Yale SOM goes to ToughMudder!

This past Sunday, over 20 SOM students drove down to Allentown, PA to compete in the ToughMudder competition. What this race all about? It's about pushing yourself mentally and physically; it's about challenging yourself to do something you probably couldn't (and maybe shouldn't) do on your own. It's about having the time of your life with your fellow classmates.The first part of the course was straight up a tall double black-diamond ski slope, and that was just the beginning of the 11 mile journey. There were fire obstacles, 10 foot walls to climb over (no ropes), [freezing] water obstacles, and even 10,000 volt live wires at the very end, to say nothing of mud. We worked as a team, physically lifting and pulling each other to complete the obstacles, and encouraging each other when we were physically drained. My teammates were literally the light at the end of the tunnel, except this tunnel was only three feet tall and I had to crouch on my elbows and knees to get through, making sure to keep my head above the water line, as the tunnels were 50% submerged. While all 10,000 competitors signed death waivers, no one actually died, which is great (AJ came close, but he shook it off) and we truly had the time of our lives. It's an experience that mirrors SOM in so many ways. The people that surround you are both your support system and your best friends. When times are tough, be it from macroeconomics or from jumping from 20 feet off the ground into a lake of freezing water, we support each other unconditionally. And, we have an unbelievable amount of fun in the process! ToughMudder 2012 -- training starts today.