Five things you need to know about your First Tough Mudder Infinity

Tough Mudder Infinity is part of the Endurance Series introduced by Tough Mudder for 2022. Very much like a Toughest Mudder, participants are given the course for 9 hours to complete as many laps as they want.

Having participated in the first Tough Mudder Infinity at the Midlands event, I wanted to give my short list of things you need to know for your first Tough Mudder Infinity event. I am going to stay away from anything that I think Tough Mudder will change – there was definitely a few teething issues due to it being the first event, but I am sure in time, these will be rectified. I will also stay away from what’s in the rules as I am sure you can read them for yourself!

The being said, here is a quick recap of the Infinity Race:

• Complete as many laps within 9 hours (7:30am – 4:30pm). First lap has to be 15km, but after that, participant can choose between 15km or 5km laps.
• Minimum distance to be completed to be deemed a “Finisher” is 20km within the allocated time
• Last 15km lap to be started by 1:30pm and final 5km lap to be started by 3:30pm
• All obstacles to be completed, some (such as Funky Monkey and Electroshock Therapy) have a penalty if the participant cannot complete
• Headband and Medal for finishers and special distance medallions awarded from 25km – Belt Buckle award for 60km finisher

My Five Tough Mudder Infinity Need to Knows

1. Have an idea on your lap strategy – we discussed this a lot on the UKOCR podcast, where in before hand, we thought that running 5km laps after the initial 15km was the best way to go (less elevation and easier to pit for nutrition). But, it seemed that the elites actually preferred the 15km lap as it “flowed” better for running and even with the additional elevation, the 15km lap was overall faster than 5km lap due to the obstacle density and transition time. There is still that balance between elevation / fueling and I personally think at Tough Mudder Yorkshire (very hilly) 5km is the way to go. However, everyone agreed that 15km lap followed by a 5km lap is the way to go, just to then have an idea of how to lap for the rest of the race.
2. Keep Warm – For most that have done a lap of tough mudder, the idea of neoprene or a wet suit may be strange, but being in and out of water for 7+ hours really does take the heat out of your core. Its always best to have some neoprene and at least have the option. The forecast for Midlands was for it to be warmer – and truth be told, it was, but there was a biting wind across the course bringing the “feel” way down and neoprene saved me and I am sure many other people. You can cool yourself down quite quickly, but warming up once you are cold is very difficult to do
3. Keep those calories coming – like any ultra race, you have to be constantly consuming those calories. There was bananas and flapjacks on course, but personally, dont rely on Tough Mudder to bring you food. I had a gel with me on course and then lots of easily consumed food in the pits. If you’re interested, I had flatbread and peanut butter and cola. Nutrition is a very personal thing, but realise you are burning around 100 calories every 10 minutes and you need to be constantly replacing those calories to keep going.
4. Transition space is tiny – Space is very much a premium in the transition area. Don’t think you have the space as there was at ETM, so don’t bring trolleys and a ton of stuff you probably wont need. Space was only really an issue before the start as people are trying to change etc. Coming into transition between laps wasn’t a problem as most racers were on their own time table. If you are running with time a premium, make sure you have all the stuff you may need to hand – whether this is a separate bag/box that is easily to hand compared to everything else in a different bag.
5. No dedicated lanes – Infinity racers are on course at the same time as other Tough Mudder participants which means, that queues can form and possibly slow you down. However, this is generally not an issue. All participants are warned before hand to allow Infinity runners to the front of queues. Just a quick “Excuse me, do you mind..?” gets you to the front (don’t be a dick and just barge to the front). The bonus of having additional participants on course are: A helping hand on obstacles – Blockness, MudderHorn, Hero Walls are easier with someone helping you up (the rules state that participants can help, just not MVPS or others). They will cheer you on as you run on for a nice bit of ego boost especially as youre starting to feel tired!

So there are my five things you need to know for your first Tough Mudder Infinity. I will update this as I participate in more and as Tough Mudder start to standardise the race after feedback. Do you agree with the list? Any more you want to add? Please feel free to add in the comment section. Has this inspired you to do your first Tough Mudder Infinity? My 20% discount code below works for your first Tough Mudder Infinity!

Tough Mudder Infinity Gallery