T wrote:
Don't confuse this with a race of any kind. Doesn't mean it isn't pretty cool.
My kid did a Spartan Run (similar, shorter version of the Tough Mudder) and I went with him. My first reaction was to be the jaded distance runner objecting to these people making a profit out of a race, and to sneer at the ripoff.
As I watched thousands of people have an absolute blast doing something reasonably athletic for a couple of hours, for relatively modest money, I realized it was just another form of sports related entertainment.
Some people pay WAY more money to watch a bunch of athletes play baseball or drive cars or do some similar event. Lots of people pay way more money to play a round of golf--and even to watch other people play golf. So whats wrong with paying money to have fun doing something relatively difficult? Even if it isn't a real competition? And if its just for-profit entertainment--why shouldn't the spectators pay?
I'm not defending every for-profit "race" event--I am sure some of them are awful. But the one I went to was well organized, fun, and certainly worth my entertainment dollars. They had good food and beer for sale, rows and rows of porta-potties--the entertainment value for our family's dollars was comparable to that of most concerts, county fairs, air shows, or other similar events.
Just don't confuse it with a race, and you'll have a lot more fun.
I think you make some good points, but it is ridiculous to make spectators pay. Generally when you go pay to watch a show of some sort, you are paying to see professionals. At the very least, you are paying to see amateurs with some degree of skill. As you alluded to in your post, Tough Mudder participants are neither of these; they are basically bums off the street that showed up to have fun. Why should anyone pay to watch that?
Judging from the guy above, I am guessing this is how it really works: if you just want to show up and watch, you can do it for free (save parking, I guess). But if you want to get food and drinks, you need a ticket. The race, wanting to maximize their cash money, doesn't tell you this, they just say that all spectators must pay and they also get the benefit of food and drink.
