Tough Mudder, part of Spartan, has officially kicked off its 2021 UK season, hosting a teamwork based obstacle course race (OCR) in Henley-on-Thames, West London on July 17-18.
‘The sold out event was met with great enthusiasm from participants and Illustrated the demand for a safe return to live events. The event was held with strict COVID-19 operating protocols, including reduced capacity, introduction of social distancing and lateral flow testing requirements to provide a safe environment.’
“The impact of the last-minute event cancellation by the Midlothian Council at our event outside of Edinburgh on 3-4 July was devastating, given we were mere hours away from opening the gates to over 5,000 participants on a fully constructed, 1,000 acre event site,” said Matt Brooke, Managing Director, Spartan & Tough Mudder UK.
“Following the disappointment, it was amazing to see Mudders back on course for the first time since 2019 – hand-in-hand overcoming great obstacles. It was truly an emotional experience and a sign of wonderful things to come this season.”
In line with UK Government policy on event capacity, 4,000 people per day got together in the picturesque town of Henley-On-Thames (home to the Royal Regatta) to mark the return of large scale sporting events.
The season kick-off also heralded the return of some of the event brand’s most testing obstacles, including Mudderhorn… ‘the highest obstacle course racing (OCR) obstacle ever built.’
Tough Mudder obstacles are designed to encourage camaraderie amongst participants, requiring teamwork and, often, a helping hand to complete. In addition to helping each other on-course, many participants are raising funds for charities who’ve supported the community throughout the pandemic.
Tough Mudder has a host of partners in the UK including PhD, Lidl, Three Fold Hard Seltzer, So.Beer, Monster Hydrosport, Fireball Whiskey, Actiph, Urban Fudge and Isuzu.
”We’re looking ahead and forward to one of the biggest and busiest event calendars we’ve staged in years,” added Brooke. “Back-to-back Tough Mudder and Spartan events are being hosted right across the UK in 2021.”
The Spartan UK season will kick-off on July 24-25 in Market Harborough in the Midlands. In addition to the 10k, 25-obstacle ‘Spartan Super’ and the shorter Sprint series, racers will be running through the night in the 12-hour Hurricane Heat. The event will also play host to the UK launch of the Spartan Race Trail Series.
www.ToughMudder.com
www.Spartan.com
