November. Essex. Mud. Water. Obstacles.
Nuclear Fallout feels like a suitably brutal way to take the Tough Smudge journey deeper into autumn.
Held at Nuclear Essex in Kelvedon Hatch near Brentwood, Fallout takes the award-winning Nuclear obstacle course and adds something that no organiser can manufacture: November weather.
The course runs through farmland, woodland, lakes and boggy ground, combining natural terrain with more than 40 man-made and natural obstacles on the 6K course. There are 6K and 12K options, with the longer challenge adding another lap and another opportunity for the mud, cold and obstacles to start taking their toll.
And Nuclear looks very different from the Tough Mudders that have formed much of the journey so far.
The obstacle density is immediately noticeable. Rather than long stretches of running separating the major challenges, Nuclear packs an enormous amount into a relatively compact course. Cargo nets, water, mud pits, climbing obstacles, woodland, slides and the famous Deathslide all contribute to something that should place a greater emphasis on repeated obstacle work rather than simply covering distance.
Then there is the time of year.
By 7 November, conditions could become an important part of the challenge. Nuclear itself describes Fallout as its winter beast, with the colder and muddier conditions distinguishing it from the spring Nuclear Rush event.
That makes it particularly useful preparation for what lies ahead.
World’s Toughest Mudder won’t take place in comfortable conditions carefully selected for a Sunday morning run. It will require dealing with water, temperature changes, fatigue and the mental challenge of getting wet and uncomfortable before continuing anyway.
Fallout provides another opportunity to find out how I respond when those elements begin to combine.
It’s also another new event organiser and another style of obstacle racing to experience. Tough Mudder has taught me one set of lessons. Born Survivor should add another. Nuclear brings its own obstacles, course design and approach to the sport.
The more variety I can experience now, the fewer completely unfamiliar situations there should be when the bigger challenges arrive.
So there is something appropriately ominous about heading into the Essex countryside in November for an event called Fallout.
Cold. Mud. Water. 40+ obstacles.
Sounds like exactly the sort of bad idea Tough Smudge was created for.