Today is Friday, which means only one thing - the next post in the Obstacle Series! This time we cover the Cage Crawl - another water obstacle, which was introduced into Tough Mudder in 2014. Being a relatively new challenge, it is good to see most of the kinks have been worked out before its introduction to the Mudder world.
Read on to find out more about the Cage Crawl.
Read on to find out more about the Cage Crawl.
Obstacle: Cage Crawl
Objective: Swim through cold muddy water on your back, with a cage above your head giving you only inches of room to breathe, for a distance of 20 metres.
Difficulty: Physical - 5/10 | Mental - 8/10
Swimming on your back with not much room to breathe, and feeling trapped underneath the cage can be quite nerve wreaking for some people. Even getting into the water, and turning around to start the obstacle can be too much for some. People with claustrophobia will not like this challenge one bit (myself included),
Objective: Swim through cold muddy water on your back, with a cage above your head giving you only inches of room to breathe, for a distance of 20 metres.
Difficulty: Physical - 5/10 | Mental - 8/10
Swimming on your back with not much room to breathe, and feeling trapped underneath the cage can be quite nerve wreaking for some people. Even getting into the water, and turning around to start the obstacle can be too much for some. People with claustrophobia will not like this challenge one bit (myself included),
but it is very do-able. Don't let your fears overcome you!
On the physical side of things, this isn't the hardest challenge, nor the easiest. It is about middle of the road to be honest, hence the 5/10 physical rating. It takes a bit of arm strength to pull yourself along through the water while lying on your back.
How to Complete: The way to go about this obstacle is to (like the Arctic Enema) not think about it too much, and just throw yourself in. If you are nervous about water or tight spaces, this won't be your easiest obstacle by any means, but if you don't think too hard about it, and don't psych yourself out, you'll be fine.
The aim of the obstacle is to climb into the water at the start, turn around and float on your back. Then pull yourself through the cold muddy water using the cage inches above your face. After 20 or so metres, climb out the end, always helping the Mudder behind you get out.
There will always be lifeguards at this obstacle, and it is possible to pull apart the cages at any point if anything goes wrong. If you keep that in mind, those who are apprehensive about this challenge should be slightly relieved. It's not a very hard obstacle, you just need some determination, keep your wits about you, and don't freak yourself out!
Training: As with the Arctic Enema, there is not much training you can do for this obstacle. Being able to swim is a requirement for Tough Mudder, so if you are at the Cage Crawl it is expected that you can swim. Stronger swimmers and those comfortable in the water will breeze through this challenge, so you could train for this obstacle by swimming backstroke down at your local swimming pool, to get used to swimming on your back. Also, working on your arms will help you coast through this challenge. Stronger arms equals faster pulling power, and a quicker obstacle.
Our take: As I'm an ex Life-Saver for Gunnamatta Surf Club, I am very comfortable in the water. I took my time on this obstacle last Mudder, and had a chat with one of the lifeguards standing above me on the cage. I didn't let my claustrophobia take over, and I was fine. Bottom line: If you are an able swimmer, and in control of your fears, this is another easy obstacle which most people will fly through.
Do you have a Cage Crawl story? Are you for or against this new obstacle? Let us know in the comments down below!
On the physical side of things, this isn't the hardest challenge, nor the easiest. It is about middle of the road to be honest, hence the 5/10 physical rating. It takes a bit of arm strength to pull yourself along through the water while lying on your back.
How to Complete: The way to go about this obstacle is to (like the Arctic Enema) not think about it too much, and just throw yourself in. If you are nervous about water or tight spaces, this won't be your easiest obstacle by any means, but if you don't think too hard about it, and don't psych yourself out, you'll be fine.
The aim of the obstacle is to climb into the water at the start, turn around and float on your back. Then pull yourself through the cold muddy water using the cage inches above your face. After 20 or so metres, climb out the end, always helping the Mudder behind you get out.
There will always be lifeguards at this obstacle, and it is possible to pull apart the cages at any point if anything goes wrong. If you keep that in mind, those who are apprehensive about this challenge should be slightly relieved. It's not a very hard obstacle, you just need some determination, keep your wits about you, and don't freak yourself out!
Training: As with the Arctic Enema, there is not much training you can do for this obstacle. Being able to swim is a requirement for Tough Mudder, so if you are at the Cage Crawl it is expected that you can swim. Stronger swimmers and those comfortable in the water will breeze through this challenge, so you could train for this obstacle by swimming backstroke down at your local swimming pool, to get used to swimming on your back. Also, working on your arms will help you coast through this challenge. Stronger arms equals faster pulling power, and a quicker obstacle.
Our take: As I'm an ex Life-Saver for Gunnamatta Surf Club, I am very comfortable in the water. I took my time on this obstacle last Mudder, and had a chat with one of the lifeguards standing above me on the cage. I didn't let my claustrophobia take over, and I was fine. Bottom line: If you are an able swimmer, and in control of your fears, this is another easy obstacle which most people will fly through.
Do you have a Cage Crawl story? Are you for or against this new obstacle? Let us know in the comments down below!
To see previous posts in the Obstacle Series, click on the "Obstacle Series" button underneath Categories on the right of your screen.
The next post in the Obstacle Series will be up next Tuesday - Trench Warfare!
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The next post in the Obstacle Series will be up next Tuesday - Trench Warfare!
TMTour2014 on Facebook
TMTour2014 on Twitter
TMTour2014 on Flickr
TMTour2014 RSS Feed
#TMTour2014