Living in Switzerland or Austria, and normal running not hardcore enough for you?

For most of us mortals, running in itself is hardcore enough.  There exists however a certain breed of supermen and superwomen for whom normal running just isn't enough.  They need something more, and thats where races like Tough Guy, Tough Mudder and the Spartan Race series come in.

Just as recent fitness trends have moved away from high tech fitness machines towards back to basics training methods like CrossFit, kettlebells and such like, the demand for sadistic races has exploded.  Once the domain of the special forces, one can now find all kinds participating in these races, including accountants, software developers and a whole host of other deskbound career types.

Imagine the following situation.  You are a person who loves challenges.  You have been slaving away all week for crazy hours in a job you have no passion for, for a boss whom you hate and other than the pay cheque at the end of the month you have nothing to show for it, and no appreciation.  Now what do you do at the weekend to get rid of all that accumulated stress.  Either you can go out and party, sit at home and whine and complain, or you can go out and do something positive like take part in a race.  With names like the Spartan Death Race, these events are a magnet for challenge seekers from all walks of life.  Just making it to the end in one piece gives an immense sense of satisfaction in itself.

Now the problem.  If you like me live in Switzerland, these races don't yet seem to have made it here.  Mountain ultras yes, but short and extremely tough courses that even your CEO with few hours to spare in his tight schedule can fit in, there do not seem to be so many.

Well don't despair, as it seems Tough Mudder is planning to make an appearance in Switzerland and Austria in 2013.  No dates are set at present, but you can preregister your interest for the race at http://toughmudder.com/austria-switzerland-event-preregistration.  I urge you to go ahead and do so.  I have done so already.

Tough Mudder events are hardcore 10 to 12 mile obstacle courses designed by British Special Forces to test your all round strength, stamina, mental grit and camaraderie.  I hope to see you all there in 2013.