Ryan Atkins has run the 8-hour Toughest Mudder race six times. He has won all six. He has run the 24-hour World's Toughest Mudder five times. He has won all five.
Ryan Atkins is the single greatest endurance OCR athlete in the world today.
We talk about his recent win at Toughest Mudder Midwest, his philosophy on goals (he doesn't like them), and how great the sunrise is at Toughest Mudder.
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World's Toughest Podcast is excited to partner with Merrell again to give away a pair of shoes every month to listeners of the show. To win a pair of Merrell Agility Peak Flex 2 or Merrell All Out Crush 2.0 trail running shoes, text the word TOUGH to the number 228-28 or email WorldsToughestPodcast@gmail.com with MERRELL in the subject line and your 1)Name, 2)Email Address and 3)Cell Phone in the body of the email. Both options will subscribe you to the World's Toughest Newsletter and qualify you to win.
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Do you have a moment from your experience at Tough Mudder that you would like to share with the audience of World's Toughest Podcast? Would you like to win a pair of Merrell trail running shoes? Share your Merrell Mudder Moment with us at Worldstoughestpodcast@gmail.com with MMM in the subject line. In the body of the email, tell us your story. What did you overcome to complete the course? What did Tough Mudder help you over in your personal life? Selected Merrell Mudder Moments will win a pair of Merrell trail running shoes and be invited as a guest on a future episode of World's Toughest Podcast.
---
Follow us on Twitter or Instagram.
What do you think of the podcast? Who in the Tough Mudder community would you like to hear? Let us know on the World’s Toughest Podcast Facebook page at facebook.com/worldstoughestpod.
Would you like to be a part of the show? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Amazon.com and we'll read it on a future episode. Don't forget to subscribe and listen for new episodes every week.
Toughest Mudder Midwest is this weekend and Kris Mendoza will be there. We talk about the course, the weather, and the elites we expect to see in Michigan.
Kris also talks about his feelings on the "Kristopher Mendoza" theme song, shares exclusive news about his new sponsors, and gives us his best Rea Kolbl "Five Stars" impression.
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World's Toughest Podcast is excited to partner with Merrell again to give away a pair of shoes every month to listeners of the show. To win a pair of Merrell Agility Peak Flex 2 or Merrell All Out Crush 2.0 trail running shoes, text the word TOUGH to the number 228-28 or email WorldsToughestPodcast@gmail.com with MERRELL in the subject line and your 1)Name, 2)Email Address and 3)Cell Phone in the body of the email. Both options will subscribe you to the World's Toughest Newsletter and qualify you to win.
---
Do you have a moment from your experience at Tough Mudder that you would like to share with the audience of World's Toughest Podcast? Would you like to win a pair of Merrell trail running shoes? Share your Merrell Mudder Moment with us at Worldstoughestpodcast@gmail.com with MMM in the subject line. In the body of the email, tell us your story. What did you overcome to complete the course? What did Tough Mudder help you over in your personal life? Selected Merrell Mudder Moments will win a pair of Merrell trail running shoes and be invited as a guest on a future episode of World's Toughest Podcast.
---
Follow us on Twitter or Instagram.
What do you think of the podcast? Who in the Tough Mudder community would you like to hear? Let us know on the World’s Toughest Podcast Facebook page at facebook.com/worldstoughestpod.
Would you like to be a part of the show? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Amazon.com and we'll read it on a future episode. Don't forget to subscribe and listen for new episodes every week.
Toughest Mudder Midwest is this weekend and Kris Mendoza will be there. We talk about the course, the weather, and the elites we expect to see in Michigan.
Kris also talks about his feelings on the "Kristopher Mendoza" theme song, shares exclusive news about his new sponsors, and gives us his best Rea Kolbl "Five Stars" impression.
---
World's Toughest Podcast is excited to partner with Merrell again to give away a pair of shoes every month to listeners of the show. To win a pair of Merrell Agility Peak Flex 2 or Merrell All Out Crush 2.0 trail running shoes, text the word TOUGH to the number 228-28 or email WorldsToughestPodcast@gmail.com with MERRELL in the subject line and your 1)Name, 2)Email Address and 3)Cell Phone in the body of the email. Both options will subscribe you to the World's Toughest Newsletter and qualify you to win.
---
Do you have a moment from your experience at Tough Mudder that you would like to share with the audience of World's Toughest Podcast? Would you like to win a pair of Merrell trail running shoes? Share your Merrell Mudder Moment with us at Worldstoughestpodcast@gmail.com with MMM in the subject line. In the body of the email, tell us your story. What did you overcome to complete the course? What did Tough Mudder help you over in your personal life? Selected Merrell Mudder Moments will win a pair of Merrell trail running shoes and be invited as a guest on a future episode of World's Toughest Podcast.
---
Follow us on Twitter or Instagram.
What do you think of the podcast? Who in the Tough Mudder community would you like to hear? Let us know on the World’s Toughest Podcast Facebook page at facebook.com/worldstoughestpod.
Would you like to be a part of the show? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Amazon.com and we'll read it on a future episode. Don't forget to subscribe and listen for new episodes every week.
Toughest Mudder Midwest is this weekend and Kris Mendoza will be there. We talk about the course, the weather, and the elites we expect to see in Michigan.
Kris also talks about his feelings on the "Kristopher Mendoza" theme song, shares exclusive news about his new sponsors, and gives us his best Rea Kolbl "Five Stars" impression.
---
World's Toughest Podcast is excited to partner with Merrell again to give away a pair of shoes every month to listeners of the show. To win a pair of Merrell Agility Peak Flex 2 or Merrell All Out Crush 2.0 trail running shoes, text the word TOUGH to the number 228-28 or email WorldsToughestPodcast@gmail.com with MERRELL in the subject line and your 1)Name, 2)Email Address and 3)Cell Phone in the body of the email. Both options will subscribe you to the World's Toughest Newsletter and qualify you to win.
---
Do you have a moment from your experience at Tough Mudder that you would like to share with the audience of World's Toughest Podcast? Would you like to win a pair of Merrell trail running shoes? Share your Merrell Mudder Moment with us at Worldstoughestpodcast@gmail.com with MMM in the subject line. In the body of the email, tell us your story. What did you overcome to complete the course? What did Tough Mudder help you over in your personal life? Selected Merrell Mudder Moments will win a pair of Merrell trail running shoes and be invited as a guest on a future episode of World's Toughest Podcast.
---
Follow us on Twitter or Instagram.
What do you think of the podcast? Who in the Tough Mudder community would you like to hear? Let us know on the World’s Toughest Podcast Facebook page at facebook.com/worldstoughestpod.
Would you like to be a part of the show? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Amazon.com and we'll read it on a future episode. Don't forget to subscribe and listen for new episodes every week.
Toughest Mudder Midwest is this weekend and Kris Mendoza will be there. We talk about the course, the weather, and the elites we expect to see in Michigan.
Kris also talks about his feelings on the "Kristopher Mendoza" theme song, shares exclusive news about his new sponsors, and gives us his best Rea Kolbl "Five Stars" impression.
---
World's Toughest Podcast is excited to partner with Merrell again to give away a pair of shoes every month to listeners of the show. To win a pair of Merrell Agility Peak Flex 2 or Merrell All Out Crush 2.0 trail running shoes, text the word TOUGH to the number 228-28 or email WorldsToughestPodcast@gmail.com with MERRELL in the subject line and your 1)Name, 2)Email Address and 3)Cell Phone in the body of the email. Both options will subscribe you to the World's Toughest Newsletter and qualify you to win.
---
Do you have a moment from your experience at Tough Mudder that you would like to share with the audience of World's Toughest Podcast? Would you like to win a pair of Merrell trail running shoes? Share your Merrell Mudder Moment with us at Worldstoughestpodcast@gmail.com with MMM in the subject line. In the body of the email, tell us your story. What did you overcome to complete the course? What did Tough Mudder help you over in your personal life? Selected Merrell Mudder Moments will win a pair of Merrell trail running shoes and be invited as a guest on a future episode of World's Toughest Podcast.
---
Follow us on Twitter or Instagram.
What do you think of the podcast? Who in the Tough Mudder community would you like to hear? Let us know on the World’s Toughest Podcast Facebook page at facebook.com/worldstoughestpod.
Would you like to be a part of the show? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Amazon.com and we'll read it on a future episode. Don't forget to subscribe and listen for new episodes every week.
We have never done an episode like this before.
We welcome Spartan CEO Joe De Sena for our first ever Spartan episode of the show. Today we talk about any obstacle course race you'd like, as long as it is Spartan Race.
Before we talk with Joe we talk about the recent Spartan US Championship Series race in Big Bear. We talk about the podium finishers and we talk with the women's winner Rea Kolbl.
We also talk about the entire five-race series and tell you who will win the series title this year.
We wrap up the episode with our workout/interview with Joe De Sena.
This episode is unlike any other episode we have ever done. If you have never left a review on Apple Podcasts, (or if it's been a while since you left one) we would LOVE to have your feedback. Let us know what you think on Apple Podcasts.
0:00 Intro, Welcome
1:47 This is Madness
4:11 Race results from Big Bear
11:04 Big Bear race recap
15:05 Women's Winner Rea Kolbl
27:30 US Championship Series update and predictions: The Women
31:44 US Championship Series update and predictions: The Men
34:19 Let's read some iTunes reviews!
38:43 How did this all-Spartan episode come to be?
41:03 Spartan CEO Joe De Sena
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Do you have a moment from your experience at Tough Mudder that you would like to share with the audience of World's Toughest Podcast? Would you like to win a pair of Merrell trail running shoes? Share your Merrell Mudder Moment with us at Worldstoughestpodcast@gmail.com with MMM in the subject line. In the body of the email, tell us your story. What did you overcome to complete the course? What did Tough Mudder help you over in your personal life? Selected Merrell Mudder Moments will win a pair of Merrell trail running shoes and be invited as a guest on a future episode of World's Toughest Podcast.
---
Follow us on Twitter or Instagram.
What do you think of the podcast? Who in the Tough Mudder community would you like to hear? Let us know on the World’s Toughest Podcast Facebook page at facebook.com/worldstoughestpod.
Would you like to be a part of the show? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Amazon.com and we'll read it on a future episode. Don't forget to subscribe and listen for new episodes every week.
Allison Tai has run seven Toughest Mudders, including this past weekend at Australia's Toughest Mudder. She has seven top-three podium finishes. That is more than anyone else, man or woman.
Allison took time out of her Australia family vacation to join the show and talk about Toughest Mudder Australia and how her husband John is her secret weapon in the pit.
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Do you have a moment from your experience at Tough Mudder that you would like to share with the audience of World's Toughest Podcast? Would you like to win a pair of Merrell trail running shoes? Share your Merrell Mudder Moment with us at Worldstoughestpodcast@gmail.com with MMM in the subject line. In the body of the email, tell us your story. What did you overcome to complete the course? What did Tough Mudder help you over in your personal life? Selected Merrell Mudder Moments will win a pair of Merrell trail running shoes and be invited as a guest on a future episode of World's Toughest Podcast.
---
Follow us on Twitter or Instagram.
What do you think of the podcast? Who in the Tough Mudder community would you like to hear? Let us know on the World’s Toughest Podcast Facebook page at facebook.com/worldstoughestpod.
Would you like to be a part of the show? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Amazon.com and we'll read it on a future episode. Don't forget to subscribe and listen for new episodes every week.
We talk with Lachlan Dansie, one of the elite athletes expected to do well at Australia's Toughest Mudder.
Lachlan is a three-time winner of the 24-hour Enduro race that will be co-branded as the OCRWC 24 Hour World Championship this year. He has also won multiple Spartan races and other races as well.
We talk about the course map, the obstacles, and the elite OCR athletes you can expect at Australia's Toughest Mudder.
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Do you have a moment from your experience at Tough Mudder that you would like to share with the audience of World's Toughest Podcast? Would you like to win a pair of Merrell trail running shoes? Share your Merrell Mudder Moment with us at Worldstoughestpodcast@gmail.com with MMM in the subject line. In the body of the email, tell us your story. What did you overcome to complete the course? What did Tough Mudder help you over in your personal life? Selected Merrell Mudder Moments will win a pair of Merrell trail running shoes and be invited as a guest on a future episode of World's Toughest Podcast.
---
Follow us on Twitter or Instagram.
What do you think of the podcast? Who in the Tough Mudder community would you like to hear? Let us know on the World’s Toughest Podcast Facebook page at facebook.com/worldstoughestpod.
Would you like to be a part of the show? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Amazon.com and we'll read it on a future episode. Don't forget to subscribe and listen for new episodes every week.
Ulrikke Evensen joins us to talk about her first-place finish at Europe's Toughest Mudder.
Ulrikke ran 45 miles at Europe's Toughest Mudder, tying the women's record held by Lindsay Webster and Allison Tai.
Ulrikke talks about how the race went for her, how the weather affected her, and how a man named Sam from the U.K. stepped up at the last minute to be her pit crew. Well done Sam. You're smashing it.
Before we talk with Ulrikke we talk about the men's and women's podiums. We will discuss the full list of results and mileage totals when they are released by TMHQ.
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Do you have a moment from your experience at Tough Mudder that you would like to share with the audience of World's Toughest Podcast? Would you like to win a pair of Merrell trail running shoes? Share your Merrell Mudder Moment with us at Worldstoughestpodcast@gmail.com with MMM in the subject line. In the body of the email, tell us your story. What did you overcome to complete the course? What did Tough Mudder help you over in your personal life? Selected Merrell Mudder Moments will win a pair of Merrell trail running shoes and be invited as a guest on a future episode of World's Toughest Podcast.
---
Follow us on Twitter or Instagram.
What do you think of the podcast? Who in the Tough Mudder community would you like to hear? Let us know on the World’s Toughest Podcast Facebook page at facebook.com/worldstoughestpod.
Would you like to be a part of the show? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Amazon.com and we'll read it on a future episode. Don't forget to subscribe and listen for new episodes every week.
Allison Tai and Shaun Stephens-Whale are the Toughest Mudder South women's and men's second-place finishers.
Allison ran 40 miles for her second-place finish. Allison's personal best for Toughest Mudder is her 45-mile performance at Chicago in 2017 to secure the Toughest Mudder Series win.
Shaun Stephens-Whale ran 45 miles for his second-place. Shaun and eventual winner Ryan Atkins traded the lead back and forth for the first 30 miles.
Before we talk with Allison and Shaun we take a deep dive into the numbers of Toughest Mudder South. How many runners were there? How many earned their contender status? Was this the hardest Toughest Mudder? Prove it.
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Do you have a moment from your experience at Tough Mudder that you would like to share with the audience of World's Toughest Podcast? Would you like to win a pair of Merrell trail running shoes? Share your Merrell Mudder Moment with us at Worldstoughestpodcast@gmail.com with MMM in the subject line. In the body of the email, tell us your story. What did you overcome to complete the course? What did Tough Mudder help you over in your personal life? Selected Merrell Mudder Moments will win a pair of Merrell trail running shoes and be invited as a guest on a future episode of World's Toughest Podcast.
---
Follow us on Twitter or Instagram.
What do you think of the podcast? Who in the Tough Mudder community would you like to hear? Let us know on the World’s Toughest Podcast Facebook page at facebook.com/worldstoughestpod.
Would you like to be a part of the show? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Amazon.com and we'll read it on a future episode. Don't forget to subscribe and listen for new episodes every week.
Europe's Toughest Mudder preview!
Ian Kay joins us to talk about the weather, the course, and the obstacles for Europe's Toughest Mudder.
Europe's Toughest Mudder is an eight-hour race on a five-mile looped course. The man and woman who complete the most laps in eight hours are crowned "Europe's Toughest Mudder".
Before we talk with Ian we talk about the prizing for the race, including the fact that winning Europe's Toughest Mudder is worth about 10% more than winning a Toughest Mudder in America.
We review a few common questions about the rules and then we talk about the elites to watch this weekend. The biggest news with the elites is the one who WON'T be there. Jon Albon is competing in the Trail Running World Championships this weekend in Spain and will not be in the U.K. to defend his title from last year.
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Do you have a moment from your experience at Tough Mudder that you would like to share with the audience of World's Toughest Podcast? Would you like to win a pair of Merrell trail running shoes? Share your Merrell Mudder Moment with us at Worldstoughestpodcast@gmail.com with MMM in the subject line. In the body of the email, tell us your story. What did you overcome to complete the course? What did Tough Mudder help you over in your personal life? Selected Merrell Mudder Moments will win a pair of Merrell trail running shoes and be invited as a guest on a future episode of World's Toughest Podcast.
---
Follow us on Twitter or Instagram.
What do you think of the podcast? Who in the Tough Mudder community would you like to hear? Let us know on the World’s Toughest Podcast Facebook page at facebook.com/worldstoughestpod.
Would you like to be a part of the show? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Amazon.com and we'll read it on a future episode. Don't forget to subscribe and listen for new episodes every week.
Toughest Mudder South preview episode!
We talk about everything you need to know about Toughest Mudder South including the obstacles, the course, the rules, and the elites.
We break down the course with Brian Gowiski. Brian was a member of the team that finished in first place at World's Toughest Mudder 2017 with 120 miles. Brian will be competing this weekend at his first Toughest Mudder ever.
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Do you have a moment from your experience at Tough Mudder that you would like to share with the audience of World's Toughest Podcast? Would you like to win a pair of Merrell trail running shoes? Share your Merrell Mudder Moment with us at Worldstoughestpodcast@gmail.com with MMM in the subject line. In the body of the email, tell us your story. What did you overcome to complete the course? What did Tough Mudder help you over in your personal life? Selected Merrell Mudder Moments will win a pair of Merrell trail running shoes and be invited as a guest on a future episode of World's Toughest Podcast.
---
Follow us on Twitter or Instagram.
What do you think of the podcast? Who in the Tough Mudder community would you like to hear? Let us know on the World’s Toughest Podcast Facebook page at facebook.com/worldstoughestpod.
Would you like to be a part of the show? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Amazon and we'll read it on a future episode. Don't forget to subscribe and listen for new episodes every week.
Orla Walsh joins us to talk about the mental aspect of racing TMX. Orla talks about the mantras and self-talk she uses to push herself while she is out on course. We also talk about her second place finish at TMX Miami and what it will take to beat Corinna Coffin at the TMX championships in Virginia on June 8th.
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Follow us on Twitter or Instagram.
What do you think of the podcast? Who in the Tough Mudder community would you like to hear? Let us know on the World’s Toughest Podcast Facebook page at facebook.com/worldstoughestpod.
Would you like to be a part of the show? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll read it on a future episode. Don't forget to subscribe and listen for new episodes every week.
Corinna Coffin is the TMX women’s reigning champion. The three-race TMX series kicks off this weekend in Sacramento. The following TMX races will be April 8 in Miami with the championship race on June 8th in Virginia.
In addition to holding the women’s TMX title she also holds the Broken Skull Ranch title. We talk about both of those events and what it takes to win them.
Before we talk with Corinna we break down all the recent Tough Mudder news including the community reaction to opening weekend at Tough Mudder New Orleans.
0:00 Welcome, Intro, Merrell Mudder Moments
4:21 Toughest Mudder West is rescheduled for October
8:45 Tough Mudder New Orleans recap
13:25 Merrell and World’s Toughest Podcast, together in the mud
16:01 Disqualification at WTM 2017
19:15 Tough Mudder Arizona, Sacramento and East London Preview
22:29 Tough Mudder 5k: USA vs. The UK
24:42 Tough Mudder is now in South Africa and the Philippines. Finally.
29:04 iTunes Reviews (*cough*)
33:30 Let’s go the phones! with Corinna Coffin
37:53 Corinna on Self-doubt before a race
39:08 Winning TMX with only one shoe
45:42 Winning Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge
52:56 Does Corinna have a rivalry with Cassidy Watton?
54:58 How does Corinna train for TMX and Broken Skull?
1:00:25 What does Corinna’s nutrition look like?
1:03:52 Growing up with three brothers
1:08:37 Raising strong daughters and being a role model
1:15:41 Corinna’s 2018: Crossfit Regionals, TMX, and more Broken Skull
1:21:12 The 2018 Tough Mudder Pro Team
1:23:32 TMX Sacramento, station by station
1:40:13 Follow Corinna on Facebook and at Instagram.com/cscoffin13
1:41:06 Corinna is sponsored by Altra Running and the Tough Mudder Pro Team
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World's Toughest Podcast is excited to partner with Merrell again to give away a pair of shoes every month to listeners of the show. To win a pair of Merrell Agility Peak Flex 2 or Merrell All Out Crush 2.0 trail running shoes, text the word TOUGH to the number 228-28 or email WorldsToughestPodcast@gmail.com with MERRELL in the subject line and your 1)Name, 2)Email Address and 3)Cell Phone in the body of the email. Both options will subscribe you to the World's Toughest Newsletter and qualify you to win.
---
Follow us on Twitter or Instagram.
What do you think of the podcast? Who in the Tough Mudder community would you like to hear? Let us know on the World’s Toughest Podcast Facebook page at facebook.com/worldstoughestpod.
Would you like to be a part of the show? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll read it on a future episode. Don't forget to subscribe and listen for new episodes every week.
Francis Lackner and Sue Harvey-Brown join us in this episode.
You may have seen Francis on a Tough Mudder course in his jolly red suit carrying his running partner, Santa Claus. Santa has "run" 39 Tough Mudder events. Francis plans to cross the 100 event mark himself in 2018.
In June of 2017, Francis lost his mom to cancer. A few months later Francis was running Toughest Mudder Chicago. His mom was supposed to there with him. On his second lap, the emotions became too much and he felt ready to quit. Instead of quitting, Francis and Ryan Cray decided to spend some extra time at the top of Everest 2.0, just helping people over the obstacle. The penalty for failing the obstacle was an additional 3/4 mile run. That extra time turned into an hour, and then into two hours, and then into four hours. Francis and Ryan left Everest to finish their second lap after 5 and a half hours on top of Everest.
After Toughest Mudder ended at 8:30 Francis spent the morning honoring his mother. He passed out red plastic roses to TMHQ staff, volunteer, and runners. The roses represented "One more day above the roses" the title of a song that became important to Ryan and his mother as she battled with cancer. Ryan tells the story of the roses and everything that happened that weekend.
Sue Harvey-Brown is the liaison between Merrell and Tough Mudder. When Merrell is working on a new initiative with Tough Mudder, odds are Sue is not far from the work being done.
Merrell and World's Toughest Podcast are partnering to bring you the Merrell Mudder Moment. This is a moment that happened to you or someone you know on a Tough Mudder course. Maybe the moment happened off the course and Tough Mudder was how you conquered it, or found peace with it. Or maybe Tough Mudder was how you honored someone like Francis and his mother.
We're going to highlight a new Merrell Mudder Moment every other month in 2018. Honorees will receive a pair of Merrell trail running shoes like the All Out Crush 2.0 and the opportunity to share their story on World's Toughest Podcast.
To submit your Merrell Mudder Moment, email Worldstoughestpodcast@gmail.com with Merrell Mudder Moment or MMM in the subject line. In the body of the email tell your story. What happened? How did you deal with it? How were you changed? Winners will be selected by World's Toughest Podcast and Merrell. Good luck!
0:00 Intro
2:27 Tough Mudder News
15:52 iTunes Reviews
20:54 Merrell Mudder Moments with Sue Harvey-Brown
28:28 One More Day Above The Roses with Francis Lackner
1:12:56 Outro and Wrap-up
World's Toughest Podcast is excited to partner with Merrell again to give away a pair of shoes every month to listeners of the show. To win a pair of Merrell Agility Peak Flex 2 or Merrell All Out Crush 2 trail running shoes, text the word TOUGH to the number 228-28 or email WorldsToughestPodcast@gmail.com with MERRELL in the subject line and your 1)Name, 2)Email Address and 3)Cell Phone in the body of the email. Either option will subscribe you to the World's Toughest Newsletter and qualify you to win.
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What do you think of the podcast? Who in the Tough Mudder community would you like to hear? Let us know on the World's Toughest Podcast Facebook page at facebook.com/worldstoughestpod
Follow us on Twitter or on Instagram.
Would you like to be a part of the show? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll read it on a future episode. Don't forget to subscribe and listen for new episodes every week.
Toughest Mudder West is this weekend. This is the first Toughest Mudder of the eight-race series for 2018.
Deanna Brasz and I talk about the course, the obstacles, and what people can expect from this cold, difficult race.
Deanna was one of the stars of Tougher Mudder in 2017. She ran 10 Tougher Mudders, with seven podiums, and four first place finishes. Three times last year she ran Tougher on Saturday morning and then ran the eight-hour Toughest Mudder on Saturday night.
Before we talk with Deanna, we talk about the elite competition at Toughest Mudder West. On the men’s side Ryan Atkins is the heavy favorite. He will face competition from Kris Mendoza, Glenn Racz, and Tyler Nash, as well a few possible surprises.
On the women’s side, four reigning champions will face off. World’s Toughest Mudder champion Rea Kolbl will face off against Toughest Mudder series champion Allison Tai, Spartan World Champion Lindsay Webster, and Spartan Ultrabeast World Champion Morgan Mckay.
Jesi Stracham is the first person, man or woman, to complete the Tough Mudder Holy Grail in a wheelchair. To earn your Holy Grail you must complete a 10-mile Tougher Mudder, an eight-hour Toughest Mudder, and the 24-hour World’s Toughest Mudder in the same calendar year.
Jesi was a motorsports athlete when she was injured. She was a passenger on a motorcycle when a car made a U-turn into her. She ended up paralyzed from the chest down.
Jesi has a show on YouTube called Wheel With Me. She records herself going about her life in a wheelchair. Recently she has been training in the sport of Curling. She has aspirations of making the US Paralympic team for 2022.
For more information about Jesi's Wheel With Me foundation visit wheelwithmefoundation.org
Before we talk with Jesi we talk about the latest Tough Mudder news. The biggest news: Tough Mudder announced that all Tough Mudder courses this year will be run on a five-mile course. Tough Mudder Full participants will run two laps. Tough Mudder Half runners will complete one lap.
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If you'd like to join the World’s Toughest Podcast Newsletter, text the word TOUGH to 228-28, or email WorldsToughestPodcast@gmail.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line and your 1)Name, 2)Email Address and 3)Cell Phone in the body of the email.
What do you think of the podcast? Who in the Tough Mudder community would you like to hear? Let us know on the World’s Toughest Podcast Facebook page at facebook.com/worldstoughestpod or find Will on Twitter at twitter.com/TheWillHicks
Would you like to be a part of the show? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll read it on a future episode. Don't forget to subscribe and listen for new episodes every week.
Tough Mudder announced 26 cities will host a Tough Mudder 5k in 2018. We talked with Jay Ruggiero about the first ever Tough Mudder 5k in this bonus ep from last year.
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Jay Ruggerio is running this weekend in the first ever Tough Mudder 5k. We talk through the 3.1 miles and the 10 obstacles that many people will be facing for the first time ever.
Jay ran WTM for the first time in 2016 and completed 20 miles. He feels like he has unfinished business with the course and is looking to complete 50 miles in 2017. To help him and a small group of friends reach that goal of 50 miles he started a Facebook group called WTM 2017 50-Mile Team. The group now has over 200 members.
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If you'd like to join the World’s Toughest Podcast Newsletter, text the word TOUGH to 228-28, or email WorldsToughestPodcast@gmail.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line and your 1)Name, 2)Email Address and 3)Cell Phone in the body of the email.
What do you think of the podcast? Who in the Tough Mudder community would you like to hear? Let us know on the World’s Toughest Podcast Facebook page at facebook.com/worldstoughestpod or find Will on Twitter at twitter.com/TheWillHicks
Would you like to be a part of the show? Leave us a review on iTunes and we'll read it on a future episode. Don't forget to subscribe and listen for new episodes every week.
Adriane Alvord joins the show to share her story.
Adriane finished in 9th Place at her first WTM in 2016. After qualifying as an Elite Contender at Toughest Mudder Philly she had high hopes for 2017. The race didn't end up working out the way she hoped, after a nasty fall from Stage 5 Clinger left her with a concussion and unable to run in a straight line.
Adriane has competed in the past two seasons of American Ninja Warrior and has high hopes to compete again this year. She also placed third at the BFX-24 race that was won by Adriane's "concussion buddy" Morgan Mckay.
Adriane also talks about her Dressage business. (It rhymes with Massage.) She says the best way to explain Dressage is "Ballet with horses".
Most people at World's Toughest Mudder write their names on their bibs, or a nickname. Adriane writes "Unbroken". Adriane escaped a violent abusive relationship and writes that on her bib to remind herself and to show others that she is still Unbroken.
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If you'd like to join the World’s Toughest Podcast Newsletter, text the word TOUGH to 228-28, or email WorldsToughestPodcast@gmail.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line and your 1)Name, 2)Email Address and 3)Cell Phone in the body of the email.
What do you think of the podcast? Who in the Tough Mudder community would you like to hear? Let us know on the World’s Toughest Podcast Facebook page at facebook.com/worldstoughestpod or find Will on Twitter at twitter.com/TheWillHicks
Would you like to be a part of the show? Leave us a review on iTunes and we'll read it on a future episode. Don't forget to subscribe and listen for new episodes every week.