As one contestant said as he walked toward the start line, Tough Mudder is like “a big playground for adults.”
The sold-out Tough Mudder SoCal race at Vail Lake Resort in Temecula opened Saturday and continues today.
Thousands by the carloads funneled down Highway 79 for an 11-mile, multi-obstacle challenge course that both pushes contestants and brings them closer together.
Estimated to take three hours to complete, the race includes obstacles like scaling 12-foot-high walls, running up a quarter pipe, and crawling through mud under barbed wire.
The obstacles are designed by British Special Forces to test a person’s strength, stamina, mental grit and camaraderie, according to the Tough Mudder website.
But as excruciating as it might look to spectators, contestants on Saturday said it wasn’t impossible.
Not that it wasn’t tasking on the body.
“Oh, my legs hurt,” said Austin Mariglia, 25, of La Quinta.
Mariglia was accompanied by his team — Team Foundry Crossfit — including Erin Maddox, 26, Tiffani Williams, 32, and Mark Mariglia, 49.
Maddox said the event was “challenging, but doable,” but the ice tubs were a struggle.
Vats of ice filled with some green coloring required participants to jump in and then hold their breath as they swam under a wood board.
“I’ve never panicked like that in my life,” Maddox said.
For Bay-area residents Jan Huang, 24, and Justin Chen, 23, the event was worth flying in for. Both said they felt “good” and “elated” after completing the run.
“It was fun because we were with friends,” Huang said.
Many teams dressed up for the race, which includes costume awards, such as “Most Likely to Have Been in the Village People.”
The run continues today, followed by a post-party for contestants. Spectators may watch for $40; tickets are available onsite.
Parking on Saturday was $10 per car. Be prepared for traffic backups on Interstate 15 at the 79 exit, as well as backups near Vail Lake.
Like with all the Tough Mudder events, contestants can help to raise funds for the Wounded Warrior Project, which is a nonprofit organization helping U.S. servicemen and servicewomen who have been severely injured.
According to a growing ticker on the website, the events have helped raise over $2.7 million for the nonprofit.
For more information, visit their website or Facebook page.
Email rachael.recker@swrnn.com or follow her on Twitter
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Good coverage, but look into a better photo gallery format. Page visitors are less likely to look at the entire gallery if they have to reload the entire page for each picture.
Tim: I just changed it for you and other readers. It will no longer refresh the page. Readers just have to make sure to click on the three separate tabs to see all of the photos. Thanks for the input, and thanks for reading.
-Rachael Recker, SWRNN Entertainment Editor
Hi, and thanks for the coverage.
Are there more pictures available of Team Kiss?
This looking like a lot of fun! Make sure you check out Hero Rush-It’s a new 5k firefighter themed obstacle series! (Herorush.com)
Something has to be done about the traffic on Hwy 79, especially when the event is over and all the cars are exiting the lake parking lot. Pay for some traffic control at least. It took me an hour to go less than 10 miles for christ’s sake! Have fun doing whatever it is you are doing, but don’t make the rest of the motorists suffer. Run through the mud, but schedule the end of the event for 3:00am for instance. Have a traffic cop directing traffic through the Anza intersection perhaps. THINK ABOUT IT