A Tough Mudder veteran from Wallaceburg is leaving today (Nov. 11) for the bright and shiny lights of Las Vegas. However, Joe Perry isn’t going to be sitting in front of slot machine… he’ll be competing in his fourth World’s Toughest Mudder competition.
“It’s the best time of the year,” said Perry, who is 46-years-old. “All of my crazy friends are going to be there and it’s just a big old party. They are all ages. 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s.”
Perry, who owns Internet Kent in Wallaceburg, will be joined by fellow Mudders Matt Richie of Wallaceburg and Dave McCaughrin of Dresden at the 24-hour endurance event, which takes place on Saturday in Henderson, Nevada, just outside of Las Vegas.
In preparation, Perry told the Sydenham Current he has run almost 2,500 km this year all together.
“I have run a long, long way,” he said. During the event “I plan on getting in as many loops as I can. I have been ignoring all the posts going on (about the obstacles.) There is a lot of hype going on, people are panicking and I would rather not know and be surprised.”
Perry said he is bringing a lot of gear with him for the event.
“I have multiple life jackets. I will have lots and lots of gear… clothing, gloves. I have more gloves than most people have ever owned in their life. Socks, lots of socks. I will have three headlamps just in case. Multiple wet suits. Two shorties, a full wet suit and a sleeveless wet suit,” he said.
Perry said the conditions will be gruelling.
“This is the dessert. We will start out in tank tops because it will be hot and then when that temperature drops and the wind picks up, we get really cold… really cold. A sandstorm blew up last year. Visibility was nil. You could not see 10 feet in front of your face. You just stagger and hope you stay on course and don’t fall of a cliff. And there is a cliff this year, a 38 foot cliff jump.”
In order to compete in World’s Toughest Mudder, you just have to sign up.
“You just have to be crazy enough to do it,” Perry said.
The event starts on Saturday, at 2 p.m. Las Vegas time.
People can track Perry, Richie, McCaughrin at at this link.
For more information about the event visit https://toughmudder.com/
