From Tough to Toughest Mudder
Devin Nelson went from running ultramarathons to Tough Mudders to the Worlds Toughest Mudder.
A Tough Mudder is an obstacle course race 13 miles long with 25 obstacle,s some of them include electricity, mud, climbing, and monkey bars. He ran in the Tough Mudder events for several years before he was drawn into the World’s Toughest Mudder which is running the course for 24 hours. The goal is to see how far you can go in the time you have.
In training for his Tough Mudder races he ran his first trail marathon, The Hawk Marathon in Lawrence, KS. And he ran a 50 K as a training run.
Devin was one of 11 finishers in the Hawk 100 in 2021. There were 47 who started the race, but the trail as well as the heat and humidity took its toll on the runners. This race features a trail section that has its own “support group” on Facebook: The White Trail Support Group.
Training for the Silver Heels 100 led him and his friend Johnathan to drive from Topeka, KS, to the area around Colorado Springs to train. They ran up mountains, following the path of ski lifts. They ran the Manitou Incline: claimed to be the hardest mile in the world. It’s like a long, unbroken set of stairs going up the mountainside. They also ran the trail where the Pikes Peak Marathon is run.
Their training was intended to give them some tolerance for the altitude for the Silver Heels ultramarathon. But the race was another 4000 feet higher than the mountains they trained on.
Devin and Johnathan both entered the race. The Silver Heels 100 starts in Fairplay, CO, at an elevation of over 10000 feet and goes up from there, but never lower. The total elevation gain is 17000 feet. The combination of the altitude and elevation gain was a factor in their DNF. But, Devin looked back and realized that there was a seed of doubt in their minds when they started. And that seed grew as the miles went by. They were still ahead of the cutoff when they pulled out.
The Tough Mudder community, like the ultramarathon trail running community, drew Devin in and made him want more. The obstacles are often hard to overcome on your own. There are people who sign up for the race just so they can help others achieve their goals. And the competitors also have to work together to get past the more difficult obstacles.
Besides running, Devin says he does a lot of kettlebell workouts and a lot of strength training. He thinks this helps with recovery. He also does a lot of core exercises, andsquats, because he has to use his legs to jump. Also he does push-ups and a lot of burpees.
Devin says his wife is amazing because of her support and encouragement. She goes with him to his races and acts as crew and support. She also makes friends with people in other crews and lends a hand for any runner who might need extra help
Connect with Devin
Facebook: Devin Nelson
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