ET) on CBS with the finale on September 3 (4:00-5:00 PM, ET). Broadcast coverage of America’s Toughest Mudder, the eight-hour, regional overnight competitive race series, begins on CBS on July 22 and culminates with the World’s Toughest Mudder, the grueling 24-hour endurance race held in the Las Vegas desert, airing on December 23. Full broadcast schedule below. CBS Sports Digital will also feature 2017 Tough Mudder events on-demand across CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports apps for mobile and connected devices.

With $50,000 on the line, one of the largest prize pools in the fitness sport and obstacle course racing (OCR) industries, Tough Mudder X will pit top male and female athletes across multiple disciplines, ranging from OCR to HIIT/functional fitness training to racing, against one another. The competition will test their strength, agility and speed over a one-mile course in search of the fittest and fastest athletes in the world. $25,000 will be awarded to both the first place male and female finishers.

“The debut of Tough Mudder X , in partnership with CBS Sports, solidifies our commitment to innovation and continued leadership in the sports event world by debuting the ultimate race in sports that will capture all the hottest elements occupying elite athletes and sports fitness enthusiasts alike,” said Will Dean, Co-Founder and CEO, Tough Mudder, Inc. “Due to the overwhelming success of World’s Toughest Mudder on CBS, the expansion of our partnership to broadcast further positions Tough Mudder as a leading active lifestyle sports brand and video content company. We can think of no better partner than CBS Sports to bring this new sporting event and all of its drama, action, and excitement that makes for compelling sports television to millions of viewers and fans across the United States.”

“We are excited to expand our partnership with Tough Mudder and debut all programming, including the innovative new Tough Mudder X, on CBS,” said Dan Weinberg, Executive Vice President of Programming for CBS Sports. “We look forward to further showcasing Tough Mudder’s world class athletes and competitions, and all the drama surrounding their biggest events.”

Tough Mudder X is a one-mile course that combines the ultimate physical challenges and mental grit of a Tough Mudder course with the intensity of a timed, functional fitness workout and speed of a world-class mile. Elite athletes will be pushed to the brink of their limits as they conquer 10 of Tough Mudder’s most signature obstacles, including Kong, Everest 2.0 and Funky Monkey – The Revolution, and 10 functional fitness stations known as Workout Zones, in a battle to be the fastest to cross the finish line. 200 selected athletes will compete in qualifying heats with the top 12 male and female finalists progressing to the Final Rounds taking place on the same day. Tough Mudder X will take place on Friday, July 14 in Hugo, Minnesota.

The CBS Sports and Tough Mudder partnership began in August 2016, bringing Tough Mudder events to television for the first time. In 2016, CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network televised a three-part series on World’s Toughest Mudder.

The Tough Mudder broadcast schedule on CBS is as follows (All times Eastern):

Saturday, July 22, 4:00-5:00 PM – Toughest Mudder West, Los Angeles, CA

Sunday, July 30, 1:00-2:00 PM – Toughest Mudder South, Atlanta, GA

Saturday, August 19, 2:00-3:00 PM – Toughest Mudder Northeast, Philadelphia, PA

Sunday, August 27, 1:00-2:00 PM – Tough Mudder X Prelims

Sunday, September 3, 4:00-5:00 PM – Tough Mudder X Finals, Twin Cities, MN

Saturday, October 28, 2:00-3:00 PM – Toughest Mudder Midwest, Chicago, IL

Saturday, December 23, 12:00-1:00 PM – World’s Toughest Mudder, Lake Las Vegas, NV

For more information about Tough Mudder X or for interested athletes to sign up to compete, visit https://toughmudder.com/events/what-is-tmx. For more information on Tough Mudder and to see the 2017 schedule of events, visit toughmudder.com. Join the conversation on social by following Tough Mudder on Twitter at @ToughMudder, on Instagram @Tough_Mudder, on Facebook at facebook.com/toughmudder, on Snapchat at Tough.Mudder and on YouTube at YouTube.com/ToughMudder.

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About Tough Mudder, Inc.:

Founded in 2010 with the launch of the Tough Mudder Full event series of 10-12 mile obstacle courses, Tough Mudder Inc. has since grown to become a leading sports, active lifestyle and media brand. The brand includes: Mini Mudder, a 1-mile obstacle course designed for kids ages 7-12; Tough Mudder 5K, an accessible yet rewarding challenge packing signature Tough Mudder obstacles into a 3.1-mile course; Tough Mudder Half, an obstacle course challenge bringing the thrills of Tough Mudder to a 5-mile course; Tougher Mudder, a competitive start wave that takes place during all Tough Mudder Weekends; Toughest Mudder, an eight-hour, overnight competition series; World’s Toughest Mudder, a grueling 24-hour endurance competition; and Tough Mudder X, a one-mile short format course combining the most challenging elements of Tough Mudder with a functional fitness workout. The brand also encompasses an extremely vibrant engaging social and digital community and serves as a destination for fitness, nutrition and wellness content delivered across multiple platforms. The Tough Mudder family of brands and online community is united by a commitment to promoting courage, personal accomplishment and teamwork through unconventional, life-changing experiences. With more than 2.5 million participants globally to date, Tough Mudder Inc. will host more than 130 events worldwide in 2017 in nearly a dozen countries, including Asia, Australia and more through its partnerships with IMG, Seroja and Sports Media and Entertainment 360 (SME360). More than 20 of the world’s leading brands are sponsorship and content distribution partners, including Merrell, Jeep, Vega, Amazon, Olympus, For Goodness Shakes, Lucozade Sport, Aflac, Nexcare, Bosch, TREK, Head & Shoulders, L’Oreal Men Expert, Käserei Loose, Snapchat, Live Stream, Sky Sports, CBS, CBS Sports, ESPN Media Distribution and The CW. To join the conversation, follow Tough Mudder on Facebook at facebook.com/toughmudder, on Twitter @ToughMudder, and on Instagram @Tough_Mudder.

About CBS Sports:
CBS Sports, a year-round leader in television sports, broadcasts a portfolio of events on the CBS Television Network, including THE NFL ON CBS; “Thursday Night Football;” college basketball, including the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship; golf, including The Masters®, PGA Championship and PGA TOUR; college football, including the SEC ON CBS; and CBS SPORTS SPECTACULAR. In addition, the division includes CBS SPORTS NETWORK, the 24-hour home of CBS Sports; produces INSIDE THE NFL for SHOWTIME; and partners with CBS SPORTS RADIO and CBSSports.com in creating recognized leaders in sports radio and digital.

CBS Sports Network is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 221 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information, including a full programming schedule and how to get CBS Sports Network, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.

Media Contacts:

For Tough Mudder PR:

Angela Alfano, [email protected]

Jodi Kovacs, [email protected]

For CBS Sports Communications:

Dan Sabreen, [email protected]

About
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Matt B. Davis

is the host of the Obstacle Racing Media Podcast and the author of "Down and Dirty-The Essential Training Guide for Obstacle Races and Mud Runs". He is also the only (known) #wafflehouseelite obstacle racer.