UPDATE 11/9/18 – New Photos Released, Added to each description
TOUGH MUDDER UNVEILS TALLEST OBSTACLE EVER AT WORLD'S TOUGHEST MUDDER
10 new and updated obstacles announced for the 2019 season
Elite athletes from around the globe compete for the World’s Toughest Mudder title and $100,000 in cash prizes this weekend in Atlanta, GA
BROOKLYN, NY (November 8, 2018) – Today, Tough Mudder Inc., announced brand-new, better-than-ever obstacles for the 2019 event season. The new obstacles including signature features, will be first put to the test at World’s Toughest Mudder – the most extreme, insane, imposing, pulse-pounding, heart-stopping obstacle course challenge on the planet. Elite athletes including former World’s Toughest Mudder champion, Ryan Atkins, Lindsay Webster, Allison Tai and military veteran and Dancing with the Stars competitor, Noah Galloway will join over 1,500 participants at the grueling, 24-hour extreme endurance race on November 10 and 11 in Atlanta, GA.
“At Tough Mudder HQ, the innovation never stops, we’re always working to bring fans new experiences and epic obstacles,” said Nolan Kombol, Senior Product Director at Tough Mudder. “We’re excited to put the all-new 2019 lineup to the test with some of the best athletes in the world.”
Tough Mudder’s 2019 obstacle menu is truly one for the record books, with an incredible list of 10 new and updated obstacles being added, featuring the tallest and longest obstacles the brand has ever created. In addition to new obstacles, Tough Mudder is bringing back all-time Mudder favorites, as well as continuing to upgrade the overall experience for Mudder Nation with an expanded Mudder Village festival experience including live entertainment, games, and authentic local food options.
Tough Mudder's MUDDERHORN – from TM's YouTube Channel
Tough Mudder fans will no doubt be excited to learn that Mudderhorn is the tallest obstacle to ever appear on a course to date, standing at a staggering 35 feet tall. This colossal climb will test Mudders’ teamwork as they come face to face with their fear of heights and clamber up the cargo net to the top.
Challenging the jaw-dropping heights of Mudderhorn is The Gauntlet, the longest obstacle to appear on a course to date. The Gauntlet features multiple sections, each designed to test a different skill set, making it the ultimate total body strength challenge. From balance and agility through to core and grip strength, the Gauntlet will be one of the most demanding challenges ever seen on an obstacle course.
Meanwhile, Black Widow is set to be a new fan favorite based on rave reviews by early obstacle testers, where agility and teamwork are vital to negotiating and traversing a tangled spider’s web of interwoven tightropes.
“We’ve spent months planning, scheming, alpha testing, beta testing, and even hiring our first-ever Chief Obstacle Tester, and now, our 2019 obstacles are finally here,” said Kombol. “It’ll be fun to see these obstacles in competitive action for the first time this weekend at World’s Toughest Mudder.”
Every year, new obstacle concepts are submitted by both the public and TMHQ staff, before being examined in Tough Mudder’s Obstacle Innovation Lab. In 2018, over 500 new obstacle concepts were received, with just 50 making the cut to be tested live on courses during an “Alpha Testing” phase.
A secondary stage of trials took place in September, during a “Beta Testing” phase held in Atlanta. Here, a select group of obstacle testers, along with the newly recruited Chief Obstacle Tester, took on brand new obstacle concepts and participated in a series of feedback sessions. After this final round of testing, the final 10 new or updated obstacles were selected.
Next year, three of these new obstacles will also be featured on the shorter 5K courses, bringing the total number of obstacles at Tough Mudder 5K to 13. These events are designed to encourage fun, teamwork and camaraderie, allowing Mudders of all abilities even more fun ways to slip, slide and scale their way around the course.
The culmination of these punishing obstacles and elite athletes in one location, on one course, makes for the best head-to-head showdown in the industry. Determination, dedication and sheer strength are traits on full display at World’s Toughest Mudder. Competitors across various disciplines including CrossFit, American Ninja Warrior, and the United States Armed Forces will put their training to the test as they crush these new obstacles.
For more information on the 2019 Tough Mudder obstacles, World’s Toughest Mudder, or to register for an event, visit ToughMudder.com Join the conversation by following Tough Mudder on Twitter at @ToughMudder or Instagram at @Tough_Mudder.
2019 Signature Obstacles:
- Mudderhorn – At 35 feet high, the Mudderhorn is the tallest obstacle on a Tough Mudder course – ever! Participants will work together to face their fear of heights as they climb the cargo net to the top.
Mudderhorn – Copyright 2018 Tough Mudder
- The Gauntlet – Clocking in at over 100 feet long, The Gauntlet is the longest obstacle to ever be featured at a Tough Mudder! Only the strongest Mudders will survive this ultimate total body strength and endurance challenge. The Gauntlet’s four sections each test different elements — balance, upper body strength, and grip strength – and each is based on an iconic Tough Mudder obstacle from seasons past.
The Gauntlet – Copyright 2018 Tough Mudder
- Black Widow – You'll be wishing you had four extra limbs when you face this web of tightropes suspended over a 30’ long water pit. Grab on where ever you can and hold on tight as the movement of your fellow Mudders causes you to shake, rattle and roll.
Black Widow – Copyright 2018 Tough Mudder
New & Updated Obstacles:
- Augustus Gloop 2.0 – An all-time Mudder favorite, back by popular demand and better and more badass than ever. How do you make this claustrophobic vertical climb extra-tough? Just add water. With high-pressure jets pouring in from every angle, it’s not just a race to the top – it’s a race against your own mind.
- Leap of Faith – Run, jump and commit to clearing a six-foot water-filled gap, then grab tight to the hanging rope net and don’t let go. You’re only halfway home.
Leap of Faith – Copyright 2018 Tough Mudder
- Spread Eagle – Spread Eagle isn’t an obstacle to take lightly. You’re going to drop down on all fours and climb like your Mudder credentials depend on it. Because 30 feet of quivering, quaking, non-stop shaking slackline is not going to let you off easy. Core strength is key, but teamwork rules this obstacle. Lose your balance and you won’t just go down – you’ll take your fellow Mudders with you.
- Entrapment – You’ll need to harness your inner action hero if you plan on conquering Entrapment, with its low crawl through 30 feet of ever-narrowing space. Dream big, Mudder, but stay grounded…if you fly too high, you might get zapped.
- Hydrophobia – Conquering an obstacle is a lot like conquering your fears. And sometimes, the two come as part of the same package. Hydrophobia is an obstacle unlike any other. Test your courage as you crawl through a batch of claustrophobic, semi-submerged 20-foot-long blacked-out pipes.
Hydrophobia – Copyright 2018 Tough Mudder
- Texas Hold’em – This straight-shootin’, bad-news-tootin’ obstacle is all about teamwork – and balance. This see-sawing triangular platform wants you and your fellow Mudders off, and in a hurry. The only way to get across is to do-si-do it together. So, grab a teammate and hold on tight – it’s time to do a little dance we like to call The Mudder Shuffle.
- Tight Squeeze – Slide to the left. Slide to the right. Take it back now, y’all. There’s only one formula for surviving Tight Squeeze and it’s – yep, you guessed it – to get small, then slide under and through. But it’s not easy. Because that means embracing the mud. Getting down and dirty and digging deep.
Tight Squeeze – Copyright 2018 Tough Mudder
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About Tough Mudder, Inc.
Founded in 2010 with the launch of the Tough Mudder obstacle course event series, Tough Mudder Inc. has become a leading global sports, active lifestyle and media brand. With more than 3 million participants, the company hosts more than 150+ events featuring non-competitive (Mini Mudder; Tough Mudder 5K, Tough Mudder Half, and Tough Mudder Full) and competitive (Tougher, Toughest, Tough Mudder X and World's Toughest Mudder) offerings annually in nearly a dozen countries including The United Kingdom, The United States, Germany, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Canada, South Africa, the Philippines, Oman and more through its partnerships with IMG, Invictus Events, Pro Active, Let's Run Ireland and Sports Media and Entertainment 360 (SME360). The company's content arm provides the millions of engaged online brand enthusiasts with fitness, nutrition and wellness content delivered daily across social and digital platforms. Tough Mudder broadcast, OTT and Live Stream programming can be seen worldwide through partnerships with CBS Sports, Facebook, Sky Sports, The CW Network and ESPN Media Distribution. Other sponsorship and distribution partners include CELSIUS, Merrell, KILL CLIFF, Soap & Glory, Guinness, Jack Link's, BrewDog, Samsung, Lucozade Sport, Trek, Toyo Tires, Kingstone Press, Black Tower, Strandgut, Snapchat and Live Stream.
World’s Toughest Mudder
World’s Toughest Mudder is known as one of the most extreme endurance events in the world. Competitors are eligible to win a total of more than $100,000 in prizing, including a grand prize of $10,000 for the man, woman and team that completes the most miles and a $10,000 bonus prize for individual competitors who break the historical mileage records. Like all Tough Mudder events, World’s Toughest Mudder encourages Mudders to work together, help one another overcome obstacles and push past their physical and mental boundaries. While competitive in nature, World’s Toughest Mudder is about finding one’s personal limits and putting teamwork to the test, and hundreds of participants take part in the event as a team. The course is a grueling, five-mile loop featuring diverse terrain, steep hills, mud pits and more. Prizes are awarded to participants and teams who complete the most miles within 24 hours.
Tough Mudder Obstacle Innovation Lab
The focus of the Obstacle Innovation Lab looking towards 2019 was to double the amount of obstacle innovation with the aim to bring more new obstacles to the course than ever before. For the first time ever, Tough Mudder HQ held two beta tests (one in the UK and one in North America) and hired a Chief Obstacle Tester (COT) to help test the final obstacle concepts to ensure the company was delivering what it’s known for: the best obstacles in the industry.
Throughout 2018 over 500 new obstacle concepts, submitted by both the public and TMHQ staff, were examined in the Lab. Next, 50+ concepts were tested live on course in select “Alpha Tests” through the last few 2018 events. After gathering feedback from Mudders on course, the final round of testing took place at Beta Testing, where a select group of testers along with our Chief Obstacle Tester took on multiple brand new concepts and participated in a series of feedback sessions.
The Obstacle Innovation Lab in North America is headed-up by Kyle McLaughlin and Nolan Kombol, who manage the process of taking all the weird and wonderful obstacle concepts through to tried, tested and amazing obstacles that Mudders enjoy on every course.
Obstacle Innovation Stats:
- Over 500 new obstacle ideas and concepts from the public and TMQH staff globally
- 50+ concepts considered for Alpha Testing
- 35 concepts tested at Beta Testing
- 10 new or updated obstacles on 2019 courses, and more innovation throughout the 2019 season