Since 2011, World’s Toughest Mudder has been the extreme, insane, imposing, pulse-pounding, heart-stopping 24-hour long culmination of the Tough Mudder season, that is not only a challenge but a competition. Designed to give the world’s most hardcore OCR athletes the opportunity to display their competitive spirit in a non-stop 24 hour battle of grit and willpower, WTM is the toughest event on the planet… which begs the question: why would anyone want to put themselves through this?
You asked, and we’re answering. During the month of October, we’ll be releasing 4 part series with Amazon featuring 5 different athletes and their individual journeys to the world’s most grueling day-long obstacle race being held in Las Vegas on November 11th, 2017. Starting October 9th, every Monday in October we’ll be releasing an episode that will showcase an intimate portrait of a WTM athlete: who they are, how they train, why they train, and how they prepare physically and mentally for WTM 2017. Watch our athletes’ preparation pay off live on ToughMudder.com on 11/11/17 and during the 1-hour special on CBS, the Home of World’s Toughest Mudder, on 12/23/17
Ep.1: Superman
On October 9th, get ready for the release of the first episode of the series featuring Tyson, also known as “Superman” who at age 33 is a paraplegic athlete from Woodland, California. While he might be confined to a chair, Superman is not limited in mind or body; instead he is as serious and as tough an athlete as you’ll find on the course. He was a star football and basketball player until he was 19 years old, when he fell off a roof during a construction job and broke his back.
While Tyson’s fate may have been sealed, his inner athlete-spirit continues to soar. At age 33, Superman tried his first Tough Mudder with his brother and team. That’s when he knew this was the sport he wanted to pursue. 10 Tough Mudders later, Superman is now training every single day with his team to prepare for World’s Toughest Mudder 2017. With a goal of completing 25 miles, he will be the first paraplegic athlete to attempt this grueling race.
Ep.2: Ryan & Lindsay
On October 16th we’ll bring you Super Couple from Toronto, Canada. Ryan and Lindsay have been dominating the 2017 Toughest Mudder Season. Ryan is the 2016 World’s Toughest Mudder reigning champ, and while Lindsay is new to the scene, she’s proving to be a serious contender this year. This young, dynamic, super couple has carved out a professional space for themselves in the world of obstacle course racing: training and racing full time, while making a living off of prize money and and sponsorships. Both as beautiful as they are talented, the duo remains humble as they live a quiet life in rural Canada, doing what they love: training in the outdoors all year round.
Ep.3: Stef Bishop
2016 WTM Champ Stef Bishop is as tough as she is feisty. She not only plans on winning again, she plans to be the first woman to reach 100 miles in the 24 hour obstacle race. Stef has lived for extremes since she left her high-paying Wall Street job to pursue a career as a professional OCR athlete. Her 2017 racing season was filled with ups and downs, now, with three months before World’s, she is training by herself in the Colorado Rockies.
Ep.4: Mark James
Finally, in the series final on October 30th, Mudder Nation will realize that OCR isn’t just only for the 35 and under crowd. Mark James, 50, is a superfit father of three, a Navy Seal Instructor, and gunning for 75+ miles at World’s. Mark tries to find balance in life between work, fatherhood and his athletic endeavors. As the current top-spot leader on the quest to the Holy Grail with 220 annual miles logged this year, Mark is hoping to bring home the 2017 Holy Grail and log 75+ miles on the WTM Lake Las Vegas course.