Want inspiration and chills? Read this summary of 2014s Worlds Toughest Mudder held in the Mojave Desert written by 3D Training member Dean Milosch. Were in awe of how much Dean has set his mind to and achieved in the short time hes been at ProForce and cant wait to see what he does next! Officially I completed 50 miles in 25:37:50 which placed me 13th in the 45-49yo male division. In 50 miles there were 230 obstacles and 8000 feet of elevation gain. The course was a 5 mile Tough Mudder course in the outskirts of the Mojave Desert outside of Las Vegas. Competitors had 24 hours to complete as many 5 mile laps as possible. I went over 24 hours because we were allowed to start a lap as long it was before 24 hours, however that lap had to be finished by the 26 hour mark to count. The terrain and weather were unpredictable and unforgiving which only allowed 200 out of 1200 competitors to finish the entire 24 hours. Although it was a Tough Mudder style course, the amount of obstacles were over double that of a normal Tough Mudder and half of them were new and only for the Worlds Toughest Mudder because of the difficulty level. Unlike other Tough Mudders, if you failed to complete an obstacle for any reason you had to complete a penalty which was usually an extra quarter mile loop with a cinder block. One of the new obstacles that stands out for me was the 38 foot cliff jump. You had to complete a 38 foot cliff jump then a 50-70 yard swim to a 25 foot rock wall that you climbed with a cargo net. Technically it was easy because you just jump, swim and climb, however I am not good with heights so being on top of a cliff with the wind blowing was intimidating to me. The first two times I landed wrong and tore up my mouth. Once I got the hang of it the landing wasnt as bad but each time I took that leap it was heart dropping. When we started the weather was perfect. It was in the low 70s and sunny for my first 15 miles (3 laps). On my 4th lap the sun started to go down along with the temperatures. Hypothermia was already affecting many competitors forcing them to drop out including two of the top male contenders (one which won this race two years ago). When I finished lap 4, I didnt think I needed my wetsuit yet but I wasnt taking any chances so I put on my wetsuit, grabbed my headlamp and went out for lap 5 and the night ops portion of the race. Halfway through lap 6 the winds picked up and the temperature dropped even more. I was told that the temperature and windchill got below freezing with winds in excess of 60 mph. Here is a video of the sandstorm: https://youtube/watch?v=XtV5oVABE-w Shortly after the sandstorm hit 800 competitors dropped out or were pulled from the course. Strangely the best I felt the entire race was during the storm on lap 6 and half of lap 7. I enjoy running at night and the sandstorm really heightened all of my senses. Although 200 competitors completed the entire 24 hours, it seemed like only a fraction of the finishers were on the course during the 8 hour sandstorm. The cliff jump was closed at night for safety reasons but replaced with another swim obstacle and a one mile steep hill climb. Dealing with the added elevation did something to my knee during lap 7 and by the end of that lap it became impossible for me to put any pressure on on my knee. I wrapped my knee for lap 8 but made a horrible mistake of not putting thermals on under my wetsuit or grabbing a windbreaker. Lap 8 was my worst lap. The only way I could move forward was by slowing limping sideways. It was a long, painful and emotional lap especially when a volunteer came up to me and hugged me to warm me up. She must of seen how hypothermia was starting to set in from me moving so slow. When I finished that lap my only worry was making it past the medical check so I wouldnt get pulled from the race. I faked my way past medical, however when I got to my tent my body completely shut down. My knee was trashed to a point where I couldnt move it without major pain and I was hypothermic. I got out of my wet clothes and into thermals, then I sat in my tent completely covered by a sleeping bag. I could not feel my feet or put pressure on my knee and I could not get warm, I was done. When I grabbed my phone, I saw that my wife and fellow ProForce athlete Zack Derrico sent me a text to see how I was doing. I told Zack I was hypothermic and I think I was done. He gave me the best advice ever and told me to start eating and keep eating. I was so out of it that the texts to my wife were mostly garble. After passing out for a little over an hour, I saw that my last text to my wife was I think Im done. Her response was, Really? Youre in 12th place in your age division. It was then that I decided to try and get back out on the course. When I saw the time I realized that if I hustle and skip the pit stop that I might be able to do two laps and make 50 miles. That meant 10 miles at least jogging on a bad knee in a wetsuit with only two water stops. I suited up with all my warm gear and still not feeling my feet headed out feeling actually pretty good otherwise. The rest helped my knee to a point where I could jog. With the course being really empty I made good time on lap 9 but I needed to start my last lap before the 24 hour mark. Sprinting through the pit area after lap 9, I started lap 10 in time to try and get my 50 mile bib. Now the issue was that I needed to finish that lap before the 26 hour mark in order for it to count. There were only a couple of us still on the course and I was worried I wouldnt finish on time. My grip was gone and I had nothing left in my legs. Even kneeling down and crawling was a major feat but I was most worried about being able to swim banged up and beyond exhausted. I guess the safety divers and lifeguards were also worried about me since they followed right by my side on each water crossing that final lap. When I made it to the last obstacle, the cliff jump, I had no clue if I could make that swim and if I had the strength to jump off properly. I pulled my wetsuit hood over my mouth which was still bleeding from my first two cliff jumps. If I fell wrong and face planted I figured that at least I would have some protection. I walked off the cliff, closed my eyes and somehow made it back to the surface. It must of looked pathetic since all the safety divers yelled out to see if I was alright. After climbing out I knew that I only had a short run to the finish line and needed to sprint but my legs gave out and I face planted into the rocks. I got my bearings and ran to the finish line to receive my 50 mile bib after 25 hours and 37 minutes of racing. It was a very surreal moment finishing the course that Tough Mudder says was their most challenging yet and in the most brutal conditions. A year and a half prior it was difficult for me to even run a half mile. ProForce helped me gain the strength and mental ability to compete in such an amazing event and against some of the best athletes in the world who are back by sponsors such as Reebok, Under Armour and Wheaties. By finishing 50 miles I have qualified for the OCR World Championships representing Tough Mudder and I look forward to competing against these nationally ranked athletes again. I will also be returning to the Worlds Toughest Mudder in 2015 with a goal of 60 miles. With minor tweaks to my nutrition plan and gear along with using ProForce to help me gain more strength, I feel this aggressive goal is obtainable if I can remain injury free on the course. Thank you ProForce for all you have done for me and how you have changed my life. A year ago I would of never imagined that I would of accomplished all that I have in 2014. Dean
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 23:19:01 +0000
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