by Will Dean
I want to thank my cofounder, Guy Livingstone. Those early years were very tough but Guy’s stoicism, work ethic, and support got us through. Without him, I am not sure there would be a Tough Mudder Incorporated today. I am also hugely appreciative of all the early joiners at TMHQ, particularly Alex Patterson, Sheetal Aiyer, Paul Simcox, Jesse Bull, Nolan Kombol, and Kelley Kantarian. You joined me when the world was still asking us how we planned to spell “Mudder.” I hope I have been able to repay the enormous faith you placed in me. Similarly, I am grateful to my Harvard business plan competition teammates Sean Eldridge and Ben Mayson. I will always remember those carefree evenings brainstorming potential business names in the bars of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Many thanks to my executive team of Adam Slutsky, Don Baxter, Jerome Hiquet, Donna Goldsmith, and Marc Ackerman as well as the Bootcamp team of Cathrin Bowtell, David Spindler, and Eric Botsford for making time to be interviewed. Sean Corvelle, Clinton Jackson, Kyle Railton (Coach), and Gil Kolirin deserve special credit for their brilliant and unique insights into the Mudder tribe. Other interviewees I would like to thank include Matt Siben, Joe De Sena, Duane Policelli, Jenn Hyman, Sarah Robb O’Hagan, Jake Wood, and Jon Brown. I hope you are able to see the color and humor you contributed to the book. I am also grateful to everyone at TMHQ who has supported me through this project despite having so many other priorities to juggle, particularly Angela Alfano, Jodi Kovacs, Anthony Key, Bobby Donovan, and Rob Zimmerman. Special thanks to my friend Dmitry Gudkov for supplying so many of the images from our events over the years.
I am deeply indebted to all the Mudder Legends for taking the time to tell your stories so bravely and with such patience and dignity. I hope we did you justice. James Brown, Louise Clifford, Aidan Harrison, Will Cattermole, Chelsea Campbell, Joe Perry, Amelia Boone, Stef Bishop, Mark Holloway, Ken Jacobus, Erik Jenkins, Melissa Dugan, and Miranda and Guy Richardson also deserve special credit. You embody the very best of the Tough Mudder tribe and are a credit to the community.
Thanks to everyone who gave me the confidence to write a book in the first place, particularly Philip Delves Broughton, Eric Ries, Adam Grant, Brad Feld, Dave Kidder, Rachel Botsman, Mark Smith, and Strauss Zelnick. I am exceptionally grateful for the faith shown in me by agent Toby Mundy and the entire team at Penguin Books. Special thanks to Joel Rickett, Stephanie Frerich, David Over, Merry Sun, Natalie Horbachevsky, Adrian Zackheim, Will Weisser, and Tara Gilbride. You have all been a joy to work with and have taught me much.
Most important, I want to thank my cowriter, Tim Adams. While this may be my story, Tim deserves all the credit for bringing it to life and capturing my voice so perfectly. Unassuming, perceptive, witty, and unfailingly patient, I could not have hoped for a better partner. I hope we get to work together again one day. There is no way I could have done it without him.
Finally, thank you to everyone who has ever worked at TMHQ, every volunteer who has ever helped out at one of our events, and every one of the three-million-plus participants at our events. It takes a tribe. We are not curing cancer but I like to think in some small way we are making a positive difference in the world.
Index
The page numbers in this index refer to the printed version of this book. The link provided will take you to the beginning of that print page. You may need to scroll forward from that location to find the corresponding reference on your e-reader.
Aab, Tiffany, 229
Ackerman, Marc, 112n, 180–82
adversity, overcoming, 64–77
liquor license loss at Cedartown event and, 65–66
Superstorm Sandy damage and, 65
Wilson lawsuit and, 66–76
AFI rule, 190
Aiyer, Sheetal, 95–96
Albon, Jon, 240
All Blacks rugby team, 89, 162
Allen, Woody, 190
alpha testing, 129
“anthropologist” personality type, 126
AOL, 211
Apple, 123, 202
Apple Store model, 134
Arctic Enema, 64, 73, 117
Atkins, Ryan, 240–41
attachment/allegiance, building, 97–101
Augustus Gloop, 227
authenticity, 87–88, 97
Avielle Foundation, 105–6, 107
Avis, 14–15
Ball Shrinker, 16
bandwagon effect, 31
Baxter, Don, 126, 212
BBC, 75
belief about viability of your idea, 149, 154–56
Bell, Mat, 228, 239
Berlin Walls, 82, 109, 184
Bishop, Stephanie, 241–42
Blegg, Deanna, 53–57, 63, 241
Block Ness Monster (Twinkle Toes), 132–33
Blumenthal, Neil, 146–47, 149, 154
Bly, Robert, 232
Boa Constrictor, 16
boarding schools, 32–37
Bolt, Usain, 172
Bonaparte, Napoleon, 1
Boone, Amelia, 103, 185–86, 241
Botsford, Eric, 229
Boyar, Ilene, 221–24
Branson, Richard, 204
Braveheart (movie), 18
Bristol University, 40, 137, 141–42
British Foreign Office, 2, 37–39, 45, 87, 92, 144–45
Brooks, David, 179
Broughton, Philip Delves, 44
Brown, Brené, 63, 76
building personas, 126
build-measure-learn feedback loop, of continuous innovation, 117–18
Bull, Jesse, 86–87, 99
Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program, 147
Cambridge, 40
Camm, Rob, 137–40
Campbell, Jim, 208, 245–48
Cash, Johnny, 17
CBS, 213, 227, 238
Cedartown, Georgia Mudder event, 65–66
Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 137
character and grit, 27–51
Blegg as example of, 53–57
boarding school experiences and, 32–37
British Foreign Service counterterrorism work and, 37–39
culture and philosophy of Tough Mudder and, 47–48
Harvard culture and, 39–48
infectious nature of, 53
lack of challenges in everyday life, effect of, 28–29
meeting of opposites and, 48–51
nostalgia for grit and camaraderie and, 31–32
overcoming difficult challenges and, 28, 35, 37
risk taking and, 27–28
value in communal spirit and, 48
Worksop experiences and, 29–32
Charlemagne, 79
Churchill, Winston, 218
Citibank, 3, 21
Cliff Jump, 55–56
coal miners’ strike of 1984, Great Britain, 29–31
commercial partnerships, 217–18
commonwealth strategy, 134
communication, of experience, 94–95
competition, 172
compromise, 159–60
continuous improvement (kaizen), 87, 91–92
contract negotiations, 157–58
cooperation, 172
Corvelle, Sean, 61–62, 63, 230, 242
Cosmopolitan, 148–49
courage, 59, 63–64
course distance, 19
creative thinking, 118–22
credo, of Tough Mudder, 87
CrossFit, 180
Cry Baby, 128
cultural interview, 88
CW network, 213
D’Agostino, Abbey, 172–73
Dancing with the Stars (TV show), 166
Daring Greatly (Brown), 63
Dean, Isobel, 230
Death March, 16
&
nbsp; death of Mudder participant, 198–99
defensiveness, 76–77
Delivering Happiness (Hsieh), 88
De Sena, Joe, 48–51, 175
developing a tribal culture. See tribal culture, growing and developing
Disney, Walt, 125
Disneyland, 125
Dogfish Head, 20
Double Rainbow, 227
Drucker, Peter, 112
Dubai Mudder event, 234–35
Duckworth, Angela, 28
Dunbar, Robin, 60
Dunbar’s number, 60
Edison, Thomas, 130
Edwardes, John, 24–25
Einstein, Albert, 122
Electroshock Therapy, 60, 109, 113–17
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 177
“End of History Fallacy,” 136
Enron scandal, 69
entrepreneurial leadership, 141–63
belief about viability of your idea and, 149, 154–56
compromise and, 159–60
contract negotiations and, 157–58
Dean’s rules for, 162–63
early commercial efforts of Dean and, 149–52
examples of, 146–49
following your passion and, 149
Foreign Service experiences and, 144–45
heretical habit of mind and, 146–49, 155
as mission, 155–57
as psychological necessity, 145–46
qualities of, 143
values-oriented, 160–62
veterans and, 165–69
entrepreneurs/entrepreneurship
courage to get started and, 64
creating culture of innovation and, 131–34
culture and philosophy of Tough Mudders, 47–48
leadership and, 141–63
qualities of, 6
science of, 8–9
Everest, 59–60, 109, 117, 183, 184, 185
Extreme You, 177–78
Facebook, 95, 123
fads, 210–11
failure, learning from, 197–219
corporate values and culture, deviating from, 204–10
death of Mudder participant, effect of, 198–99
growth, challenges of, 200–204
headband initiative and, 214–17
hiring mistakes and, 204–7, 212–13
reaction to initial growth spike and, 210–19
repeat business, falloff in, 201, 213–17
shifting revenue from ticket sales to commercial partnerships and, 217–18
start-up purpose and intensity, loss of, 207–10
work-life balance and, 197–200
Falling Down (movie), 15
Farah, Mo, 172
fear, owning your
adversity, coping with, 64–77
atmosphere of Mudder events and, 60
courage and, 59, 63–64
group size and, 60–61
Pierce as example of, 79–83
starting line ritual and, 59–60, 61–62
fear of failure, 125
Field of Dreams (movie), 9
Fight Club (movie), 66–67
financial crash of 2008, 174
Financial Times, 85
first Mudder event, at Bear Creek, Allentown, 1–21
costumes and, 18
course distance for, 19
dramatic starting line designed for, 18–19
first sign-ups for, 12–13
headbands for, 17–18
insurance for, 13–14
location for, finding, 6–8
logistical problems at, 19–20
obstacles for, 16–17
props and gear for, 14–15
purpose of, 1–4
ring of fire climax for, 17
storage of gear, post-event, 20–21
target audience for, 5–6
Team 8819 and, 12–13, 23–26
Fisherman’s Friend, 67–68
fitness trends, 174–75, 191–92
5 Whys principle, 91–92
focus groups, 131–32
Ford, Henry, 132, 141
Foreign Service. See British Foreign Office
Funky Monkey, 109, 113
Galloway, Noah, 165–66, 222
Gandhi, Mahatma, 218, 225
Gates, Bill, 123
General Motors, 123–24
Gerber, Lou, 25, 26
Giant Wedgie, 227
Give and Take (Grant), 175
Givers, 176–77
Godin, Seth, 146, 154
Goldman Sachs, 148
Google, 89, 123
Grant, Adam, 175, 176, 177
Greased Lightning, 16–17
grit. See character and grit
Grit (Duckworth), 28
Grit (TV show), 166
group size, for Mudder events, 60–61
Grove, Andrew, 201
growing a tribal culture. See tribal culture, growing and developing
Guardian, 189–90
gyms. See Tough Mudder Bootcamp
Hamblin, Nikki, 172–73
Harley-Davidson, 100, 237
Harvard, 39–48, 125, 187–88
Harvard Business School Conduct Review Board, 69–71
headbands, 17–18
for repeat Mudders, 214–17
Help for Heroes, 167
heretical habit of mind, 146–49, 155
Hiquet, Jerome, 212–13, 239
hiring process, 85–90
learning from mistakes made in, 204–7, 212–13
holiday policy, 93
Holloway, Mark, 166–69, 229
homophobia, 41–42
HOO-RAH! tribal shout, 61–62, 63
How to Win Friends & Influence People (Carnegie), 51
How We Gather project, 179–80
Hsieh, Tony, 88
Huber, Chet, 124
“hurdler” personality type, 126
Hyman, Jennifer, 148–49, 153, 154–55
ideation, 128–29
IDEO, 121–22, 127
IMG, 217
innovation, 111–136
balancing optimization with, 125–26
build-measure-learn feedback loop of, 117–18
Camm as example of, 137–40
CEO’s role in fostering, 124
chance and spontaneity in, 118
creative thinking and, 118–22
expanding ways Mudder challenge can be experienced, 135–36
fear of failure, effects of, 125
focus group and, 131–32
in General Motor’s OnStar technology development, 123–24
headband initiative for repeat Mudders and, 214–17
Microsoft’s lost decade, lessons of, 123
mistakes and, 131
in obstacle creation and modification, 111–21, 128–33
personal change and, 136
personality types and, 126–27
pessimism, effects of, 121
testing ideas against Mudder values and, 132–33
Innovation Lab, 127–28, 133
insurance, 13–14
Iron John (Bly), 232
Jackson, Clinton, 230, 242
Jacuzzi full of ice, 64
James, Chris, 182–84, 185
Jobs, Steve, 64, 85, 131, 202, 218
Junger, Sebastian, 239–40
Just William books (Crompton), 29
kabaddi, 152–54
kaizen (continuous improvement), 87, 91–92
Kaizen Ninjas, 91
Keller, Helen, 27
Kelley, To
m, 121–22, 126, 127
Kerr, James, 89, 162
King of the Night, 227
King of the Swingers, 79, 80, 82, 118
kite surfing, 173
Knight, Phil, 202
Kombol, Nolan, 114–15, 117, 120, 121, 127, 129, 130–31, 213
leadership. See entrepreneurial leadership
learning personas, 126
Legacy (Kerr), 89
Lehman Brothers, 44
live streaming, of Mudder events, 213
Livingstone, Guy, 4, 10–11, 15, 20, 74, 75, 158, 209–10
log-carrying challenge, 16
logo, 10, 17
London Daily Mail, 232
Magic Kingdom, 125
Mandela, Nelson, 59
Marshmallow Challenge, 119–20
Martinez, Gaby, 191–95
Marvel Comics, 134–35
Matchers, 176
Maxim, 232–33
McCartney, Paul, 122
meeting of opposites, 48–51
Microsoft, 123
Miller, Angie, 26
Miller, Josh, 12, 24–26
Miller, Scott, 18
Mimeo.com, 211
Mini Mudder, 135
mission, entrepreneurship as, 155–57
mission statement, 23
mistakes, 131
mock-ups, of potential obstacles, 129
motivational speech, 61–62
Moviefone, 211
Mr. Mouse (Billy Wilson), 66–67, 68–76
Mudderella, 135
Mudder Half, 135
Mudder MVPs, 101–2
Mudder pledge, 4–5
Mud for Brains, 107–8
Mud for Brains (film), 105
Musk, Elon, 202–3
New Yorker, 75, 232
New York Times, 75, 148
Nigeria question, 156–57
Nike, 202
“No Dickheads” hiring criteria, 89
obstacles (Mudder course). See also specific obstacle