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Ultimate challenge

World’s Toughest Mudder 2027

26 June 2027

The ultimate Tough Smudge challenge. Twenty-four hours of obstacles, mud, darkness and repeated five-mile laps at World's Toughest Mudder 2027. No podium target and no minimum mileage to chase. The goal is simpler, and harder: keep going until the 24-hour clock runs out.

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Ultimate challenge

World’s Toughest Mudder 2027

26 June 2027

The ultimate Tough Smudge challenge. Twenty-four hours of obstacles, mud, darkness and repeated five-mile laps at World's Toughest Mudder 2027. No podium target and no minimum mileage to chase. The goal is simpler, and harder: keep going until the 24-hour clock runs out.

–days–hours–mins–secs

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Current milestone

Tough Mudder Trifecta

8 May 2027

After completing 60 km across six runs at Manchester, the ambition for my first Tough Mudder Trifecta weekend at Culden Faw has grown. Saturday's eight-hour Infinity now carries a 40 km target, with 50 km as a stretch ambition, followed by the 15K and 5K on Sunday. A potential 60–70 km weekend, test

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Next test

Nuclear Essex: Fallout Oblivion Maxx

7 November 2026

November brings a different kind of obstacle race. Tough Smudge heads to Nuclear Essex for Fallout, combining cold, mud, water, woodland and 40+ obstacles in a late-season test of endurance, strength and the willingness to get very uncomfortable.

17 days to go

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Tough

things that do not break easily,
problems that are hard to solve,
people who are strong and brave

Smudge

traditional British and military
nickname for anyone with
the surname Smith

Endurance challenges, Yorkshire grit, Fundraising with purpose.

Hello, I’m Andrew, otherwise increasingly known as Tough Smudge.

What began as an effort to change my health has turned into something rather bigger. In July 2026 I completed my first Tough Mudder 15K at Broughton Hall in Yorkshire, came away muddy, battered and grinning, and realised almost immediately that I wanted to do more.

A lot more.

Tough Mudder South London 2026
Photo: sportograf.com

The ultimate target is World’s Toughest Mudder in June 2027: 24 hours of running, obstacles, mud, cold and fatigue as a solo participant. Between now and then there are plenty of other start lines, including the Tough Mudder Trifecta, Infinity events and a growing collection of challenges designed to find out exactly how far I can push myself.

Tough Smudge documents the whole thing: the training, events, progress, kit, mistakes, victories and probably a few moments when I seriously question my decision-making.

There is a bigger purpose behind it too.

My father died from metastatic prostate cancer in 2024, and throughout this journey I am raising money for Prostate Cancer UK.

Direct donations go to Prostate Cancer UK. Patreon, sponsorship, partnerships, merchandise and affiliate income support the costs of Tough Smudge, helping me undertake more events, create better content and ultimately raise more awareness and money for the charity.

If you are new here, start with My Story to find out how all this began, or jump straight into My Journey to see where I am now and what comes next.

Endure. Overcome. Make it count. 🦔💛

Read My Story
Explore My Journey
Support Tough Smudge

Next events

Road to the challenge

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Graphic: Tough Smudge with ChatGPT

Upgrade to Oblivion Maxx – 24k

Nuclear Essex

Nuclear Essex: Fallout Oblivion Maxx

November 7, 2026Brentwood, Essex24K+

November brings a different kind of obstacle race. Tough Smudge heads to Nuclear Essex for Fallout, combining cold, mud, water, woodland and 40+ obstacles in a late-season test of endurance, strength and the willingness to get very uncomfortable.

Graphic: Tough Smudge with ChatGPT
Runs

Winter Canal Canter

January 16, 2027Wyther Lane, Kirkstall, Leeds LS5 3BTHalf marathon / 13.1 miles

There might not be any mud walls, ice baths or obstacles involved in this one, but that doesn’t mean it gets an easy pass. The Winter Canal Canter takes place along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal at Kirkstall, following a flat out-and-back route along the towpath. And, importantly, it takes place in January.

Graphic: Tough Smudge with ChatGPT
Runs

Slawit Snowstorm Shuffle

January 30, 2027Slaithwaite Community Centre, Bank Gate, Slaithwaite, Huddersfield HD7 5DLHalf marathon / 13.1 miles

Thirteen miles, a lot of locks and whatever a West Yorkshire January decides to throw at me. The Slawit Snowstorm Shuffle Half Marathon brings the endurance training much closer to home as the road to World’s Toughest Mudder continues

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Fundraising with purpose

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Every training mile and every obstacle is part of a bigger journey.

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The numbers behind the mud

Real starts, recorded distances and recognised finishes

Explore the results

Individual runs15Lifetime
Distance completed155.2 kmLifetime
Recognised finishes12Lifetime
Obstacles completed256Lifetime

2026 season · activated after a completed run is recorded.

Explore the full Results & achievements →

Latest training

The work between events

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Graphic: Tough Smudge with ChatGPT

Tough Smudge Legs: Cycle 1

September 12, 2026

Running, walking, Peloton training and obstacle course racing already place a considerable workload on the lower body, so this programme is not about simply adding as much leg training as possible. The aim is to build the strength, control and resilience that should make those activities easier to cope with.

Graphic: Tough Smudge with ChatGPT

Tough Smudge Core: Cycle 1

September 9, 2026

The first Tough Smudge training programme starts with the core. Cycle 1 is a four-week programme built around three short workouts covering bracing and stability, loaded functional movement, and OCR-specific instability. The aim is simple: build a stronger, more resilient core for running, carrying, crawling, climbing and everything World's Toughest Mudder can throw at me.

Graphic: Tough Smudge with ChatGPT

South West Taper Week: Less Training, More Preparation

August 16, 2026

This weekend I’m heading down to Badminton for Tough Mudder South West. And this time it isn’t just one run. I’ll be taking on the 15K followed by the 5K, giving me a total of around 20 kilometres of Tough Mudder courses on Saturday. I’ve also realised that The Gentlemen TV series was filmed at […]

From my blog

Stories, lessons and progress

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Photo:sportograf.com

Tough Mudder Manchester 2026

October 14, 2026

10–11 October 2026 | Cheshire Showground Six runs. Two days. A nominal 60 kilometres. Fourteen Tough Mudder finishes in my first season. And somewhere along the way, a hedgehog got lost looking for somewhere warm to hibernate. Welcome to Tough Mudder Manchester 2026. This was, by far, my most ambitious Tough Mudder weekend to date. […]

Photo: sportograf.com

Tough Mudder London South

September 28, 2026

What started as a planned 40km weekend at Tough Mudder London South somehow became 45km of mud, five runs and my fastest 15k to date. More importantly, it became a weekend of learning: smarter obstacle techniques, better pacing, faster recovery and discovering that my body is adapting to repeated distance. With World's Toughest Mudder getting closer, London South provided something important: evidence that the training is working.

Photo: sportograf.com

LESSONS FROM THE MUD #1

September 25, 2026

One of the things I have learned about obstacle course racing is that the hardest part isn't always the obstacles.

Sometimes, it is the space between them.

Tough Smudge merchandise

Wear the journey

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Product image: Teemill | Design: Tough Smudge

Tough Smudge merch

Tough Smudge EOM T-Shirt – Endure. Overcome. Make It Count.

Endure. Overcome. Make It Count. Three words that sit at the heart of Tough Smudge. The EOM T-Shirt is deliberately simple. No oversized graphic, no complicated message, just the mantra that sums up the mindset behind the whole Tough Smudge journey. It is for training days, event weekends, recovery days, everyday wear, and those moments […]


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Product image: Teemill | Design: Tough Smudge

Tough Smudge merch

Tough Smudge EOM Women’s Crew Neck T-Shirt – Endure. Overcome. Make It Count.

Endure. Overcome. Make It Count. Three words that define the Tough Smudge mindset. The EOM Women’s Crew Neck T-Shirt keeps the design simple and focused, with the Tough Smudge mantra taking centre stage. It is a more fitted option within the EOM range, designed for everyday wear, training days, event weekends and everything in between. […]


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Equipment Reviews

Kit tested through training and events

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Photo: Andrew Smith

INOV8 Mudtalons v2

September 29, 2026

With Infinity events and ultimately World’s Toughest Mudder ahead, I wanted something more aggressive underfoot in my kit bag, without sacrificing the comfort I’m going to need when I could be on my feet for many hours.

That's where i hope the Mudtalon from INOV8 can assist.

Photo: Andrew Smith

NIKE Men’s Journey Running Shoe

August 23, 2026

Sometimes a carefully researched purchase comes from comparing specifications, reading reviews and weighing up all the alternatives.

And sometimes you buy a pair of trainers because they are orange.

I am fairly certain the Nike Journey Run fell much more firmly into the second category.

Photo: Andrew Smith

ASICS Gel Sonoma 8

August 1, 2026

Before my first Tough Mudder, one piece of kit was clearly going to need some attention: my trainers.

Everything I owned at the time was really intended for road running or general training. Perfectly good trainers in the right environment, but none had the sort of outsole I particularly fancied trusting on muddy banks, loose trails, wet grass and obstacle approaches.

Useful links

Events, causes and resources

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Graphic: Tough Smudge with ChatGPT
Official event

Prickle Crew

ARRIVE SOLO. LEAVE WITH A CREW.
You don't have to be the fastest, strongest or most experienced. Just bring yourself. We'll bring the encouragement, the laughs and probably quite a lot of mud.

Independent OCR community · Every pace welcome · Founded by Tough Smudge 🦔

Prickle Crew

Graphic: Tough Smudge with ChatGPT
Official event

TourDe4

Tour de 4 was created by Sir Chris Hoy following his Stage 4 prostate cancer diagnosis. With cycling already playing a major part in Tough Smudge training and such a strong connection to the cause, this is an event I would seriously consider taking on in 2027 if Tour de 4 returns.

Raising vital funds for cancer charities, including Prostate Cancer UK. One firmly on the Tough Smudge radar for 2027 if it returns.

Chris Hoy's TourDe4

Graphic: Tough Smudge with ChatGPT
Supplier

INOV8 UK

Never heard of INOV8 until Born Survivor where they were a sponsor. Now a Tough Smudge supplier.

Brand new addition to the Tough Smudge Kit. MudTalons v2 the boot of choice.

INOV8 UK