Tough Mudders’ values of courage, teamwork, personal accomplishment and fun were translated into the design of the obstacle. The specific fears chosen to hone in on were: confined spaces, darkness, heights and free falling.

 

‘Mudders’ would begin the obstacle by climbing into a large barrel that becomes pitch black when the door closes. Working in a team with the three other ‘Mudders’ in the barrel they must pull on the ropes to reach the acrylic platform 10m high.

 

The obstacle combines all senses. When in the barrel all the other senses (bar sight) are heightened. ‘Mudders’ will hear each other panting, the pull on the ropes and the clanging of the ratchet. The ‘Mudders’ will then experience a stark contrast when they reach the platform, from a confined space to extreme freedom. From here they will need to jump down onto an airbag or into a foam pit. There is also the option of a ladder down.

 

The contrast experienced by the ‘Mudders’ results in their bodies releasing serotonin and adrenaline. After they have faced their fears they will have an incredible surge of happiness. The design of this obstacle began by thinking of how to elicit fear in the ‘Mudders’ then them experiencing euphoria and then worked backwards from here. The user experience was at the forefront of this design.