1) “Clotheslined” At Tough Mudder

There’s a number of ways to hurt yourself at an adventure race and, more specifically, a number of ways to hurt yourself at the infamous Tough Mudder events. Some of the obstacles at Tough Mudder are notoriously brutal and this one here, known as Electroshock Therapy, is no exception to the rule.

Filmed at an event in Buffalo, New York, this participant got way more than he bargained for when running through electrified wires. Charging (word play not intended) full speed in a bid to get through his pain-filled nightmare as quickly as possible, the competitor was unlucky enough to get strangled by some wire around his neck. He gets hurled to the deck in a moment that immediately brings to mind the brutal clotheslining action in WWE.

When the crowd groans like this at a Tough Mudder event, you know categorically that some gnarly stuff has just occurred. Ouch!

3) Electroshock Therapy Strikes Again!

Spend a few minutes browsing the internet and you’ll quickly discover that the world wide web is chockablock with videos of people having big time fails on Tough Mudder’s Electroshock Therapy segment.

Such is the notoriety of this obstacle, and the eye-catching video content it produces, we were tempted to ditch the pretence and write an article entitled ’10 Times The Electroshock Therapy Section Destroyed People At Tough Mudder.’ Instead, we’ve decided to just give you this one and the one at the top.

4) Epic Triathlon Dismount Fail

In the same way that we could have dedicated an article to fail videos featuring Tough Mudder’s Electroshock Therapy, we could just as easily have dedicated an entire article to spectacularly bad bike section dismounts.

This triathlete/adventure racer (depending on what mood you’re in) gets off his still moving bicycle and immediately forgets how to use his legs. One theory is that the featured competitor had his strong athletic bones surgically replaced by soft chocolate. The other, perhaps more plausible, theory is that he was a bit tired.

6) Downhill Running Fail

Depending on what adventure race event you’re involved in, there’s a strong likelihood you’ll have to tackle a downhill running segment at some point. These can be really tricky sections, turning the simple pleasure of running into a real minefield of excessive forward momentum and lopsided balance.

We could have plucked any number of videos from the internet to demonstrate how difficult downhill running can be but, because we like this particular fail the best, we’ve decided to hold it aloft like a newborn Simba at the start of The Lion King.

Adventure racers, consider yourself warned.

7) Triathlon Transition Fail

If you’ve ever seen and enjoyed that hilarious video of bad boy football player Mario Balotelli failing to put on a bib, we think this video of a competitor struggling to change his top at a transition point will really tickle your funny bone.

If nothing else, this fail video demonstrates that it’s not just the obviously difficult parts of adventure racing that can be difficult. Be prepared for every eventuality, including completely losing the ability to get dressed when required to do so, and you’ll be absolutely fine…probably.

8) Watch Out For Other Adventurers!

We’ve all been there. You’re platform hopping across water like a human frog when suddenly, out of nowhere, comes a running man who refuses to stop running. He runs right into the back of you, throws you off your balance, and SPLASH…you’re into the water before you can say “slow down, buddy…you’re going a little too fast for my liking.”

OK. So, maybe we haven’t “all been there” but this particular fail video certainly does highlight one of the less obvious hazards adventure racing can throw up – the other competitors. Keep your eyes on the obstacles, take it challenge by challenge, and watch out for those racers who refuse to stop running…ever.

10) Failure On The Water

Some adventure races feature kayaking and canoe sections. If you find yourself in such a race, you’ll want to avoid the fate suffered by the lads in this video. Short story made shorter, they have an absolute shocker.

Adventure racers will agree that when it comes to competitive adventuring, many participants like to imagine themselves as bona fide heroes worthy of their own movie franchise. They certainly don’t like to imagine themselves stranded in the middle of the river looking like a right silly sausage.

Conclusion

These videos we’ve posted here shouldn’t be seen as a dig at people who do adventure races. We genuinely have a lot of respect for all those people who get themselves fit and take things to the extreme. Saying that, sometimes laughing is the healthiest exercise of all.

Hopefully, you’ve now watched all these adventure race fail videos and are feeling more prepared than ever to take one on. Good luck, and Godspeed.

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