This weekend Tough Smudge is heading somewhere new.
On Saturday 12 September I’ll be at Born Survivor Lancashire at Ribble Valley, Gisburn, taking on the 12 km Elite Squadron.
I’ve done Tough Mudder. I’ve got considerably more Tough Mudder ahead of me. But Born Survivor will be something different, and after reading the event guide, the Elite Squadron rules and the latest information from the organisers, I’m beginning to get a much clearer idea of exactly what I’ve signed myself up for.
12 kilometres. 29 obstacles. Around 347 metres of elevation. And quite a lot of mud.
Bring it on.
Friday Night in The Smudgery
The adventure actually starts on Friday.
I’ll be heading over in The Smudgery, finding somewhere sensible to park reasonably close to the venue and spending the night in the van.
Nothing particularly glamorous is planned. The priorities will be some carbohydrate-heavy food, hydration, getting the kit sorted and trying to get a decent night’s sleep before Saturday morning.
Born Survivor’s own Elite instructions recommend starting hydration at least three days before the event, so preparation really begins well before I reach Lancashire.
Then it’s an early start.
Registration opens at 8:30am and the Elite Squadron wave leaves at 9:45am. Before that there is a mandatory safety briefing and a military-style warm-up led by a Royal Marines instructor.
Just in case 12 km of hills, mud and obstacles wasn’t enough exercise.
12 km, 29 Obstacles and No Helping Hands
The course takes us through fields, woodland, watercourses, deep mud and some fairly unforgiving terrain.
The organisers describe steep climbs, deep water and high walls, while the course map gives approximately 347 metres of elevation across the 12 km route.
But the biggest difference for me isn’t necessarily the course.
It’s the word Elite.
Elite Squadron competitors are expected to complete every obstacle without assistance.
That’s quite a change from the cooperative nature of Tough Mudder, where helping somebody over a wall is simply part of the experience. At Born Survivor Elite, if there is a wall in front of me, I’m getting myself over it.
Or I’m not.
Refusing an obstacle, bypassing one or failing to complete one correctly can result in disqualification from the Elite competition. You can still continue and complete the course, but you lose your official Elite placing or leaderboard position.
That distinction matters.
I’m going to give every obstacle a proper attempt, but I didn’t upgrade to Elite because I thought I was going to challenge for the podium.
There was another attraction.
More on that shortly.
A Few Obstacles Have Definitely Caught My Attention
I won’t go through all 29, but the Elite rules have highlighted a few interesting ones.
Kampta’s Karry involves carrying a 15 kg black jerry can.
At Commando Crossing, the monkey bars have to be completed without falling into the water if I want to remain in the Elite competition. Fall off and it’s back for another attempt.
The Rope Traverse also has to be completed successfully.
There is proper deep water at Para Plunge, while The Baptist may involve a short river swim depending upon conditions.
Then there are the walls, Survivor’s Peak and finally The Blitz, the big finishing wall which Elite competitors have to complete without using the rope.
Once over that, the actual finish is rather brilliantly on top of Born Survivor’s wooden Ammo Boxes.
Which does leave me with one important question.
If I lose my Elite status somewhere along the way, do I still get the shiny medal?
The rules make it clear that disqualification from Elite doesn’t stop you completing the event, but they don’t explicitly explain the medal situation.
I’m assuming nobody is waiting at the Ammo Boxes to deny me the shiny thing.
I may check.
Priorities.
Can I Beat the 90-Minute Timing Cut-Off?
The latest information from Born Survivor added another challenge.
The Elite Squadron timing cut-off is 1 hour 30 minutes.
That means covering 12 km, around 347 metres of elevation and 29 obstacles inside 90 minutes if I want to stay within the official Elite timing window.
That works out at roughly 7 minutes 30 seconds per kilometre, but that average has to include everything.
The running.
The hills.
The mud.
The 15 kg carry.
The walls.
The monkey bars.
The water.
And all the other obstacles in between.
So although 7:30/km doesn’t sound especially frightening when written on a screen, doing it across this course is something quite different.
Can I make the 90 minutes?
I genuinely don’t know.
I’ll certainly try, but with Tough Mudder London South only seven days later, the sensible priority is to come away from Born Survivor having challenged myself rather than having broken myself.
The 90-minute mark therefore gives me something interesting to chase.
It doesn’t define whether the day has been a success.
The Real Reason I Upgraded to Elite
This was actually the part that persuaded me to change my original entry.
Elite Squadron competitors can go around again.
Provided I get back and start another lap before the final wave departs at 12:40pm, I can head back out onto the course for a second lap.
And, rather importantly, there isn’t another entry fee for doing it.
When I saw that option, upgrading suddenly became very appealing.
One 12 km lap gives me 29 obstacles.
Two laps potentially gives me around 24 km and 58 obstacle encounters in the same day.
Now that sounds like useful training.
Whether it sounds quite as appealing after I have actually completed the first lap is another question entirely.
The Elite wave starts at 9:45am and the last wave leaves at 12:40pm, so I have just under three hours from the start of my first lap to get myself back around and make the decision.
If I beat the 90-minute timing cut-off, there should be plenty of time.
If I don’t, the second lap may still be available depending on when I finish.
And that is probably the decision I’m most interested in making on Saturday.
Do I get to those Ammo Boxes, collect the shiny thing, look back at the course I’ve just survived…
…and then turn around and do it all again?
One Part I’m Unexpectedly Interested In
There is also a slightly more practical reason I’ll be having a look around the Event Village.
INOV8 are one of the event sponsors and will be there with a limited number of their MUDTALON trail shoes available to loan and test around the obstacle course.
I already know I’m going to need at least a second pair of trail shoes before Tough Mudder Manchester.
I’m planning to run on both Saturday and Sunday that weekend, and the thought of getting up on Sunday morning and forcing my feet back into the cold, wet trainers from Saturday isn’t especially appealing.
So I’ll be interested to talk to the INOV8 team, see what they recommend and have a proper look at the MUDTALON.
Whether I come away with another item for the Tough Smudge equipment cupboard remains to be seen.
I’m Not Completely Sold on the Festival Bit
There is one other part of the event information that has left me slightly apprehensive, although this may turn out to be completely misplaced.
Born Survivor appears to put quite a lot of emphasis on the Event Village and post-race party.
There is a bar, DJ, live bands, food stalls, samba drums and music running through much of the afternoon.
For a lot of people that will probably be a major part of the attraction.
I’m less certain.
I’m going for the course, the obstacles and the challenge. The military-inspired side of Born Survivor appeals to me considerably more than the festival side, so I’m interested to see how the two actually fit together on the day.
It might be brilliant.
It might not be my thing.
Either way, that’s part of trying a different event rather than simply doing another Tough Mudder.
The Real Challenge
One part of the Elite Squadron information did stand out.
Born Survivor makes the point that the leaderboard position isn’t the real reward. The preparation, participation, inner challenge and simply knowing that you turned up are what matter.
That I understand.
There is an official Elite clock running on Saturday, but I’m not going to Lancashire because I expect to win anything.
I’m going because it’s another challenge.
- Can I complete all 29 obstacles?
- Can I beat the 90-minute timing cut-off?
- Will the Born Survivor atmosphere win me over?
- Will the shiny medal survive any Elite disqualification?
And the big one…
After 12 km, 29 obstacles and 347 metres of climbing, will I actually turn around and do it all again?
I’ll know the answers on Saturday.
And next week, I’ll tell you what happened.
Tough Smudge is ultimately about much more than collecting medals and finding increasingly ridiculous ways of spending a weekend. Every challenge is another opportunity to raise awareness and support for Prostate Cancer UK, and another step along a much bigger road.
Endure. Overcome. Make It Count.