The running might be solo.
The journey doesn’t have to be.
World’s Toughest Mudder is ultimately a solo challenge.
Tough Smudge does not have to be.
The Pit Crew is for people who want to get a little closer to the journey and help make the next start line, the next challenge and the next slightly questionable idea possible.
By joining Tough Smudge on Patreon, you are directly supporting the project behind the events: the training, travel, entry fees, equipment, content and all the other things that turn “I fancy doing another Tough Mudder” into an increasingly ambitious endurance programme.
You also get to come behind the scenes and see more of what happens between the finish lines.
Welcome to the Pit
This is not intended to become a massive paywall around Tough Smudge.
The main story, event results, fundraising and plenty of content will continue to be available publicly.
Patreon is different.
It is where I can share more of the journey with the people who have chosen to actively support it.
The training that went brilliantly.
The session that went horribly.
Plans for the next event.
What I am testing.
What I am worried about.
What worked.
What absolutely did not.
And occasionally the moment when somebody suggests something ridiculous and I make the mistake of thinking:
“Actually… I reckon I could do that.”
The Pit Crew gets a little closer to all of it.
What does the Pit Crew support?
It supports Tough Smudge
Patreon membership is not a charitable donation.
Money received through Patreon supports Tough Smudge and the cost of developing the endurance project.
That can include things such as:
- event entry fees;
- travel;
- accommodation;
- training;
- equipment;
- nutrition and hydration;
- recovery;
- filming and photography;
- editing and content production;
- website and technology costs;
- and the other costs involved in undertaking and documenting the challenges.
That support allows me to take on more, document more and build Tough Smudge into a larger platform.
And a larger Tough Smudge platform gives me a bigger opportunity to raise money and awareness for causes that matter.
What about Prostate Cancer UK?
That remains completely separate.
My fundraising for Prostate Cancer UK is personal and hugely important to me.
Money donated through my charity fundraising page goes directly to the charity.
It does not pay for my race entries, hotels, trainers or anything else associated with running Tough Smudge.
If your priority is simply to support Prostate Cancer UK, that is brilliant.
Donate directly to Prostate Cancer UK
If you want to help build Tough Smudge itself and come along for the journey, that is what the Pit Crew is for.
What do Pit Crew members get?
More of the journey
I want Patreon to contain things that are genuinely worth following rather than inventing rewards for the sake of having a list of rewards.
Depending on what is happening at the time, Pit Crew content may include:
Behind the scenes
Training updates, event preparation, kit decisions, travel plans, logistics and the bits that do not necessarily warrant a full article on the main site.
Pit notes
Shorter thoughts and updates as the journey develops.
Sometimes there is not enough for a full Tough Smudge article.
There is often still something worth saying.
Early looks
Previews of new Tough Smudge ideas, challenges, equipment, merchandise and content before they appear publicly.
Event build-up
What I am trying to achieve at the next event, how I intend to approach it and what I am testing.
After the mud
The slightly less polished version of what actually happened.
What hurt.
What went wrong.
What surprised me.
What I would change next time.
And whether, despite everything I have just written, I have already booked another one.
Have your say
As the Pit Crew grows, I want members to have opportunities to influence parts of the journey.
That might include voting on ideas, suggesting challenges, helping choose content, asking questions or simply telling me that something I am considering is an exceptionally bad idea.
I reserve the right to ignore that final piece of advice.
Latest from the Pit
Tough Smudge is officially live
It feels slightly strange writing this, because a few months ago Tough Smudge was little more than an idea.Now it has a home.tough-smudge.uk is live, the social channels are up…
This is my first post
So, this is the first post – really not sure what to post as I'm trying to set this account up so that I can link through to my socials…
The Pit Crew right now
Every member helps move Tough Smudge a little further down the road.
The aim is not to chase an enormous membership number for the sake of displaying one.
It is to build a group of people who genuinely want to see where this goes.
You are helping make things happen
There is something quite tangible about Patreon support.
A membership might contribute towards getting me to the next event.
A group of members might effectively cover an entry fee.
As the Pit Crew grows, it could help make additional events possible that I otherwise would not have entered.
Longer term, it can help fund better filming, better content, more ambitious challenges and ultimately a much bigger Tough Smudge programme.
I will still put my own money into this.
I am not asking other people to fund a hobby while I sit back and enjoy the ride.
But support changes what is possible.
It can turn:
“That would be brilliant, but it is probably too expensive.”
into:
“Right then. How are we going to do this?”
That is when things get interesting.
What Patreon will not become
I do not want to create a Patreon account that immediately becomes another job producing artificial “member benefits”.
I would rather promise less and make what I do post worth reading.
So there will not be:
- manufactured daily updates because a calendar says I owe one;
- meaningless downloadable certificates;
- endless sales messages;
- claims that joining the Pit Crew somehow makes you a charitable donor;
- or the best parts of Tough Smudge suddenly disappearing behind a paywall.
Patreon should add another layer to the journey.
It should not ruin the public one.
Want to be part of it?
You do not need to run.
You do not need to crawl through mud.
You definitely do not need to volunteer to stand in a pit area for 24 hours in the middle of the night.
Although if anybody does fancy that last one, we may need to talk before June 2027.
Joining the Pit Crew simply means saying:
“I like what you are trying to do. Keep going.”
That support genuinely matters.
It helps build Tough Smudge.
It helps make more ambitious challenges possible.
And it means that when I stand on the next start line, I am not quite doing it entirely on my own.
Rather support in another way?
Donate to Prostate Cancer UK
Support the charity directly.
Partner with Tough Smudge
Discuss sponsorship, products, services or a commercial partnership.
Support Tough Smudge
See all the different ways you can help.
Endure. Overcome. Make it count.