The job involves getting the runners over the last hurdle in the course and also keep the spectators suitably entertained during the time they are in the village. Running 33 waves of runners, it’s a long time on the mic, but every hour is a fresh batch of audience so it’s so important to keep the material fun and fresh. It’s commentary but not as you know it – expect lots of talk of celebrity lookalikes, jokes and puns of an unexpected nature. Innuendos always welcome.
The participants are called the ‘Mudders’ and they are some of the most dedicated and engaging crowds a tough mudder host can work with.
With a job like this, I wouldn’t have a stitch of material without the crowd. I work with what I see and thanks to everyone at Tough Mudder that provides a lot to talk about. They always have a sense of humour even at that final obstacle.
It’s my job to keep the runners hyped, motivated and entertained as they make their way round the final few obstacles of the course.
My best moment is cheering on our legionaries – these are the people who do every Tough Mudder – the elite! Some even have Tough Mudder tattoos they are so dedicated – and it’s so nice to see some familiar faces when I go to events.
My worst is when a runner slopped together a mud ball and slapped it into my face. It took a public service announcement for a baby wipe to get me out of that one.
The weather can also be as much of an obstacle as the course – in Leeds, it poured so much that my microphone stopped working and in Scotland one year, we had to shut down an obstacle because of thunder and lightning.
The best thing is seeing the faces of the mudders at the finish line, knowing their training paid off and that they’ve conquered their fears and hopefully also had a bit of fun on the way round too.