The inaugural Tough Mudder Infinity event in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, featured over 1,000 participants. Held on Saturday, February 24th, in the northwest of the country, the obstacle course racing (OCR) field was made up of elite-level athletes and those looking to take on the intense eight-hour endurance race, which was the first of its kind in the MENA region.
More than 40 countries globally were represented, and there was also plenty of local representation with the likes of Nelly Attar, the first Arab woman to climb K2, and Rakan Al-Thaqafi, a Saudi Arabian amateur boxing champion, taking part.
Nic Cartwright, Tough Mudder Middle East License Holder, said “We’re thrilled to bring the first ever Tough Mudder Infinity in the Middle East, right here in AlUla, Saudi Arabia.
“Athletes from over 40 nations battled it out for the largest prize pool in OCR history, while a total of 1,000 participants pushed their limits across all race courses – a testament to the growing sport of obstacle course racing in the region.
“Our incredible partners at the Royal Commission of AlUla were instrumental in bringing this vision to life and showcasing AlUla’s breath-taking landscape to the world. After this successful inaugural event, we look forward to bringing more exciting OCR experiences to the region in years to come.”
Jon Albon and Alisa Petrova were the respective men’s and women’s winners of the inaugural Tough Mudder Infinity event in AlUla with an overall prize pot of US$480,000, the largest in obstacle course racing history.
Men’s race winner Jon Albon said “It was tough, it was a tough course in its own way, the sand and the terrain and the fact it was flat made it really challenging as your legs got stiff on the sand. It was over two years since I last did an obstacle course race, so it was nice to come back and find out whether I can do some obstacles. I really enjoyed the rings – I realised I hadn’t lost my touch.”
On the prize money, he added “Not too shabby – it’s the best payday I’ve had from a race which is the cherry on the cake.”
Women’s race winner Alisa Petrova said “It was the first Tough Mudder race I’ve ever done – I’ve never ran so long before. I did 90km, the longest race I did.
“I tried sky running before, which was 50km. [Tough Mudder] was so tough. The last two laps were so tough and my body started rejecting food and I could only drink water. My legs are so sore, and I’m so tired but so happy. First time winning a big race.”
www.toughmudderarabia.com/alula
