Will Dean

Chief Executive Officer

Our fearless leader and one half of the founding fathers of Tough Mudder. Will spends his day talking loudly to journalists on the phone, pouring over giant spreadsheets, and worrying what mayhem the rest of us have caused. He is always coming up with wacky new business ideas and cunning marketing plans supposedly designed to ensure Tough Mudder has completely taken over the world within 5 years.

An Englishman, Will spent 5 years in the Middle East and South Asia chasing terrorists for the British Government before getting it into his head that an American MBA would be a good thing to do. Finding himself with a lot of time on his hands at the Harvard Business School, he decided to do a marathon and then a triathlon. On reflection, both seemed a little pointless, boring, and antisocial and mainly a test of how much time he had to spend training. Other events out there were either crazy expensive, hard to get to, took a long time, or just plain lame. When not searching the globe for crazy new ideas for Tough Mudder, Will likes riding his bike around Brooklyn and watching classic British sitcoms at home with a beer.

Guy Livingstone

President

Tough Mudder’s other founding father, Guy Livingstone, serves as Tough Mudder’s President. From building systems to tracking operations costs to building relationships with TM’s new venue partners, it is Guy’s job to make sure the business is firing on all cylinders with nothing falling through the cracks (unless falling through cracks is the point of an obstacle that the OCI team is designing).

Hailing from sunny England, Guy somehow found time to train as an attorney with leading global law firm Allen & Overy LLP while juggling month-long journeys to every corner of the world. Prior to joining Will in the creation of Tough Mudder, Guy was camped out in the Middle East learning Arabic and taming camels. Outside of TMHQ, Guy is most happy trekking in the mountains (which explains his annoyingly cheerful attitude when hiking up black diamond ski trails during ‘field testing’ of Tough Mudder’s mountain events).

Alex Patterson

As Chief Culture Officer, Alex is responsible for creating and maintaining a company culture of highly-intelligent and embarrassingly quirky TMHQers focused on relentless improvement and innovation, both in the office and at events. In past TM incarnations, he has served as Chief Creative Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, and began his TM career as In-House Counsel and start-line MC.

Born and raised in downtown Brooklyn, Alex studied political science and economics at Harvard College, earned a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, and then spent two years exploring the intricacies of the U.S. federal tax code while an associate at Davis Polk in New York. A 15-time Tough Mudder finisher and former ocean lifeguard on Long Island, he keeps a constant eye on swell forecasts around the globe so as to plot his next surf trip – hopefully coinciding with one of the company’s Australian events.

Ashley Ellefson

Ashley spent her formative years in a small mountain town in Northern California where she learned the arts of gold panning and TP’ing. She studied English and Communication Studies at UCLA and upon graduation quickly left her beloved homeland for the greener fields of New Zealand. After she got her fill of bungy jumping Ashley decided it was time to make her childhood dreams come true, so she made her way to NYC with a one-way ticket and two extra-large suitcases but no place to live and no job in sight. One magical day Ashley stumbled upon a Craigslist ad in search of interns for a “Harvard Business School Start-up,” and, now two years later, she heads up the Events Department and manages the teams in charge of delivering Tough Mudder events across the world.

Ashley enjoys reading autobiographies about drug addicted rockstars, getting her yoga on, and anything that involves being on boats. During weekends when she’s not at events, she can be found gardening in her backyard or BBQ’ing peaches on her new grill. She has perfected a secret green smoothie recipe and likes experimenting with her most prized possession: a Vitamix. She realizes in writing this that she sounds like a total hippie and will not even begin to talk about her new vegan diet…

Nolan Kombol

Hailing from the great Pacific Northwest, Nolan made his way into the world in the shadows of Mt. Rainier and quickly took to any and all outdoor activities. As an avid outdoorsman, he found the transition from lush mountains to sand dunes challenging when he took off for Arizona State University to become a Sun Devil. After spending 3 years studying History, Nolan decided it was time to see it for real and went to the old continent, in Ireland, where he acquired useful experience in mud matter before moving to the big city. There he worked for Skram Media in ad sales and production, occasionally assisting Tough Mudder during their early days as a start up. One could say it was love at first sight, and the Mudder℠, like a siren on a distant shore, slowly lured Nolan away, where he is now Head of Course Design, traveling the globe creating the choicest courses with the most savory obstacles.

Nolan enjoys long drives through the mountains, Canadian morning shows, fighting bears, and eating ham and butter sandwiches with a tall frosty glass of whole milk.

Nicole Puhl

Hailing from the Land of Oz, Nicole originally came to New York to pursue a sparkling career in finance. Upon graduating from Saint Louis University she began working for Lehman Brothers where she effectively triggered a global recession in 2008. After Lehman’s demise, Nicole spent time at other firms trading around Exchange Traded Funds markets and using as many acronyms as economically possible. Ultimately she decided that she wanted to combine love of complex Excel formulas with the great outdoors.

Here at Tough Mudder, Nicole is our Head of Customer Programs, and she also helps with new business ventures and general web stalking. At events you can find Nicole milling around the Registration tent and sporting a Hard Rock London fanny pack full of zip-ties and duct tape.

When she’s not cruising around the country or crunching numbers for Tough Mudder, you can find Nicole running the East River path with Antonia while sporting Tough Mudder headbands (seriously, 6:15 a.m. on weekdays—join ‘em!), practicing some yoga, and cheering obnoxiously for the Kansas Jayhawks (“Mario Chalmers for the threeeeee!”).

Daniella Sloane

Daniella comes from Philadelphia (talk about Tough!) and graduated from Dartmouth College. She quickly grew embarrassed about graduating with a degree in Geography and not knowing most state and national capitals, so Daniella spent a few months actually traveling back and forth across the maps that everyone thinks she likes to make. These days, she’s a proud Brooklynite, making things happen with Tough Mudder and changing the world one mud-covered maniac at a time.

When she’s not doing that, Daniella likes dancing, rollerskating with her little sister, and trying to make peace between two black-and-white cats.

Dan Weinberg

Dan is to sports business what Michael Jordan is to sports. At Tough Mudder, he prospects leading companies interested in partnering with Probably the Toughest Event on the Planet®.

Dan got his first taste of sports business in college, as an intern at NASCAR. After graduating from West Virginia University, he entered the trainee program at Velocity Sports and Entertainment, where he learned the ins and outs of sponsorship under some of the best in the business. On a leap of faith, in 2007 he joined Beach Tennis USA where he headed up their Marketing/Sales growing the companies number of tour events/sponsors. Bored of getting tan on America’s best beaches, in early 2010 he moved to the Big Apple as Director of Business Development at Elite Marketing Group, where he worked with top notch clients such as Twinlab, Party City, Black & Decker, etc… on their event activation.

During events he can be found assisting with event operations and schmoozing with event sponsors (with a Dos Equis in hand, of course). In the office, he’s basically on the phone non-stop. Weekends you can catch him (or at least try) driving the lane playing pick-up basketball or bombing mountains on his snowboard.

Jesse Bull

Jesse has worn many hats since joining Tough Mudder in March of 2011 – Senior Business Analyst, Head of Venues, Chief Financial Officer and now Chief People Officer. In his current role, he is working to attract the best and brightest to Probably the Best Place to Work on the Planet.

Jesse grew up in Nashville and graduated from Brown University with a degree in English Literature. Finding himself in New York City, he bussed tables until landing a job working the graveyard shift as an assistant editor on a TV show about high school basketball and ice fishing. After the show was completed, he jetted off to Beijing for six months to eat dumplings and improve his karaoke skills. Back in New York with a vague plan to “work in business,” Jesse landed a gig in the Leveraged Finance group at Barclays Capital where he spent 2 years in a small cubicle mastering Excel shortcuts. Tough Mudder seemed like the obvious next step.

In his free time, Jesse can be found drumming in his Brooklyn-based country band, honing his chicken-frying skills, singing Elton John at the karaoke bar or producing the internationally acclaimed web series The Drinking Game Show.

Nick Harris

Nick joined the Tough Mudder team to help bring ‘Probably the Toughest Event on the Planet®’ to the UK and Australia. Having cut his teeth in the harshest of environments, the African Savanna where you have to get tough quick just to survive, Nick travels far and wide, across rugged and treacherous terrain seeking only the finest spots for Tough Mudder.

Born in Northern California and raised in the UK, outside of Tough Mudder Nick is most likely to be caught as a blur of lycra cycling through the rolling hills of Sussex.

Peter Rice

Pete grew up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland where he passed his time roaming the woods and sailing and skiing on the Chesapeake Bay. After high school he wasn’t sure the college scene was ready for him so he decided to take a little break. He moved to Vail where he worked for the winter and then backpacked Europe. He finally ended up at Gettysburg College where he played rugby, joined a fraternity, and ended up with a degree in Environmental Studies. Hoping to pioneer the oyster industry Pete headed to Fishers Island, NY after graduation and worked on an oyster farm to learn the business. Although oysters are very interesting, they aren’t very lively, so Pete decided he needed a change of pace and packed his bags and moved to the Big Apple. And there he found Tough Mudder.

When not Tough Muddin Pete likes to hunt back home, visit the local watering holes of NYC, and peruse the local real estate market for apartments.

Kelley Kantarian

Kelley may have been born into a large family – one of five kids, and one of three triplet girls – but she’s one of a kind. She’s an Aries, so it’s in her blood to be adventurous, energetic, impulsive, and enthusiastic. Furthermore, Kelley suffers from “FOMO” (Fear of Missing Out) so you’ll be hard-pressed to find an opportunity or a challenge she’ll turn down. She joined Tough Mudder not wanting to miss out on Probably the Toughest Event on the Planet®.

For four years, Kelley channeled her energy to playing Varsity Field Hockey at Cornell University and pursuing a degree in hospitality. She held several internship positions in the sports and/or events business including working at the NFL Super Bowl Events, an internship at Nike Global Brand Marketing, and Marriott Sales and Special Events.

When not at Tough Mudder, Kelley enjoys traveling the world meeting new and different people. When someone can succeed in getting Kelley to sit down, she can be found eating avocado, zucchini, or pickles in any form, drinking red wine or a cold beer, and cheers-ing to anyone who will cheers back.

Tina Fekula

Born in Connecticut, and schooled at Boston College, she’s now in Brooklyn by way of Ghana. After graduating from BC with a degree in History, she worked for a year in Boston, and then returned to Ghana for a year where she had previously been abroad. There, she was the computer teacher for 300 students using only 1 computer, won a legendary Christmas day swimming competition, tasted the tenderness of rat, learned how to properly kill and dress a chicken, and just learned a whole lot about the world.

When not keeping everything in order around the Tough Mudder offices, she enjoys random trivia, swimming, losing to people better than her in chess, learning from people who know something she doesn’t. Oh, and music too, give her some sweet tunes and she’ll be happy, even on a rainy day.

Dave Policelli

David grew up in a log cabin in PA where four-wheeling, rock climbing, hunting, fishing, and camping were daily activities. After high school he shed his “Gun control means hitting your target” t-shirt and headed to Penn State to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Raised in a family of contractors and engineers, David spent several years as a Project Manager in commercial construction. During his time off he traveled as much as possible and realized it was time to manage construction projects around the world. Working with Tough Mudder on a few events was all it took; it wasn’t long before David was determined to join the team.

When not in the office David can be found checking out uncharted territory around NYC, sitting by a camp fire; or making dirt, snow, rubber, or water fly on one of his toys (And there’s a good chance he’s flying too).

Rachel Kaplan

Rachel was born and raised in Hollywood, Florida (yes, it’s a real place). She received a degree in Economics from the University of Florida where her extra-curricular activities included: tailgating before football games, attending football games and recovering from said football games. Rachel traded the Swamp for New York City when she matriculated Columbia Law School. And, forgoing the usual route of working for a law firm, took a grittier job with Tough Mudder as a member of the Legal team.

In true start-up form, Rachel wore many hats in her first year at Tough Mudder, ultimately landing in Big Mudder Development where she is dreaming up the company’s “next big thing”. When she isn’t brainstorming new event ideas or testing new concepts, you can find Rachel wandering the streets of the West Village and/or speaking loudly in public places with friends.

Reed Raskin

Having survived 18 years of urban life in NYC, Reed jumped at the opportunity to head to the PacNorthwest to pursue any school which shared his name. Once at Reed College, he pursued a degree in Economics and a majority of the girls on campus. But mostly, he was in hot pursuit of his pit bull ‘Dutchess’ who refused to come when called.

After graduation, Reed put off his return to NYC to begin work on his bucket list. Items included, but were not limited to, living in New Orleans, overcoming his fear of water while working as a whitewater raft guide, traveling across Nicaragua with his pet rooster ‘Ortega’, and most importantly emulating the Disney character ‘Johnny Tsunami’ on the slopes of Aspen.

Under the assumption that he had gotten his Ya-Ya’s out, Reed returned home to be closer to family and friends. Little did he know he would cross another item off the list; completing a Tough Mudder. After coming to the realization that he was on a constant quest to find life’s greatest venues, in 2011 Reed joined TMHQ to put those site-searching abilities to best use. When not on the road looking for new and exciting places to get you dirty, Reed can be found doing crosswords, riding his bike, playing euchre, shooting late-night pool, or organizing his annual barn dance. Look for him at the next event…

Matt Johnson

Originally from Vail, Colorado, Matt’s no stranger to mud season and grew up getting his hands dirty working on the mountain as a photographer. Looking to escape the mud (temporarily), he moved out east to study entrepreneurship and marketing at Georgetown before making his way to NYC to join the growing startup community in the big apple. An early employee at seamless.com, he experienced the wild ride of growing a business from 10 employees to 200 before leaving the company to backpack around the world for a year. After a life-affirming year on the road, the idea of going back to sitting behind a desk at a software startup had lost its appeal, so Matt joined up with Tough Mudder to build the best adventure sports brand on the planet.

Outside TMHQ, Matt is probably at Bowery Ballroom (live music), Pier 40 (pickup soccer), shaking his thing on the dance floor at PS1 and Mr. Sunday, or on a plane back home to hit the slopes.

Gina Kang

On paper, Gina Kang’s credentials seem nothing out of the ordinary. Born and raised in Queens, she attended NYU, and proceeded to enter the world of corporate accounting at Ernst and Young for four and a half years…an all too familiar route. However, if you looked (or listened) a bit more closely, you’d hear her wreaking havoc around Tisch Hall & Washington Square Park or having 1 (or 5) drinks too many during busy season at your nearest bar. In the midst of all this, Gina decided to take a leap of faith; armed with just her pocket protector and suspenders, shedecided that starting an events planning company was the best way to combine her love for social outings and anintense obsession with Excel.

She spent the next year convincing people that jumping out of planes and rolling down mountains was in no way an indication of insanity. Gina then met the Tough Mudder gang and realized that it was a match made in heaven. Today, you can probably find her fist pumping and crunching TM financial numbers with the TM accounting department (can we say multi-tasking?).

During her time off, Gina enjoys a not so peaceful round of golf (screaming “fore!” after hitting 90% of her shots), smack talking in her fantasy football league, or planning the next greatest night out on the town.

Jane Di Leo

When she is not losing years off her life watching the Missouri Tigers attempt to win a football game, you’ll find Jane working on her argument skills by trying to convince her TMHQ co-workers that being in your late 20′s really isn’t that old.

After growing up in the “inner-cit-ay” (Nordeast Minneapolis), where she tried—though often failed—to stay warm during the winters (it gets really, really cold there), Jane took off to the “Show-Me State” for a little warmth and a kick-ass journalism education at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, where she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Jane pursued her dream of being a magazine editor, working at local and national publications, but after sitting at a desk for four years, her sense of adventure soon went into overdrive and had her buying a one-way ticket to Cuernavaca, Mexico, where she volunteered for a year-and-a-half at Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, a home for orphaned and abandoned children.

Knowing her Irish skin couldn’t handle the sun much longer, Jane wound up back in NYC to start her next adventure as the Public Relations Manager at Tough Mudder. Though she is a kind, down-to-earth Midwesterner at heart, try not to cross the line by using bad grammar or the “R” word (Tough Mudder is not a race), or Jane will go all New York Italian on you.

Katie Kaps

Originally from Ohio, Katie grew up playing sports such as lacrosse, field hockey, and tennis. After realizing that Pro Tennis was not a viable career option for her, she headed off to Georgetown University majoring in International Economics in the School of Foreign Service. Before graduation, she spent a year attending the London School of Economics expanding her knowledge of finance and economics.

After graduation, she moved to New York to work in Investment Banking and started running long-distances for a stress-release. Following the Global Financial Crisis, Katie exited the financial sector and embarked on a new career that combined her passion for running with her business acumen: the Director of Strategy and Business Development for The San Francisco Marathon.

After two years of growing SF’s namesake Marathon, Katie missed the East Coast and returned to NYC to look for a job that involved spreading health & wellness into the world. Tough Mudder was the perfect fit. Now she spends her time at the TMHQ working on New Business expansion and other strategic initiatives. In her spare time, Katie loves engaging in all types of fitness and outdoor activities.

Garth Wilson

Garth was born and raised on the Eastern Shore of Maryland with fellow TMHQ member Peter Rice. Deciding 18 years hadn’t been long enough, he remained in his home town to attend Washington College. During his 4 year tenure he spent time playing club lacrosse, studying abroad in Ireland, and writing a thesis on Archimedean Spirals before parting with a degree in Mathematics.

After graduation Garth continued to work as the Assistant Manager for The UPS Store before heading to Baltimore, MD to try his hand in the Life Sciences recruitment industry. Tired of bland cubical walls and long conversations with awkward scientists, he packed his things and headed for the excitement of NYC and Tough Mudder.

Outside of work Garth spends his time on the water back in MD, watching ESPN, and attempting to adjust to life in the big city.

Nigel Thomas

Nigel Thomas, Chief Training Officer of Tough Mudder, consults Big Mudder on all things tough – from obstacle designs to our training program. A proud Welshman by birth, Nige is a keen sports enthusiast, motorcycle racer, and the kind of all around badass that all Mudders aspire to become. He’s planning on climbing Everest (the real one) for his 50th birthday next year and is using the Tough Mudder training program to warm up for the adventure.

He’s also CEO of Blue Mountain Group, a high end security, specialist driving and training company, and previously spent 14 years with the British Special Forces as a mountaineering specialist in the SAS. As for the rest of his bio, he says he can’t tell us everything, and frankly we’re afraid to ask.

Lucas Barclay

Lucas hails from the sunny shores of Melbourne, Australia where he grew up rolling around in the mud as a very average Aussie Rules footballer. After spending a couple of years in Beijing learning the correct way to cook jiaozi and make a toast, as well as acquiring some mandarin, he returned to Australia to help deliver the Sydney Olympics. From here, like many before him, he ventured off to London, England. Here he helped start up two events businesses, earned his MBA and was somehow able to fit in three more Olympics, seven Wimbledon Championships and countless cricket matches in what turned out to be a rather extended (ten year) vacation. London proved to be the perfect place to explore the world from and Lucas was able to satiate a great appetite for travel and for new and different cultures which finally culminated in the marriage to his wonderful wife, a fulltime move to New York and joining the greatest events team on the planet – Tough Mudder.

On weekends you might find Lucas playing chess in Union Square, at The Strand rummaging through old spy thrillers, or walking hand in hand on the High Line.

Mark Hussa

Growing up in the mean streets of Burke, VA, Mark acquired a keen toughness from duals with his 6′ 4″ sister. Since age six, Mark was required to keep a running log & was forcefully enlisted in his dad’s “round-the-yard” training program. (A Tough Mudder at heart) Along the way, seeking refuge with his significantly kinder nurse mother.

Never one to miss an opportunity, Mark later followed a pack of local wolves to NYC to attend Columbia University, pursuing a mix of major-hopping and major-hoping in attempt to land the perfect gig. Failed majors include: Psychology—too emotional, then Finance—too emotionless. After graduation, Mark finally found his obvious, happy medium: Tough Mudder.

When he’s not coordinating the toughest event on the planet, Mark’s dabbling in his other two favorite things: 90′s Music and Cheese.

Evan Seely

Evan’s active spirit and love for everything outdoors stems from his being a native Vermonter as well as the many laps he had to run around his house as punishment for misbehaving as a young boy. When not running laps around his house, Evan participated in many team sports like hockey, soccer, and the hallway version of American Gladiator.

Evan ventured onto Williams College to play hockey and learn how to brew beer, along with getting a degree in Sociology. In search for a sign for what to do in post-college life, Evan found himself at Dartmouth College’s masters in public health program. Soon after receiving his degree, Evan realized that he needed a little more action in his life, so he packed up his cat, Lucifer, and said goodbye to New England and his beloved Boston Red Sox to find a place where action and winning teams could be found: New York City. Although NYC doesn’t seem like a place for a guy who is most comfortable in fishing waders and a flannel shirt, Evan was confident that he would find something that would suit his personality.

Enter Tough Mudder, where Evan has joined on with the Events team. At TMHQ Evan has found a place where everything he loves in life: the outdoors, education, teamwork, and strong work ethic – are part of every day life.

When not at TMHQ, Evan can be found planning his next fishing trip, playing cribbage, cooking meals, and dreaming about a future of raising pigs on a Wisconsin farm.

Charlotte Bender

A native Rhode Islander, (yes – people DO actually live in Rhode Island) Charlotte grew up in a beach town, running around her grandmother’s beachfront property in the summertime and jumping at every opportunity to play sports, get muddy, and prove her toughness among the boys.

Charlotte attended the University of Rhode Island for her Bachelor’s degree. While pursuing her education, she joined her local volunteer fire department, once again fulfilling her hunger for adventure, while also giving back to her community (Note: Playing with fire was also a HUGE appeal). Also feeling the need to see the world, Charlotte participated in a semester abroad program at University of Hawai’i (favorite class: “Waikiki 101″) and interned in computer graphics research in Darmstadt, Germany.

Post-graduation, Charlotte moved to Boston to work as a web designer and take the city by storm. She ran a few half marathons and triathlons, but when she caught wind of Tough Mudder, she was hooked! She participated in the New England 2011 event, and joined the TMHQ staff while building her team for the New England 2012 event.

As an NYC resident, Charlotte still holds true to her New England pride by heckling fans of NY teams, and creating new adventures by exploring the city. Keep your eye out for this wily blonde at Tough Mudder events. She’s likely the one egging on the firefighters at Firewalker℠ or toasting Mudders with a pint of beer at the finish line!

Kacie Duffy

Kacie, a middle child and true Jersey girl, grew up in a small suburb outside of NYC. Turning 18 and in search of something a little different, she attended college in Morgantown, West Virginia. This is where she found her love for football, travel and (surprisingly) country music. While attending WVU, she played club lacrosse, studied abroad in Europe and graduated with a degree in communications. Kacie felt ridiculous with a bachelor’s degree in communications and the inability to speak a single word of spanish, so she set out to Barcelona to learn español.

She spent a year in Catalonia working as an English teacher but spent most of her time eating tapas, swimming in the Mediterranean, and exploring nearby cities. Getting tired of explaining the meanings of English slang and curse words to her students, she returned home to her favorite city in the world, New York. While working on a marketing tour for BMW, she discovered her passion for working in the event industry. This lead her to question… Why not work for the Toughest Event on the planet?

When not in the office, Kacie can be found rooting for her beloved NY Giants, spending time with her family in Jersey, planning her next trip to Europe, or searching for her dream apartment in the city.

Brandon Pape

Brandon was born and raised in Connecticut. A Husky fan from birth, Brandon decided it would only be right to attend the University of Connecticut. Initially planning on becoming a Pharmacist but soon realizing that he enjoyed counting the pills more than studying what was in them, Brandon switched his major to Accounting. After spending two years as an auditor for a Big Four firm and two more years as an accountant Brandon decided it was time for a change.

Looking for new challenges personally and professionally (attempting to find a way to make accounting interesting) Brandon found his home at Tough Mudder. TM provided the perfect blend of challenge, growth, competition and humility (where else would “Ball Shrinker®” show up in a financial review?). When not pouring through spreadsheets and financials, you can find Brandon attempting (failing) to learn the guitar, playing pickup basketball or exploring (getting lost in) New York City.

Cristina DeVito

Cristina originally hails from the sunny shores of New Jersey. She spent her undergraduate years at Dartmouth College, studying mechanical engineering and amassing a significant amount of green clothing. She decided that building bridges must be a lot like building Excel models, so she headed south to Charlotte, NC, where she was an investment banking analyst with Wachovia Securities. Feeling the pull of her Tri-state area roots, she headed back up to NYC to work as a private equity associate at Catterton Partners. Missing autumn in New England, she moved to Boston to attend Harvard Business School and take advantage of having mandatory vacations again. Before packing up and moving to join us here in Brooklyn, she spent over three years at Bain & Company – first in Boston and then in Los Angeles. When not at TMHQ, you can most likely find Cristina exploring the food scene of New York, sneaking away to the mountains, watching football or planning her next adventure with friends.

Candice Bates

Originally from Baton Rouge, Candice ventured to Athens, GA for college where she decided to major in International Business and French. Realizing she didn’t have the desire to crunch numbers abroad, Candice changed her mind three times until she landed in TV & Film production (4th time’s a charm?). Two days after graduating, Candice made the move to the big apple with only a carry-on and several copies of her resume. She quickly landed a job as a receptionist at a boutique staffing firm, and shortly thereafter took an internal HR position. It was then made clear that HR was her passion and she began facilitating and assisting with the implementation of key HR disciplines for over 2,000 employees.

In her free time, Candice can be found schooling opponents in Scrabble, stressing over her weekly NFL picks, cheering on her hometown Saints or embracing anything French, all while enjoying a glass (or 3) of wine. She may not cure cancer, but she’ll hire the person who does. Where you won’t find Candice (due to her obsession with Law and Order: SVU) is running through Central Park at night (no need to learn that lesson firsthand).

Sheetal Aiyer

Sheetal Aiyer is the Director of Venues at Tough Mudder, the Department responsible for securing partnerships with all of our kick-ass venues around the world. He also serves as Tough Mudder’s General Counsel, and provides his analysis and guidance to the company on a host of legal issues.

Sheetal was born and raised in the cotton-growing flatland of Lubbock Texas, which has been referred to by maybe up to two people as “God’s Country.” After attending the University of Texas at Austin, where he could be found playing his bass guitar at random house parties and cheering the Texas Longhorns, Sheetal lived and worked for a time in Strasbourg, France and Belfast, Northern Ireland building his public policy credentials.

After returning from his European adventures, he graduated from Emory University School of Law in Atlanta, Georgia in 2004, and then spent six years in and out of court as trial attorney in Texas. He moved to New York in 2010, started his own law firm, and joined Tough Mudder in February 2012. You can find Sheetal at various sports bars around NYC cheering for those same Longhorns, sampling interesting cuisine throughout the 5 boroughs, or in the departure lounges at LaGuardia or JFK before heading to distant locales he hasn’t yet experienced.

Paul Simcox

After a short spell of crass underachievement, Paul dragged his sorry butt through the toughest basic military training in the world to become a Royal Marine Commando. He was later decorated for distinguished service and awarded an MBE for conducting and commanding teams on counter terrorist operations. Alongside Tough Mudder’s very own Chief Training Officer, he also valiantly supported the UK pub trade (but this work went largely unrecognized).

Paul then left the military to counter drugs in Afghanistan and terrorist financiers in the Middle East. During this time he worked with Tough Mudder CEO Will Dean and this was the beginning of a sickening era of mutual respect. When not chasing bad guys, Paul raised funds for charities, including spending 13 hours climbing the height of Everest and back (on a gym stepper machine) and almost as long completing the London marathon as a member of the Daily Telegraph team. He now manages UK Operations at TMHQ so fellow Brits can love Tough Mudder as much as he does.

When he’s not enjoying the work of cake-making-domestic-goddess Debs, or training with mini-Tough Mudder Ollie and mini-Tough Madam Mia, Paul enjoys rugby, foreign travel and quality coffee shops.

Kimmy Howington

Kimmy was born in California and raised in North Carolina. After high school, she decided living coast to coast just wasn’t enough for her adventurous heart so she headed to Utah where she attended Brigham Young University. Kimmy majored in theatre and film and decided this degree would best be suited running a massage studio in Raleigh. After five years back in the dirty south, Kimmy felt the need for yet another change in location. She decided to trade in the spa water for mud runs, so she made her way over to NYC to work as an administrative assistant at TMHQ.

Kimmy’s talents include avoiding awkward conversations, list making, and coming up with slogans for fictional businesses. When not working hard at TMHQ she can be found on the Brooklyn Bridge listening to the Cure, enjoying the sweet siren song of Harlem, or attempting to walk every street of New York.

Eli Hutchison

Hailing from Connecticut, Eli learned at a young age that the mountains of New England would not appease his growing appetite for bigger and better things. A keen desire to learn the process of igloo-building and taste the famed Canadian poutine found him attending college in Vancouver, British Columbia. Four years of snowboarding, rock climbing, mountain biking, and adventuring all over the western Canadian outback later he emerged with a degree in Urban Geography and a growing sense that he knew very little about the broader world.

After a year spent in South America trekking the Andes, learning in Argentina that dancing tango is harder than it looks, and walking pumas through the jungles of Bolivia, he returned to Canada to hone his carpentry skills. Realizing that his desire for adventure and pushing his limits would be better suited to designing and building the most challenging obstacle courses on the planet, Eli moved to NYC to take a job with Tough Mudder.

These days he can be found wandering Brooklyn in search of the city’s best burrito or scouring the web for the next concert coming to town. Look for Eli at the next event, watching enviously as Tough Mudders launch themselves off of Walk the Plank℠.

Kate Fitzpatrick

After graduating with an art history major from Middlebury College, Kate gave up her plans of being a ski-bum in Jackson Hole when she landed a job in the legal office of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Pleasantly surprised to like both city living and the law, she went on to Brooklyn Law School and worked for two years at a law firm advising non-profit organizations. Looking for a change of pace, Kate jumped into the New York start-up scene, serving as General Counsel and Director of Operations for a digital consulting firm and social media venture. After quickly realizing the tech scene was not for her, Kate was excited to join the TMHQ team (although she admittedly is still terrified of the electric eel).

A huge fan of living and working in Brooklyn, Kate still escapes to New England as often as she can, and loves to hit the slopes at every opportunity in the winter.

Luke Graham

Luke started his career in the cut and thrust of union politics in the UK. After overseeing the finances of his local and national commercial unions, he entered the heady world of retail and corporate finance. Luke’s search for ever more efficient spreadsheets took him to London, Beijing and Bangkok before coming here to Tough Mudder.

Having been raised in Swindon (West Country boy) and studied at the University of Sheffield, Luke has a healthy interest in the great outdoors as well as economic development.

Luke is happiest when he is running in the countryside, debating current affairs and hitting karaoke (preferably at the same time).

David Spindler

After attending Reading school (not reading school) back home in the UK for 7 years, David moved to London to go to the LSE, row crew and occasionally crash his friend’s radio show. Completing an internship in investment banking in 2007 allowed him to see the credit crunch unfold up close, and resolve not to be a banker.

Thinking that he liked Excel and writing on windows, David joined Bain in London, but not before spending a few months travelling around the world, and counting birds in northern Patagonia (for science, he promises). After two years in London, split by one helping start Bain Johannesburg (and watching the World Cup up close), David decided to indulge his passions for fitness and the outdoors, and deliver more than slides, by joining Tough Mudder in the Strategy and New business team. Moving to New York? Why not, indeed…

Outside of work, David likes his bike (maybe a little too much), coffee and the Sunday papers.

Drew Wingert

Drew is short for Andrew, which is in fact only a middle name to Robert. And this is how the story begins. Growing up in Dallas, he learned how rough life could be- breaking his arm three times and losing multiple Pokémon battles. He toughened up by playing every sport imaginable, eventually earning the nickname from his basketball teammates of “Stu”, after replicating Stu Pickles’ haircut one too many times. But he found his first true love, basketball.

Drew needed to escape the great state of Texas, and after a wonderful pit stop at Texas A&M University (he proudly became a ‘super senior’), he landed in the great city of Jersey City. After an internship with the soon to be Brooklyn Nets, he migrated to NYC, where his heart skipped a beat for a second time.

Landing a job at the ever-growing Tough Mudder (the third time is a charm), he can be found eating, breathing and occasionally sleepwalking all things Mudder Services. Out of the office, Drew can be found cheering on the world champion Dallas Mavericks, enjoy brunch off Hudson St in WV, laying out on the piers and re-watching the infamous, Mean Girls.

Brendan Driscoll

Originally from the Finger Lakes region of western New York, Brendan moved to New York City to study law after spending several years exploring Europe and the American Midwest, during which time he collected graduate degrees, worked as a librarian and a landscaper, and played bass guitar for various Rolling Stones cover bands.

Before joining Tough Mudder, Brendan was an associate with the law firm of White & Case LLP, where his practice focused upon international infrastructure projects, aircraft finance and other corporate transactional matters.

When not working, Brendan can often be found doing pull-ups in Central Park, or exploring rural parts of the Hudson Valley. He also enjoys long road trips.

Matt McIntire

Hailing from Ohio’s Queen City, Matt’s childhood was spent struggling to accept the failure that is the Cincinnati Bengals and wondering why everyone didn’t grow up in a town without stoplights. Leaving home having never eaten deli meat or soup, James Madison University provided the perfect setting to branch out – if seeing 80′s cover bands and golfing on “dog tracks” counts. Deciding he needed a few more years in Virginia, Matt moved to Richmond and lived vicariously through undergrads while working at the University of Richmond. After getting his fill in Virginia, DC’s Glover Park soon became home where he spent his work days at Washington’s CVB and his weekends bicycling, gambling on Skee-Ball and creating the perfect playlist. Realizing he was ready for the next stop along his tour of the East Coast and promising to go no further north, Matt landed in Tough Mudder’s People department. Outside of TMHQ, you can find him seeking out New York’s best burger, falling off his skateboard in the West Village or canning vegetables that he’ll happily (and forcibly) let you try.

Bonnie Lee

Proudly hails from the Jersey Shore, though not the typical GTL kind of girl, proud none-the-less. Having an appreciation for structures and architecture has led her to a Penn State Architectural Engineering degree with a Construction Management focus. After 10+ years in San Francisco and managing projects for a large mechanical contractor, she returned to her stomping grounds in NYC to grow the Tough Mudder obstacle construction team and essentially build epic adult jungle gyms!

She’ll try anything at least once from skydiving to zombie races to synchronized swimming. In her free time you can find her recruiting for her cooking club, watching Saturday college football, and running with her pug/bulldog mix Oliver, while rocking to 90′s rock. Her true quest in life is to answer the hotly debated question: Who really has the best slice in NYC??

Marc Ackerman

Marc joined Tough Mudder as chief lawyer after spending twenty years at some of the most prominent law firms and representing some of the top sports brands on the planet. At Cravath, White & Case and O’Melveny, Marc advised the likes of the National Football League, National Hockey League, ESPN, FIFA and Major League Soccer. For Marc, moving from the comforts of BigLaw to the excitement of the next great sports brand proved irresistible.

Marc grew up in the New York suburbs and attended Yale University, where he studied Political Science while setting and hitting outside for the Yale Mens Volleyball team. His next stop was Greenwich Village, where he somehow managed to balance exploring the many amazing neighborhood restaurants and music venues with getting his law degree at NYU. After sixteen years in Manhattan, Marc returned to the suburbs, where he can still be found playing competitive volleyball and going to hear great music, as well as playing guitar and serving on his local community council. His greatest long-term project, however, is his family: his wife Faith who crushes him on the tennis court, and his two amazing children, Josh and Sammi, who are looking forward to being old enough to enter their first Tough Mudder.

Hanif Champion

Raised on a farm in the Appalachian foothills of southeastern Ohio, Hanif became enamored by all things outdoors-y (and tOSU-y) at an early age. Years spent in the wilderness riding horses, raising (and tipping) cattle, and honing a very green thumb left him well-prepared to face the inevitable zombie apocalypse. Still, he couldn’t help but feel that there was more to life than this.

Hanif eventually traveled down to North Carolina to attend Duke, where he invested an extensive amount of time researching some of the South’s premiere cuisine – see: Cookout. After graduating, he traveled back to Ohio where he spent an unconscionable amount of time teaching elementary school children the art of sidewalk-chalk graffiti. He then landed in Louisville working for the Army and developed a love-hate relationship with horse racing and bourbon. After a couple years, he decided that it was time to move on to the next challenge. Enter: Tough Mudder.

When he’s not in the office, you can find him getting lost exiting the subway, enjoying every food festival he can find, and wandering around Brooklyn at all hours of the day.

Hilary May

Hilary grew up in New Jersey (no comments, please) and spent her summers playing golf and her winters skiing. She made her way to Boston College where she majored in political science and environmental studies. She had high hopes for one day running the country but, after spending most of her four years in the art studio or at the gym teaching pilates, she decided her political aspirations might be slim to none.

And so she moved and began her early adult life in New York City working in the business development department at a publishing company. After a few years she decided it was time to move on to the next adventure, and what better challenge than working for Probably the Toughest Event on the Planet®?

In her spare time, Hilary can be found running up and down the Westside Highway, cooking up the newest recipe blog find, or hopping a plane down south to get in a few rounds of golf any chance she gets.

Jeff Park

Born in New York’s East Village, Jeff grew up exploring the streets of the city. When the time came for college he decided he needed a change of scenery and so he packed his bags and headed off to enemy territory to study Economics at Boston University. While there, he ran marathons, and explored many of Boston’s breweries. It wasn’t until he studied abroad in New Zealand that he discovered what he truly loved to do: travel and extreme sports. In New Zealand he tried multiple adventure sports including skydiving, bungee jumping, and zorbing (think giant hamster ball, filled with water and people rolling down a hill). He was hooked.

Upon graduating from college, Jeff decided that his next adventure would be in China. He moved to Shenzhen to teach English for two years. He spent 20 hours a week teaching, which left him with ample time to travel, explore, and experience all that China had to offer. From Bungee jumping in Macau (tallest jump in the world!) to finding the dirtiest fried dumpling stands one can imagine, he saw and tried it all. But, this all came to a rather abrupt halt when he was diagnosed with a shoulder injury and decided to come back to the good old U.S.A to heal. Shortly after getting surgery on his shoulder he began working at Tough Mudder, and the rest as they say, is history.

When Jeff isn’t pursuing the latest and greatest extreme sport, he can be found on the streets of New York City inadvertently misdirecting Chinese tourists in their native tongue, or in Tough Mudder’s Accounting department crunching numbers.

Melissa Esmundo

Born and raised in the midwest, Melissa spent her college years studying marketing, international business and french and competing in crew and track and field at Washington University. Upon graduation from college, she took her love of Cardinals baseball, biking and pie to the sunny shores of San Francisco where she spent six years fine tuning her retail, strategy and analytics skill set while at Gap, Inc. Melissa eventually moved from her beloved San Francisco to pursue her MBA at New York University’s Stern School of Business where she studied marketing and entertainment, media and technology. After completing her graduate studies, she spent time leading client projects in strategy consulting and heading up strategy and operations in advertising.

When not analyzing spreadsheets and building amazing customer experiences, Melissa can be found searching for her next triathlon, biking in Brooklyn, exploring the city and looking for new adventures.

Matt Hofelich

Born and raised in Genoa Ohio, Matt always wondered what adventures lay beyond small town America. It was this curiosity, coupled with the strong urge to fulfill his patriotic duty, that brought him to enlist in the U.S. Navy Seabees. During his time in the ‘Bees, Matt jumped from continent to continent, from the dense jungles of Africa and Asia to the hot sands of the Middle East to the historic lands of Europe and beyond; building projects all over the world. Pacifying his taste for travel (for the moment at least), Matt resumed civilian life and moved back to Ohio. It took only a matter of months though before he was on the move again, this time to the sunny valley of Las Vegas. Keeping busy in Sin City was not a problem for Matt, juggling life in college, managing a contracting office and living Vegas-style. Life was running its course until one fateful day when Matt received the call from Big Mudder, and the rest (as they say) is history.

When he’s not helping to build the most badass obstacles on the planet, Matt enjoys jaunting around the city on his bike, spending time with his dog Gunner, and enjoying all the diverse culture and sites that NYC has to offer.

Ted Conbeer

Ted grew up in the suburbs north of Chicago before enrolling at Princeton, where he was on the sailing team and studied Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering. At school, he also got really into the outdoors and had a minor existential crisis, so after graduation, Ted moved to northern Thailand to work for Chiang Mai Rock Climbing Adventures, a small adventure education company.

After a year in Thailand, Ted moved home to Chicago to work for Bain & Company. At Bain, Ted consulted for a few corporate clients before joining the Private Equity Group, where he became the world’s foremost expert on Canadian spray foam installers and Puerto Rican Medicare reimbursement levels, among other less applicable subjects.

Ted’s favorite NYC activities include: riding his bike to the Palisades, climbing at Brooklyn Boulders, and enjoying a few pints at Beer Table.

Lindsay Buchanan

Hailing from the land of crab cakes, football and The Wire, Lindsay’s early childhood days were filled with everything from ballet lessons to camping trips. She headed south to attend the University of Virginia where she played DI lacrosse, tried her hand at pre-med before pursuing a degree in business, and perfected utilizing ‘y’all’ on a regular basis. After graduation she set out to take on New York City and Wall Street, where she learned the ropes in investment banking capital markets before shifting to her firm’s corporate philanthropy efforts.

Eager to try something new, Lindsay sought a fresh challenge that would satisfy her love of sports & adventure, ideally in a dynamic and teamwork-oriented environment (bonus points for appeasing her growing desire to wear jeans to the office.) Enter the perfect combination of Tough Mudder…where she hopes to save the world, one Mudder at a time.

When not at work, Lindsay can be found doing an outdoor activity, sampling the NYC restaurant scene, tearing it up at co-ed intramural floor hockey, or planning her next travel adventure. Always up for a challenge, she’ll take you on in anything from bowling to board games to h-o-r-s-e…if lacking in talent, her competitive spirit (or self-perceived ability to talk a big game) may just wear you down.

Jon Martone

Growing up in Southern California, Jon grew tired of it always being sunny and opted to attend college in Seattle at the University of Washington. While not studying for marketing and sales exams you could find Jon camping out for basketball games and in the front row at most sporting events cheering on the Huskies. When he wasn’t rooting on his favorite teams he was working with them, gaining marketing and partnerships experience with most of the sports associations in Seattle.

Sports has always been a passion of Jon’s, whether that was playing them or following them. After deciding that cheering and working in sports wasn’t he enough he decided to study sports marketing at NYU while working at Madison Square Garden.

Jon’s constant search for adventure naturally led him directly to TMHQ, joining the partnership marketing team. With his spare time you can find him playing dodgeball or kickball all over Manhattan or at the Husky alumni bar in Midtown.

Megan Jones

Megan grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles before migrating east for undergraduate studies at Bucknell University, where she was a member of the varsity swim team, majored in Political Science and double minored in Sociology and East Asian Studies.

After graduation, Megan moved to New York City and attended New York Law School. Prior to accepting a position as Assistant General Counsel at Tough Mudder, Megan worked at a boutique entertainment law firm in the film and television department. In her free time, Megan enjoys scuba diving, taking care of her two salt water fish tanks and coaching swimming for a Manhattan based triathlon team.

Greg Fitzgerald

Greg is a born-and-bred Jersey native, and knows firsthand that the true Jersey Shore is more about kayaking and beach cruisers than fist pumping. He left the land of Springsteen and pork roll to study Marketing and Supply Chain Management at Arizona State University, where he also learned the virtues of November pool parties and PAC-10 football. He feels old knowing that it’s now the PAC-12. After studying abroad / touring on the European karaoke bar circuit (including shows in Athens, Rome, and Paris), Greg worked on marketing initiatives for Coca-Cola and Verizon Wireless and discovered the joys of branding and digital marketing.

Greg then road-tripped back across the country to study brand management, earn his MBA, and witness “living history” at the College of William & Mary in colonial Williamsburg, VA. Once he completed his studies and realized that a career in the typical corporate world wasn’t for him, he followed his passion for creative marketing and desire to make a difference back home to the tri-state area to help the Tough Mudder team grow the next great sports brand.

When not at TMHQ, Greg enjoys discovering underrated restaurants and dive bars, getting intentionally lost on runs, and hearing live music of any kind. He’s also especially nerdy about all things digital, drawing and reading cartoons, and toasted sandwiches.

Will Burghes

After a season as a ski bum in Colorado, Will managed to complete degrees in Economics and Philosophy at the University of Bristol and the London School of Economics. Soon afterward, he entered the world of strategy consulting working at Oliver Wyman in their financial services practice. After several years advising clients in Europe, the Middle East and the U.S., Will headed to Wall Street (at the most auspicious time possible – October 2008) to work in the strategy teams of Citi and Barclays before moving to Tough Mudder to lead the strategy team.

When not immersing himself in all things strategy at TMHQ, Will may be found out on his bike exploring the highways and byways of the Southern Adirondacks, plotting his next snowboarding adventure or sailing his comically tiny sailboat on the lakes of upstate New York. Despite being a dedicated New Yorker, Will still appreciates a pint of warm ale and drinks more tea than coffee. He is well versed in the art of vegetarian home cooking and is always looking to expand his selection of recipes.

Brian Von Ancken

Born in New York City and raised in Connecticut, Brian developed a taste for the Tough Mudder adventure spirit at an early age creating obstacle courses for home grown neighborhood decathlons as well as seeing the world on annual international bareboat sails with his family. He went on to study Economics and Entrepreneurial Leadership at Tufts University while also setting the single game touchdown reception record for the school’s football team, the Jumbos.

After graduation, Brian moved to New York City and worked several soulless desk jobs before taking his talents to Brooklyn Law School. As a student at Brooklyn Law, Brian focused on small business and entrepreneurial law, and during his final year, he interned for Tough Mudder under the pseudonym Notorious LIB (Legal Intern Brian), ultimately leading to his current position of Associate Counsel.

Outside of Tough Mudder, Brian enjoys playing basketball in every country he visits (the Japanese can ball!), trying every gluten free restaurant in NYC, and not so subtly trying to take down Will Dean during ski retreats.

Ashley Pinakiewicz

Ashley is a native New Jerseyan, a fact she’ll proudly volunteer to anyone within earshot. She grew up as a competitive dancer with a chronic case of wanderlust, planning the family trips and leaving for Europe solo as soon as she was deemed “old enough” (16). She headed to Georgetown to study English, join the Hoya Dance team, and try and figure out what kind of job would allow her travel and talk to people all day long. Unconvinced that role existed in real life, she took a job in San Francisco to soak up the Northern California philosophy of life (work, hike, wine). After nearly eight years consulting to brands on how to grow, she realized she wanted to help build one from the inside out. She comes to Tough Mudder to evangelize the brand and bring her passion for the company to the rest of the world.

When not at work, you can find Ashley “singing” at a karaoke bar, trying new dance classes, sampling the weirdest foods she can find, or planning her next trip.

Don Baxter

Showing early entrepreneurial promise, Don ran a boating business, a jazz night and brewed beer in a cupboard at high school before getting struck by wanderlust and travelling through Africa, Australia, Europe and Latin America, staying trim on a diet of local food and tropical diseases.

After a stint in non-profits, where saving the world took a lot longer than expected, his love of tinkering with organizations big and small lead him to six years as a consultant and an MBA at Columbia Business School. He spent the last three years honing his negotiation skills and smile-in-the-face-of-trouble attitude doing interim management and advisory work for companies in financial difficulty, including a few law firms, a chain of luxury spas, a ski resort and a toy importer, with the odd FBI fraud investigation along the way.

On the side, Don co-founded a charity working with schools in East Africa, and is tremendously proud that there’s school library somewhere North of the Maasai Mara with his picture hanging on the wall. When not in the office, he’s usually looking for the next crazy challenge (running in the Sahara has been the best so far, after Tough Mudder, of course) or training his 6-month old son Charlie to be the next British Wimbledon champion.

Sarah Harvey

After studying English at Cambridge and travelling in Asia and Africa, Sarah realised she wasn’t qualified for anything in the real world but joined the Civil Service in the UK and lived out all her ‘Yes Minister’ fantasies. After living in Uganda, she started at Bain & Company and managed to work hard in the UK and slightly less hard in South Africa honing her strategy skills. Sarah then decided to do a 180° turn and indulge her passion for Africa by working in international development for a bunch of charities and government organisations in 8 different countries.

After that she moved to Diageo, combining her enthusiasm for Africa, strategy and alcohol before deciding she wanted to become more enterprising and joined TM to help start the London office. When not getting excited about new events in the UK, Sarah can be found boxing, watching rugby and travelling in Africa.

Simon Massie-Taylor

Simon is part of the British invasion of Tough Mudder and hails from the North Devon coast which is famous for clotted cream, green hills and British accents.

Simon studied Economics and Politics at Bristol University and then headed to the city of London where he qualified as a chartered accountant and worked as an investment banker, specialising in media and entertainment.

In 2008 he decided that enough was enough, bought a Land Rover called ‘Binks’ and went off to explore his family roots in the African bush. After reaching Cape Town and driving the best part of 25,000 miles across Africa he returned to London to work for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Organising Committee where he worked on a broad range of high profile commercial and sponsorship deals.

Simon spends his spare time in the sea kitesurfing/surfing/playing most sports. He describes himself as a ‘jack of all trades but master of none’ but hopes that he will scouted by an American football or baseball agent whilst he is this side of the Atlantic.

Emma Markley

Emma Markley hails from Yorktown Heights, NY. As a child, she spent her days growing like a weed and climbing anything in sight, often without thinking of how to get back down. By the time she reached 6 feet and had two or three hard casts under her belt, Emma realized her affinity for the “air up there” would be best utilized closer to earth on the basketball court.

She played basketball at Harvard University, where she studied Anthropology and Government. Emma has since then stayed grounded and focused her sights more horizontally to explore the world via cupcake shops and beer tastings. She enjoys nature, trail running, and hasn’t met a crossword puzzle she doesn’t like. You can often find her running through town sporting a flattering pair of shin sleeves.

Emma joins us from the advertising industry and has had several internships in finance, and so, she brings both creativity and a closet full of power suits to Tough Mudder. In a nut shell, she is high-energy, low-maintenance, and most importantly, knows how to rock a dorky watch.

Linsday Thomson

Lindsay grew up in Connecticut, but spent her winters schussing down the icy slopes of Vermont. Quickly realizing that she was more comfortable on skis then in shoes, she took up alpine ski racing and looking good while going fast. After deciding that the Vermont winters just weren’t cold enough, Lindsay headed to Maine, where she attended Bates College. While at Bates, Lindsay was recruited to be a coxswain for the Rowing team based entirely on her size (small) and her volume (loud). After four years with the Bobcats, Lindsay walked away with two NCAA National Runner’s Up trophies and the freakish ability to endure daily 4am practices with a stupid-happy grin on her face. While not rowing, she also traveled to India and Nepal to study Buddhism and the Tibetan Independence movement and earned a double honors degree in Religion and Rhetoric.

After graduation, Lindsay took off for the mean streets of Brooklyn to teach 6th grade History with Teach for America. After two years of wrangling hormonal teenagers and earning a Master’s Degree in Education, Lindsay decided to leave the classroom in pursuit of a more challenging job. Enter Tough Mudder, where Lindsay works as an Operations Associate in the Events Department cooking up ways to make grown men cry.

While not at TMHQ, Lindsay enjoys beating challengers at Charades and being a proud member of the Regal Cinema’s Crown Club for frequent movie-goers. Her spirit animal is a Zorse.

Josh Klebanoff

Josh was born and raised in Northern New Jersey, where, contrary to popular belief, fist pumping is not the norm. Bored of the gray skies and craving a change, Josh headed west for school and landed at the University of Arizona in Tucson where he studied Communications and Psychology. While at school, Josh was an active member of the American Cancer Society and involved in a high level at a variety of their on campus events raising thousands of dollars.

During his studies, Josh ventured off to Barcelona for a semester to see the world and interact with numerous new cultures. In his time away from the mainland, he decided travelling was a newfound passion. Visiting over ten European cities in three short months made coming back to America quite depressing!

Post-graduation, Josh landed a job in New York City at a tech start-up which then ultimately led him to land on Tough Mudder where he now continues to travel, see the world, and take on new daily challenges. When home, Josh enjoys the local NYC foodie scene, concerts, and making sure he can make his way to check out every crevice of the NYC streets.

Crystal Anderson

Crystal hails from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (the Land of Smiling Faces and Beautiful Places.) After 18 years of idyllic living, Crystal decided to get a bit hardcore by attending Howard University in Washington, DC (The Land of Bad Drivers and and at times, not so smiling faces.) After College, Crystal moved around a bit before settling in NYC (the land of Street meat and good shopping.) In NYC, Crystal found herself in the Fashion Industry, first in PR and then working as an assistant at a big Modeling Agency. While Crystal sharpened her reflexes by ducking cell phones, she decided it was time for a new career path, so she gladly traded in the Cat Walk for Walk the Plank℠.

Crystal works with the People Team and is also the self described “Commander of Fun,” planning all of the cool in-office events here at TMHQ. When not in the office, Crystal can be found thinking about what’s for dinner while eating lunch, honing her “Grill Master” BBQ skills, watching Antiques Roadshow (hey, hey, no judgement!), drinking Pepsi and researching the next beach to head to on vacation!

Andy Newman

Andy Newman joins the Operations Department as Volunteer Director. After studying both in the UK and US, Andy joined Barclays Bank working in both the retail network and head office environments managing projects across the country. A handful of years later the urge of not seeking a move into sport became too great. After two years, working in one of the more deprived regions in the UK increasing sporting participation numbers by raising workforce development levels in the sector, Andy moved on to be a part of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Organising Committee. The challenge – to mobilise the largest workforce the UK had seen since World War 2. The end result – the 70,000 volunteers (Games Makers) became one of the greatest success stories of London 2012.

When not working, Andy loves all sports be that playing or watching, (though painfully admits too much time now falls in the latter camp), and searching for the perfect Mojito.

James Zamorski

Jim originally hails from northern New Jersey where he always had an interest in building things. This led him to pursue a degree in Civil Engineering from Rowan University where he learned about what it takes to turn a concept into reality.

After graduating, he returned back to his roots and worked for a consulting firm as a Design Engineer for a few years. It was during this time he developed a passion for endurance sports and it wasn’t long before he was competing in every type of race or adventure event he could find. This led him to be a participant in the first Tough Mudder ever. He landed next at Turner Construction Company as an Engineer where he was involved in several interesting projects throughout NYC. It wasn’t until he was signing up for his next Tough Mudder event that he saw the opportunity to apply for the Construction Manager position at TMHQ and didn’t hesitate. Now at TMHQ, he finally has found the opportunity to combine his engineering and construction experience with his love of outdoor sports.

Andy Fist

Andy grew up in Tasmania, Australia’s island state. A rural scholarship program helped him make it to Sydney, where he studied Engineering and Business Economics at UNSW.

Sport started to interest Andy at University. Unfortunately his body was better suited to calculus and debating championships, and Andy retired from a very unsuccessful Australian Football career after three consecutive shoulder reconstructions. Two goals were set after his final surgery: Open a salsa jar unassisted, and run a fast marathon. Andy got into running in a big way, and learnt business 101 working as a salesman in the local running shoe store. The kind people at Bain & Company had never heard such passion for cross-selling socks, and invited Andy to join the Sydney office after graduation. He has worked with clients in retail banking, consumer goods and mining.

Andy brought his strange vowel-sounds and incomprehensible slang to the TMHQ in 2012. He spends his spare time trying to open salsa jars, playing guitar, and proving the superiority of Australian food through statistical analysis.

Alex Maikowski

Originally from Metuchen, New Jersey, Alex’s childhood was a heart-warming montage of running barefoot through dewy fields, joking with friends on railroad tracks and sitting down for delicious family dinners. After studying Marketing & Communication at beautiful Ithaca College, Alex trekked through Europe before hesitantly settling down in Brooklyn to join the advertising world. After helping build brands like Super 8 and Howard Johnson, he moved on to making ads that sold booze. As cool as that sounded, he wanted more. So after taking a year away to start his own non-profit and spend peaceful days in the woods staring at clouds, Alex linked up with Tough Mudder to help tell cool stories.

Outside TMHQ, Alex is usually biking around Brooklyn, dancing to live music somewhere, or getting out of town to breathe in some mountain air and marvel at the beauty of the world.

Clinton Jackson

Clinton Jackson is a comedian and actor from oakland, california, who doesn’t care for capital letters and writes of himself in the third person. his style of comedy which, the san francisco chronicle called “clean, clever, and engaging” has garnered him his own half hour special on comedy central as well as an appearance on the craig ferguson show. as an actor, he has appeared in numerous sitcoms including many shows on the disney channel and nickelodeon. he has also starred in many national commercials and has been the opening act for earth wind & fire, aretha franklin and donna summer.

He says “when i was first approached about working with tough mudder i had never heard of it. when they described it to me i thought it was something people who had broken the law did instead of going to jail. then they explained that people did this event of their own free will. so i had to know WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE? i came, i saw and i fell madly in love with mudder nation!”

Clinton is married to his wife (duh!) and says his interest include “stuff…and things. but i’m most passionate about…whatever.” more of this nonsense at clintonjackson.com.

Sean Corvelle

Sean was born in Annapolis, MD. He grew up partly in Baltimore and the other half of his childhood in the San Francisco bay area. It was soon after high school when he began his professional journey in the field of entertainment as a stand-up comedian. With his instant likability and fresh enthusiasm on stage he quickly became a favorite act in clubs across the country. Sean eventually moved to Los Angeles where he enjoyed success acting in commercials, hosting and guest starring in TV shows “I have three highlights in my professional career that stand out for me; hosting a travel show, guest starring in an episode of “Friends,” and now working with Tough Mudder.”

Never one for staying still; when not working, Sean juggles his personal time traveling between residences in Hollywood and Sweden. “My time in Sweden was an amazing experience that opened me up to the feeling of sharing a world with people.”

These days, when not working, Sean enjoys riding his motorcycle, banging on his drum kit and spending time with his family.

Brady Archer

Growing up in Colorado, Brady has always had a love of the outdoors, and a hunger for adventure. Going to college in Boulder, he managed to balance snowboarding and hockey trips with a Mechanical Engineering degree. Upon finishing his degree, he knew that the cubicle life was not for him, leading him to take a job as a Field Engineer for an oil service company.

After spending several years searching for black gold in California, as well as becoming a well-versed traveler in his spare time, he took an international transfer to Colombia. Having little else to do while there, Brady started running the local track in his small village while reciting whatever Spanish phrase he had learned that day. Returning from South America, he jumped headlong into mud races, completing five Tough Mudder’s in six months. With this new found love of mud, running, and high doses of electrical voltage coursing through his veins, a job at TMHQ was the next logical step in his career!

In his free time you can usually find Brady touring the country, attending yet another Dave Matthews Band concert, or searching whatever city he is in for their best microbrewery.

Barry Shaw

Barry’s love for athletics and sport began at age 5 with competitive swimming. By high school, which he attended in South Africa, Barry had transitioned to water polo – a sport he later lettered in for 4 years at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. Following graduation, Barry lived in Japan for 3 years and fulfilled his service obligation as a Surface Warfare Officer (Ship Driver) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk. Since leaving the Navy he has gained professional experience in operations across a number of industries, all the while growing increasingly passionate about physical fitness and the culture of health.

For Barry, Tough Mudder represents the inevitable and ideal collision between personal interests professional experience. When not moonlighting as a freelance aircraft carrier driver Barry enjoys music production, DJing, photography and of course anything fitness and exercise related!

Laura Delucia

Laura is originally from New Hampshire, home of the nation’s first presidential primary election, which sparked her interest in politics and led her to attend George Washington University in Washington, D.C. After graduating, she started her career at a large software company where she helped campaigns to better use technology. Using the wisdom imparted on her in the nation’s capitol, Laura joined the Obama for America presidential campaign back in her home state of New Hampshire and across the country. After winning the election, she was lucky enough to serve in the White House. Along the way, Laura also attended and graduated from U.S. Marine Corps Officer Candidate School, where she encountered a lot of mud and many obstacles.

In her spare time, she’s always up for a good hike, boxing class or adventure in and around New York City.

Ben Story

Originally from San Diego, Ben grew up splitting his days between boogie boarding all of SD’s beaches and his after school hobby of theater. Not seeing much of a future in boogie boarding he made the obvious choice to pursue theater at UCLA earning a degree in production management. Dreams of moving to New York to make it on Broadway were put on hold to work for Walt Disney Imagineering designing theme park attractions for six years. With the Disney Tri-Team, Ben found his love for triathlons as he began racking up miles swimming, biking, and running across Los Angeles competing in numerous events and eventually completing two Ironman races. Despite all the fun and sun, Ben packed up and drove across the country to attend Harvard Business School. There he developed an interest in start-ups and entrepreneurship while staying in touch with his roots by producing the HBS Show. Now at Tough Mudder, Ben gets to finally live in New York and combine all his passions working for a live event sports entertainment start-up!

When not at TMHQ you might find Ben searching for great craft beers, catching a theater performance, daring to ride his bike through New York, honing his Settlers of Catan skills, or jetting off to climb another California 14er with his family.

Alan Chen

Alan spent his formative years in the beautiful Garden State. A few fond memories include helping his Grandpa grow watermelons in the back yard, securing a reputable first job at Nordstrom selling women’s shoes (among other things), and failing his first driving test for emulating Tyrese Gibson in 2 Fast 2 Furious. Competitive and curious by nature, Alan headed to New York City to attend NYU’s Stern School of Business where he learned about the opportunities in the corporate world and struggled to not get boxed out of conversations during networking events. Along the way, he studied abroad in Shanghai, designed a theme park concept for a confectionery company in Buenos Aires, and took on new hobbies such as Judo and rock climbing.

After graduating, Alan entered the world of investment banking focusing on technology mergers and acquisitions and spending time between New York and Silicon Valley. Growing weary of ordering via Seamless every night, he ventured on a journey to Africa where he traversed borders and eventually found his way to Madagascar. 10 countries later, Alan finds himself in Brooklyn and at the start of a new adventure – enter Tough Mudder.

Meredith Turley

Meredith Turley’s Jersey accent is hidden beneath a non-regional inflection, but it comes out to play if she’s feeling saucy. She spent her childhood in the Garden State ‘burbs performing in school plays and writing awkward teen poetry. Her passion for writing led her to pursue a degree in print journalism and creative writing at New York University where she became a published author with her students’ guide to NYU, which was part of a university guidebook series.

After graduation, Meredith did some freelance writing for Brides Magazine, penning pieces about fun destination weddings she wished she’d been invited to. In search of a creative career, she then took a job in commercial advertising that involved helping manage a roster of directors and production companies, sitting in on editing sessions and attending commercial shoots – she even did a voiceover for a national ad campaign. But the glamorous ad world was not for her – martini lunches just didn’t jive with her avid running schedule and gym rat lifestyle – so she gave advertising the double air kiss goodbye and said hello to Tough Mudder!

When Meredith isn’t at TMHQ supporting the Marketing and Internal Ops teams, she can be found photo-bombing tourists in Battery Park during her weekend river runs, eating her way through the Manhattan restaurant scene and working on her golf swing.

Rebecca Simmons

Originally hailing from outside of the City of Brotherly Love, Becca headed south to the University of Richmond to pursue an undergraduate degree in Accounting. After four years as a Spider, Becca traded in sundresses and sorority socials for a Top Secret security clearance and CPA when she joined a Big 4′s Federal Audit Practice in Washington, DC.

Still yearning for a piece of the big city, Becca made the move back north to NYC where she continued auditing and crunching numbers for high profile clients in the retail and energy industry. After two years of ticking, tying and permanent red pen arm tats, She decided it was time to make a change and found herself at TMHQ.

When Becca is not busy trying to figure out the most efficient excel shortcuts, she can be found in her Flyers/Eagles/Phillies jersey being an “obnoxious” Philly sports fan, or out on her quest to find the best chocolate chip cookie in town.

Wei-Lin Lee

Originally from Singapore, Wei-Lin grew up in Western Australia where she developed an enduring love of wide open spaces, blue skies and hay. Lured by the bright lights of the big city, she moved to London for university and there spent the better part of a decade learning about the intricacies of British culture, such as their fondness for deep fried things and their curious aversion to mixer taps. She also became quite taken by the concept of gap years there, and deciding that in this case more was really more, snuck in a good few years wandering the world – volunteering in the mountains of Greece, teaching English in Japan, working the ski slopes of Canada and such like.

In her professional life, Wei-Lin started as a corporate attorney with leading international law firm Slaughter and May before deciding to take her advisory skills into business. She worked with Bain & Company for six years as a consultant prior to joining Tough Mudder, helping companies big and small drive better performance and growth. If asked nicely, she will happily chat about anything from cult beauty to credit cards, and may even throw in some obscure knowledge about chemical distribution along the way.

In her spare time, Wei-Lin can be found to exploring NYC on foot, working out at a barre class or convincing friends to some wayward plan.

Andrew Sigal

Andrew grew up on the mean streets of Brooklyn (trust him they were mean back in the 80′s) and eventually moved to the mean streets of Binghamton, NY to study Economics and Art History. During that time he was able to study abroad in Italy where he learned the art of hand gesturing and riding a moped. After accomplishing his goal of trying every cappuccino bar in Florence he came back to the US to finish his degree. Shortly thereafter he decided that he didn’t have quite enough student loan debt and figured he would pursue a degree in Urban Planning at NYU which naturally led him to the Venues Department at Tough Mudder. In his spare time he enjoys biking, hiking and watching his beloved Mets lose.

Brent Lagerman

Born in Syracuse, New York and raised in the swamps of Central Florida, Brent’s childhood obsessions consisted of art, computers, and making videos with his friends. Then, with a BFA in Film & New Media Production from Florida State University, Brent left Florida for the Big Apple.

After a few years in New York’s Indie Film scene, Brent made the transition to the web, working at several Manhattan digital agencies, including StickyData, Icon Nicholson (now part of LBi), and Digital Pulp. In 2003 he started a digital design firm based in Brooklyn.

Part of the Tough Mudder story from the very beginning, Brent’s first assignment was to create a logo for ‘Probably the Toughest Event on the Planet®’. He created an image that resonates instantly with people from all walks of life: A man running through fire. What could be more bad-ass?

Today Brent heads up Condensed.io – a team of artists, designers, and developers, maintaining and evolving Tough Mudder’s web presence. He loves Syracuse basketball, Spanish wine, woodwork, and – even on his off time – exploring front-end web technologies (much to the chagrin of his wife and two kids).

Kristy Kelsick

Hailing from the Dirty South, Kristy journeyed North to secure a degree in business and marketing from Georgetown University. Upon graduating, she quickly became a rising star at a consulting firm in DC. Ever diligent in her quest for personal edification, the next stop was back to business school – this time in the land of Yuengling and cheese steaks. There, she aspired to save the world one nonprofit at a time. But after two years of hefty debt compilation, she had a slight change in course – Kristy graduated Wharton with an MBA in strategic management, honorary minor in ‘networking’ (aka socializing) and a job as Chief of Staff at Goldman Sachs (not exactly a nonprofit but they do have a foundation arm!).

Although sad to leave behind her cool GS job title, Kristy’s thirst for adventure, extreme sports and an ongoing, unhealthy obsession with Tough Mudder made it a no-brainer to join the TMHQ as Head of People Initiatives!

Still a Southern girl at heart – she comfortably employs the word y’all in both formal and informal scenes – Kristy spends her downtime eating her way through NYC in search of the city’s best cheesy grits (it’s all about the Gouda and spice!). Other passions include intense cardio workouts (nothing like a good spin class to work off all those grits), daily glass (or 2) of wine, perfecting her brussel sprouts and mac ‘n cheese recipes and of course spontaneous globe-trotting adventures (just one more continent to go!).

Chris Maltbie

Chris grew up at the Jersey Shore before its good name was sullied by MTV. He spent most of his summers wasting away on the beach and wandering around New York City. The rest of his seasons were spent either in a pool or playing saxophone in a ska band that was “seriously going to go somewhere”.

After 18 years in the Garden State, Chris headed south to the University of Maryland to experience the frustrations of being a fan of Terrapin athletics and to earn a degree in neurobiology. Near the end of college, Chris took some time to travel across Europe, hike every mountain he could find, and try to discover which train station had the most comfortable floors.

After graduating college, Chris spent a few years traveling and working in a developmental biology lab at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, where he discovered his joy for neutralizing disasters and came to love the finer points of supporting an unusual workplace. With his intellectual curiosity beginning to wander beyond science, Chris indulged a minor obsession with growing businesses and became determined to combine his love for adventure, fitness, and business into a new career. Enter Tough Mudder.

In his spare time, Chris enjoys traveling, getting his hands dirty, and any type of exercise that can be made entertaining. He is a mildly obsessive Springsteen fan and outspoken advocate of New Jersey (even if he’d rather live in NYC).

Mark Lombardi

Born and raised in New England, Mark acquired his affinity for New York City while earning a degree in engineering from Columbia University. Prior to this, he lived in the heart of Amish country (Lancaster PA) studying physics at Franklin & Marshall College. At F&M, he also played Ultimate Frisbee and helped his team qualify to compete in D-III Nationals in Ohio.

After 3 years as an engineer designing submarines for the US Navy, Mark decided to steer his career towards a more creative direction. Tough Mudder offered the perfect opportunity developing awesome new obstacles from a conceptual stage to a fully manufactured product.

When Mark isn’t developing obstacles, he can be found competing in Triathlons, playing frisbee, or traveling the world (sometimes with a really big wrench).

Lina Ortega

Born and raised in the country of coffee and emeralds, Lina moved with her family from rainy cosmopolitan Bogota, Colombia to sunny-suburban Boca Raton, Florida The move happened after she celebrated her quinceañera party in hopes she could score a sweet sixteen as well. Not knowing enough English but enjoying drastic life changes, she managed to adjust rapidly to handle the wild public school system in Florida.

Later on, she decided that Electrical Engineering would be a tough enough challenge, so she spent the next 4 years at Florida Atlantic University finding the spark in Ohm’s Law and playing with oscilloscopes. After a couple internships and a summer research project in China, she realized she had to pursue a career that would utilize her interpersonal and management skills (chatty and bossy personality), therefore, she became a Project Engineer for one of the largest construction management companies in the US.

Around the time she was plotting another drastic life change, she found dream job she didn’t think existed. Combining her passions of travelling, adventure, teamwork and her construction experience, she left corporate america to join (probably) the best place to work on the planet.

Nick Bodkins

Hailing from the small beach town of Pensacola Beach, Nick is a native Floridian. Nick has had a life-long passion for events. After graduating from the University of Central Florida with a degree in Television/Radio Communications, Nick produced a major southern music festival and designed and produced dozens of events for Universal Orlando Resort in his college town of Orlando. After a few years of festival production, a move away from the southern heat to NYC’s Upper East Side and a year and a half working in advertising, Nick returned to his event roots, joining Tough Mudder. An avid foodie, former pro DJ, amateur chef and furiously enthusiastic music buff, in his spare time, you can find Nick in Central Park running the loop with his wife, spending entirely too much money seeing live music across the city, working on a new mix of music for the TMHQ team, or in his kitchen trying new recipes.

Adam Robinson

Adam Mason Robinson was born and raised in Northridge, California. After 4 glorious years spent in Santa Barbara where he received his undergraduate education in all things Film Theory, Adam moved to the remote republic of the Marshall Islands where his days were filled with bare-foot English teaching sessions, mural painting and spear fishing. Upon his return to the states, Adam worked with LA’s youth teaching photo-journalism to high-school students and helped Los Angeles based events manage their recycling efforts. In the summer of 2008, he headed east to New York City to pursue a graduate degree in Non-Profit Management. Concurrent to his academia lifestyle, Adam worked as a strategic consultant in the philanthropic sector by day and managed a (foodie declared) hip gastro-diner in the SoHo district of Manhattan by night. Adam enjoys iced coffee year-round, prefers Coke over Pepsi, and his favorite book is The Giving Tree. In his spare time, he can be found defending his admiration for all of Los Angeles’ sports teams (ahem, Stanley Cup), eating artichokes and continuing his ever-lasting search for awesome thrift stores.

Thomas Chew

A native New Yorker, Thomas grew up in the “suburban” Ditmas Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, during a period when subways were arguably better decorated (Banksy would’ve been pleased). After spending four years arm-wrestling other lightweights while studying Psychoanalysis, Thomas graduated from NYU as a Psych major and three-peat arm-wrestling champ. Upon realizing that interpreting financial statements instead of dreams might actually be more useful, he choose Morgan Stanley over Sigmund Freud. While working the phones at Client Services, Thomas developed a growing interest in Finance and decided to pursue a MBA at Pepperdine University where he “prepared” for case studies on the beach. After completing his graduate studies, Thomas has been getting his hands dirty with Corporate Finance at various bulge bracket firms. After surviving the global financial crisis, the natural next step was to get into the mud. When not working on FP&A, Thomas is busy building financial models to pitch important plans to his wife (i.e. why a trip across the Trans-Siberian railway is a good idea). More recently, he has been on a different kind of adventure, exploring all the wonders of Gotham with his two little girls.

Marica Lowe

Hailing all the way from East Elmhurst, NY (that’s Queens for all of you who don’t know), Marica moved to Virginia at a young age and remained there with her family until graduating from High School. Two weeks later, she packed up all her things and headed back to NYC where she earned her B.B.A in Accounting from Adelphi University. After college, Marica spent three years at Pricewaterhousecoopers auditing Insurance companies before branching off to do financial reporting for the French Insurance Company, Scor Life. While working unthinkable hours in an accounting department of 4 employees, Marica interned with a boutique event planning company in NYC. Marica made the leap from accounting to planning and managing elaborate weddings and corporate events throughout NYC, full time in March 2011. Determined to find the perfect marriage of both her project management and accounting skills, Marica joined the Finance department at Tough Mudder in August 2012 and has loved every moment “battling the balance sheet” since. In her free time, Marica enjoys people watching, random dance parties, yoga and catching up with friends over “boozy” brunch.

Lindsey Parenteau

Born in raised in backwoods Connecticut, Lindsey headed to the big city to study Film & Television Production at Boston University. Shortly after graduation, she drove straight to Hollywood, where she found herself coordinating visual effects production shoots. Having to manage television budgets that included everything from green screens to trained pigeons and pistols, she went back to school to study finance. After earning her MBA from California State University, she continued her path in entertainment finance with The Walt Disney Company’s Imagineers and The Studios at Paramount Pictures. While not cooking the books at Tough Mudder, Lindsey can be found practicing her sweet juggling skills, hawking her amazing handmade crochet beanies at Connecticut State Fairs, or writing theme songs for her cats.

Emily Bunin

Emily hails from the little-known, sparsely populated region of northern New Jersey. Born into a family of free wheelin’ travelers, she grew up crying on planes and reluctantly tap-dancing. After graduating from an engineering program at a high school for kids who are afraid of sports, she moved to Delaware to pursue a degree in Philosophy with minors in Religious Studies and Art. In college, she was headed up the Philosophy club before travelling to India to indulge her love of Eastern religions and Indian food. Three grueling days trekking through the Himalayas taught her two very important life lessons – we are all connected, and Western toilets are amazing.

After graduation Emily spent a year contemplating her own existence, which is not at all a stereotypical philosophy-major thing to do. Finally mustering the courage to move to the big city, she settled in Brooklyn – land of heirloom tomatoes, The Brooklyn Nets, and the glowing Gowanus Canal. A mere two weeks later, she found herself in the Tough Mudder Finance department working with the coolest people ever and feeling like she won the job jackpot.

In her free time Emily loves cooking, watching documentary films, looking at fine art, and long walks around Brooklyn. She completed Tough Mudder Tri-State 2012 and would love to brag to you about it.

Erin Cappiccie

Erin is a proud, born and raised West Virginian. She’s no stranger to the great outdoors and has climbed many-a-tree in her day. After high school, she moved to the “big city” of Pittsburgh where she earned her degree in Sports, Arts, and Entertainment Management at Point Park University. Eager to work in showbiz, Erin graduated early to move to Los Angeles for work. She got her start working for a talent manager, and she has since assisted Film/TV producers in Los Angeles and New York. She yearned for more time to explore fitness, adventure, and business strategies, which ultimately brought her to the Tough Mudder team. Erin attributes her “toughness” to her West Virginia roots and her 5 years working in Hollywood. She has a daredevil streak that once led her to a few stunt jobs. Until that next stunt gig, she is eager to fill the void by testing out new Tough Mudder obstacles. Erin loves playing tennis, The Pittsburgh Steelers, the beach, innocently mocking people, and giggling with her friends and family. When she is not on the clock, she can be found editing video projects, riding her fold-up bike, challenging strangers to ping-pong, and dancing to 80′s music as she cleans her apartment. She is also in search of the world’s most perfect veggie burger. (But she is not a vegetarian).

Heather Tortorello

Heather hails from Los Angeles and somehow has never been involved in a fender bender with either Lindsay Lohan OR Amanda Bynes. She decided to head East with the promise to never refer to the West Coast as the “best coast” but also vowed to stay steadfast in her opinion that California bagel-crust salad-pizza with avocado will beat NY pizza… and NY bagels… every time. The East Coast threw quite a welcome party: Hurricane Sandy struck on her first day in town. Still, she’ll tell you that she’s never the victim (except for the time she got stuck next to Carrot Top at dinner). Though raised on the phrase “don’t talk to strangers”, Heather’s disregard for seemingly logical parental advice ultimately lead her towards the career of her dreams. If Heather earned her degree in Fun Work Environments at Red Bull, she’s going for her Masters at Tough Mudder.

Erica Schneider

Erica grew up in the Garden State and earned Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from the University of Colorado. After spending 4 years in the happiest city in the country, she gave in to the pull from back East (aka: her mother) and moved to the Nation’s Capital after graduation to begin a career in Human Resources at an International Aerospace company. Erica spent the next few years attempting to speak Italian and developing an odd obsession with Excel spreadsheets before super-sonic jets got too boring and decided it was time for a bigger challenge. She moved to NYC in pursuit of probably the best job on the planet. Cue Tough Mudder. When she’s not helping to bring rock star talent to the Tough Mudder team, she’s providing career counseling to young adults, trying to find the meaning of life in a spreadsheet and embarrassing herself and those around her with her awesome dance moves.

Katy Diggory

Katy is a graduate of Politics and German from the University of Bristol in the UK. Since graduating she has carved out a career in politics working for the UK minister for the Armed Forces and in communications for the UK Labour party. Katy speaks fluent German, and feeling the pull of German beer halls, pretzels and the ski slopes is heading to Germany as Tough Mudder’s operations associate to assist the firm’s German launch. In her spare time you will find Katy travelling to foreign climbs in search of snowy peaks, pursuing indoor climbing (literally climbing the walls) and grassroots campaigning for her political candidates of choice.

Mike Torrey

Born & raised just outside of Detroit, Mike didn’t wait more than a week after graduating high school before moving away to work as a horse wrangler in northern Michigan. After graduating from Western Mich. University, he headed to NYC to work for a small public accounting firm while successfully obtaining his CPA certification. After four years of the grind, Mike realized week-long vacations to Mexico and the Caribbean just weren’t cutting it. As an attempt to cure his wanderlust, Mike spent the next year travelling and blogging his way throughout Southeast Asia. Feeling refreshed, he then relocated to San Francisco and dove back into the business world performing consulting and accounting work in the renewable energy industry. It didn’t take long before he realized he was once again in a cube all day simply working for the weekend. With access to Tahoe, Big Sur, Yosemite, and the rest of Northern California, Mike found himself continuously exploring the land around him. As a member of the Venues team, Mike now uses his constant drive for exploration to find the gnarliest and most exciting terrain to hold Tough Mudder events. Outside of his Tough Mudder life, Mike can be found running over the NYC bridges, cheering on Detroit sports teams, or planning his next snowboarding trip.

Mark Darbon

After graduating from Oxford University, Mark sought out the glamour and excitement of London and a (slightly less glamorous and exciting) career in Management Consultancy. He lasted two years before joining Diageo, the global alcoholic drinks giant. A string of overseas projects saw him attempting to sell more vodka to the Russians, more beer to the Australians and more of, well, pretty much anything alcohol related to the Americans.

After three years of constant travelling Mark moved full time to Shanghai as Strategy Director for Diageo’s Greater China business. Returning to London after two years, Mark was ashamed of his ridiculously rudimentary knowledge of Mandarin, but proud of the number of Shanghai dumplings he could eat in one sitting.

After Diageo Mark joined the team at London 2012, firstly as Chief of Staff to the CEO and then with responsibility for planning and delivering 40+ pre Olympics events. At Games time Mark was part of the team that managed London’s iconic Olympic Park. There was only one thing that could follow the greatest show on earth. Mud. Obviously. Outside of work, Mark is looking forward to exploring all that New York has to offer, skiing and playing golf on American soil, and trading in his season ticket at Fulham Football Club for a seat at the Nets.

Mark O’Toole

Mark is an English Irish Kenyan Swedish Australian who grew up on a farm with a cow called Melody in the most isolated city in the world ­- Perth, Western Australia. Growing up he lived for the outdoors, playing rugby, kite surfing, swimming and camping. The city’s proximity to Antarctica meant that strong winds were a daily feature, and sailing became a useful skill to get from A to B and also to behave like a pirate. Mark later put his pirate skills to the test sailing from Perth to Africa for 3 months.

Applying his tetris-busting brain to law and finance degrees, he worked as a corporate lawyer in a large Australian firm, but unfortunately did not meet anyone like Denny Crane or Judge Judy. In an attempt to get closer to the action he moved to the largest gold mining company in the world where he got very good at negotiating costly and complicated contracts. As fun as this job was (wasn’t) he decided that the desk was a dangerous place from which to see the world, and he took off on a life sabbatical, through China, Mongolia, Russia and others with New York being the last and final destination.

Now living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn he spends much of his time trying to understand American sports and attempting to play them.

Courtney Jordan

Courtney spent her time growing up between Manhattan Beach, CA and London, England. Learning to embrace international travel from a young age – forming roots in both the SoCal beach life & proper British culture (yes, she has secretly always wanted to be Kate Middleton) – she was eager to see what else the world had to offer. She took off to Northern California and went to study at Santa Clara University, starting out as a Pre-Med Biology major (that lasted a whole semester), and eventually majored in Business Marketing and Accounting. In reality though, she thinks got her degree as the Director of the Activities Programming Board for the University. It was a discovery that events were not just fun to operate – they could be a career too!

This set her off on a vagabond event life that in four years, has led her to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, The World Equestrian Games, Sundance Film Festival, The London 2012 Summer Olympics, while also sprinkling a few TV productions in between. These include The Emmys, The Oscars and Times Square New Years Eve. She finally came to her senses to ‘settle down’ in one place for a while, where she discovered that Tough Mudder offered up the perfect scenario – base in one of the most vibrant and unique cities in the world, but travel to be a part of the Toughest events all over the planet? Yes please!

In her spare time, you can find Courtney in a gym circuit training, trying a new yoga class, seeking out the closest & best powder to ski for a weekend, going on a photography adventure, having friends over for wine & BBQ nights on her patio (yes, it’s true, outdoor space does exist in Manhattan), searching for the best place to find any California sports teams on TV in NYC, and generally plotting her next international travel adventure.

Randy Lustig

One of the lucky ones to have survived the grueling decades of the ’80s, ’90s, and ’00s, Randy considers himself one of the lucky native New Yorkers to still call this beautiful city home. Hailing from the mean street, or Main Street, of Roosevelt Island isolated in the East River, he formed his passion for operations immersed in a community that developed from inception around him. Any opportunity to be outdoors was taken advantage of which lead him to attend college in rural New England at the University of Connecticut. There he studied Political Science in class, but developed a love affair with the outdoors in his spare time and working for the athletic department supervising and managing the execution of the school’s Division One facilities and events. After four years in the “sticks,” the call of traffic noise, tall buildings and pushy subway riders proved to be too much for camp fires, deep woods exploration and noisy crickets keeping him up at night.

His return to New York found him joining Apple Computers and their rise to world prominence and adoration at the retail location in Soho. Having experienced the development of a New York City neighborhood and a global icon, Randy is excited to join the Tough Mudder team and play his part in facilitating life changing experiences for participants worldwide. In his spare time, Randy can be found bobbing and weaving the streets on his bike, or navigating the upbringing of his toddler niece and nephew.

Rory Hegarty

Rory comes from the Music City Capitol of the world, Nashville, TN. Continuing his Tennessee pride, he headed up to the mountains of Rocky Top where he earned his business degree in Marketing and International Business from The University of Tennessee in Knoxville. While in school, Rory spent 5 months studying abroad in Spain at The Autonomous University of Barcelona. While taking weekend trips all over Europe, he found his passion for travel and knew he wanted his career to incorporate seeing the world.

After graduating he landed a job working for a logistics company in Chattanooga, Tennessee. There he realized not only did he enjoy logistics and project coordination, he was good at it too. After hearing about an opportunity at Tough Mudder, Rory packed up his life in a Budget truck to head to The Big Apple. In his spare time, Rory can be found cheering on his beloved Manchester United, sharpening his soccer skills, and exploring the streets of NYC.

Brendan Quinn

Born and raised in the snowbound wilds of Upstate New York, Brendan spent his formative years hoarding firewood and warding off The Madness. After college, he tunneled south to Philly where he earned an MPA at Penn while working at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Bored with cheesesteaks and still a little chilly, Brendan decided to make a change. So, two weeks after graduation he entered US Army boot camp followed by Officer Candidate School. There was lots of yelling. The Army would bring Brendan all over the southern U.S., where he continually found people wearing his exact same outfit to work.

After a yearlong deployment assisting with the drawdown from Iraq, Brendan needed some good northeastern cold again. His love of physical activity and a twisted nostalgia for military obstacles drew him to the one and only Tough Mudder. Off the clock, Brendan can be found in the gym or jogging through neighborhoods he oughtn’t. He is a music video aficionado and enjoys smiling politely when strangers call him “Brandon.”

Maggie McVey

Maggie spent her formative years a flannel-wearing, Starbucks-drinking, umbrella-toting Seattleite (and is living proof that caffeine does not stunt your growth). Throughout the mid-90′s, she became an avid pro at what little sisters do best; that is, whatever her older brothers were doing. Climbing trees, catching snakes and playing a medley of sports, not to mention learning how to defend herself against larger opponents, her childhood was everything a tomboy could ask for. Staying close to home for school (how could she leave all that behind?), Maggie studied international business at the University of Washington and spent terms abroad in England, France and Switzerland—with a few months of extracurricular travel thrown in to balance it all out. To her surprise, she quickly realized that the word “homesick” was not in her vocabulary.

Back in Seattle, with a degree and a pro sports internship under her belt, she zeroed in on the Big City Dream and took the first opportunity she could find to make her way to NYC, where dumb luck led her to Tough Mudder. Now a flannel-wearing, Starbucks-drinking, umbrella-toting Manhattan-dweller, Maggie can frequently be spotted defending Seattle sports teams, heading to a new brunch spot, or chasing Great Danes down the streets of New York.

Carol Gottshall

Carol grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania, running around outside and counting down the days until she could move to New York. Once she finally got there, she learned the art of running through traffic. At NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, she focused on creative writing and mathematics. During her senior year, an internship at a major publishing house suddenly turned into a job, so she finished up her degree while working full-time on the children’s marketing team. After a couple years, Carol switched over to a freelance position at a smaller publishing company. The freedom of this role allowed her to pursue several side projects—she finally finished writing the novel she started in college, and she joined the Circle Rules Federation, where she helped develop a new sport from the ground up. Ready to focus her energies again, and eager to unite her passion for athletics with her passion for being enthusiastic about things, joining Tough Mudder’s Communications team seemed like the perfect next challenge.

Outside of work, Carol spends a lot of time training for marathons, captaining a championship-winning competitive karaoke team (really—it’s a thing), and trying not to fall off her bike.

Amy Sandgrund–Fisher

Before joining Tough Mudder, Amy spent the last 15 years practicing primarily employment law in New York City beginning at Proskauer LLP then moving on to Bristol Myers Squibb and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Amy is a born and bred Brooklynite, but she left Brooklyn to attend the University of Michigan where she studied American History. While in Ann Arbor, Amy lived in co-operative housing where she learned a lot about working in a team driven environment and how to cook for large groups of people. Amy came back to New York to attend NYU law school. Amy has been on several committees of the Bar Association of the City of New York and currently serves on the Board of the Fund for Modern Courts where she is focusing on family court reform. After many years of commuting to Manhattan, Amy is thrilled to be able to work in her hometown. When she’s not at work, Amy can be found under a pile of cookbooks in her kitchen, taking her family on adventures, or cheering on her two favorite little league stars: her sons Micah and Simon.

Conor Richardson

Conor is from Charleston, South Carolina and stayed in the South during his formative years, attending the University of Georgia. After receiving his undergraduate degree in Accounting, Conor decided that it was time to venture up North, at least for a little while. After handing in his flip-flops and sunglasses, Conor headed up to the City of Brotherly love to attend Villanova University for a Masters in Accountancy. After realizing that snow boots and coats weren’t too bad, Conor made his may up to New York City to join one of the Big Four’s Audit Practice.

After Conor spent over a year working on financial services clients as a Big Four Auditor, he realized it was time for a new challenge. Always ready for something new, Conor found his way to Tough Mudder.

When Conor isn’t trying to master accounting issues, he can be found cheering for the Georgia Bulldogs in any sport, watching Big East Basketball, or trying to find the nearest beach.

Jen Mizono

Jen was born and raised in Northern California, growing up in the small suburban town of Danville. She was a tomboy that loved a challenge and if Tough Mudder existed when she was nine years old, she would have tried her best to sneak into an event. Like all children, Jen had ambitious childhood dreams of being a racecar driver or an astronaut. It was not until senior year of high school that she decided to pursue a career in sports.

The next four years of her life were spent at the magical place known as UC Santa Barbara. She would lay on the beach, spend her summers traveling the world, and, in her spare time, held a couple of great internships and earned her degree in Communication and Sport Management. After graduation, her background in sports led to a position with the San Jose Earthquakes. Jen liked her job, but having only lived in California her whole life, she was in need of a change of pace. Eager to experience a new part of the country, she packed her bags, hopped on a plane, and moved to the Big Apple. A few months later, she crossed paths with a company that was a perfect fit for both her personality and her passions: Tough Mudder. The rest is history.

On her morning commute to work, you can find Jen on the subway enthralled by a crossword puzzle or crocheting a beanie. In her free time she enjoys exploring New York City (hoping to one day see the Ninja Turtles), cooking up Iron Chef worthy meals, planning adventurous trips, and having a good conversation over a beer.

Anna Pudimat

Anna was born just outside of Washington, D.C., but spent most of her school years in little Salem, Connecticut (famed for Apple Festivals, not witches). She headed to the big city of Hanover, New Hampshire to attend Dartmouth College, where she spent four wonderful years amongst the pines, thoroughly enjoying the local social norm of wearing neon ski suits and tutus at parties. Still, she took her liberal arts education very seriously – Anna jumped around departments for three years before deciding on a History major. It was the perfect fit; since everything that’s already happened is history, she could still indulge her almost indiscriminate attraction to new information and ideas. Win.

Her need to continue exploring led her to Liberia, West Africa after graduation. She spent a year working with international non-profits on refugee issues, meeting extraordinary people, and sometimes wearing costumes. A trip to Kenya revealed that she really just wanted to spend her life travelling the world by hot air balloon. Unfortunately, applications for “eccentric millionaire” are hard to come by, so she decided to look for something a little more practical (plus she actually really likes America). A move to New York and a few months later, she found her practical-yet-exciting place at Tough Mudder!

Anna really likes coffee, looking at old things, and meeting new people. She also really, really likes food. Cooking it, eating it, watching shows about it, etc. If you’ve got a dumpling house or a whiskey bar weighing on your mind, don’t worry – she’ll be your foodie wing-woman.

Cooper Housley

Born on the beach in Florida and transplanted to the hills of Tennessee, Cooper spent his youth in the outdoors exploring the mountains and waters of the Southeast. Always in search of the next adventure, he packed up and headed west for Arizona State University where he studied the art of road tripping to the far corners of the map and jet setting to exotic surfing locales around the globe. Four years later armed with a degree and countless miles under his belt, the call of the ocean brought him back to his roots in Florida. It was then that he began his career on the water, first as a boat captain and then as a Field Engineer for a marine construction & dredging company.

After 5 years designing and building construction projects all over the coastal U.S., he got the call from Tough Mudder and knew it was time to set sail for the big city. When the work day is over, you can find Cooper weaving through traffic on his two wheeler, exploring the surf breaks of the Northeast, or wandering the streets in search of the perfect IPA.

Ben Johnson

Born in Manhattan on the Fourth of July, Ben has spent the last 27 years collecting stories and adventures from all around the world. Although he grew up in New Jersey, he escaped the East Coast to attend college at the University of Colorado at Boulder where he majored in Communications with a focus on English. In between ski trips and camping treks into the Rockies he spent a year working for Denver Mayor (and current Colorado Governor) John Hickenlooper who inspired him to pursue a career in Public Affairs. After graduating and making the trip home again to Manhattan, he has worked for some of the top Public Relations firms in the world, developing and delivering communication programs for clients including GE Energy, Unilever and the United Nations Sustainable Energy initiative. When not indoors, Ben can be found running or biking around the city or making plans to ski, trek or just get lost somewhere new.

Adam Yamaguchi

Adam hails from the mean streets of the LBC (yes, that is Long Beach and, yes, Snoop Dogg grew up there). As a child he loved sports, animals, baseball cards and pogs. He hopes that one day the slammer will be as popular as it was then. After graduating from UC–Irvine with a degree in psychology and social behavior, he embarked on a journey to better understand the world and its people; he landed halfway around the world as a counselor at Space Camp Turkey (yes, Turkey the country). After mastering space, he returned to UC-Irvine to begin a more likely career in higher education. Still unsure of his own career aspirations, he took solace in helping others find theirs.

Eager to again experience life outside of Southern California, he and his wife moved to San Francisco in 2008. During the next four years he continued work as an academic advisor, attended graduate school at the University of San Francisco and won a skeeball championship (yes, the kids game).

It was a taste of the city life that drew him to NYC in search of fame and fortune; instead, he found Tough Mudder. His task: to equip the best and brightest with the tools they need to succeed. It was an opportunity he could not pass up.

When not on the clock, Adam can be found in Central Park with his dog, searching for the latest zombie movie, or watching ESPN. The latter consuming more time than it should.

Joanna Dytch

Jo grew up in the Highlands of Scotland, and spent her early years exploring the great outdoors and developing a tough skin for Scottish weather! University life came in the form of a little town on the East coast of Scotland called St Andrews, whilst during a degree of Geography and Modern History, she attempted (pretty poorly!) to hone some golfing skills and spent summers hot footing around the globe exploring the world.

Life after St Andrews became hedonistic for a little while, by spending time during a gap year living in a French ski resort and working on the Cote D’Azur. This period was punctuated with exciting travels around Africa and India. Real life beckoned and South West London has been home for the last six years.

Professionally, Jo spent four years with the events division at IMG UK, followed by two years in a start-up within the mass participation market in the UK. Focusing mainly on cycling, triathlon and running the last few years have been a whirlwind of great events, incredible experiences and a lot of travelling along the way.

During down time, Jo can be found on a ski slope, exploring a new diving site, trying to get better at rock climbing, and spending time in Africa. Being British, she has a slightly strange obsession with country music and is excited to work with American colleagues who will hopefully feed that love!

Josh Ginsberg

Born in San Francisco and raised in New Jersey, Josh’s bicoastal childhood instilled in him a desire to find a successful career doing something that he loved, sending him on a journey through both cities and industries. Josh went to Boston University where he studied economics, finance and philosophy and where he also became deeply impassioned about the Red Sox (pronounced “saawks“). He then spent the next six years in Boston developing his research, analytical and presentation skills in finance. Eventually, his professional wanderlust drove him to the start-up space in search of a chance to help others. After a few phenomenal experiences with some nascent start-ups, he landed at Flex Marketing in NYC where he continued honing his skills while exploring the growing digital space. Finally, now as a Digital Advertising Associate at Tough Mudder, Josh has found the perfect marriage of professional opportunity and personal satisfaction that he has sought throughout his career.

When not at TMHQ, Josh can be found exploring his new city while running or biking, finding the perfect dive bar, playing sports or rooting for his beloved Red Sox and 49ers. He is into all things digital including large data set analytics and looking for the next digital marketing trend, but in a totally super cool way.

Chloe Todd

After spending the first half of her childhood growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Chloe was dragged to the East Coast to spend her formative teenage years in the small village of Hamilton, NY. Despite her dreams to move far from central New York after too long in the countryside, Chloe ventured two hours away to Ithaca College because of its perfection in every other imaginable regard. While at Ithaca, she studied Integrated Marketing Communications, walked backwards around campus giving tours to prospective students, and resided in the Sustainably Conscious Living Community. She also studied abroad in Rome, Italy for a semester during her junior year, and had the wonderful experience of teaching English in a high school and eating ungodly amounts of food.

Having had enough of upstate New York, Chloe decided to test out big city life. Her move to Brooklyn has been a surprisingly easy transition due to all the helpful New York City tips she’s received from her Tough Mudder colleagues. In her free time, Chloe enjoys cooking, going for fast-paced walks, and listening to Broadway musicals (her guilty pleasure).

Alison Schmidt

Alison spent her high school years running the hills and roads of a Pennsylvania town and her summers exploring the woods and waters of Maine. She headed to Hartford for college where, after many early mornings spent rowing, she and her boat-mates won two NCAA national championships, two Head of the Charles, one Women’s Henley…. and the right to sleep in for a good few days.

Upon graduation, Alison moved to China- the bread and butter of her Asia interest and undergraduate degree. She worked first alongside rural farmers on renewable energy microfinance projects in western China and then got her hands dirty, or clean rather, working with a Canadian natural skincare company based in the outskirts of Beijing. Five years in China not only provided her with a deeper passion for, and understanding of, another culture and language, but it also dramatically developed her ability to defend against the Manchurian ghosts that haunt hikers who slumber in the abandoned Great Wall guard towers.

At some point along the way, Alison realized how many great experiences, how much happiness, and how many memories have come from her love/quest for challenge and adventure. Having returned to the States, she is thrilled to be a part of the TM Team, creating a new paradigm for those seeking challenge, adventure, memories, and a darn good time.

Kevin Ellis

Hailing from the sunny mountains of California, Kevin grew up skiing, biking and wakeboarding in his small town, Lake Arrowhead. After high school he pursued his dreams of being a firefighter, attending Crafton Hills College he snatched a degree in Fire Technology, as well as Accounting and Business Administration. After college, Kevin worked with a real estate investor flipping houses, and found a place with the local resort as a Ski Patroller, as well as working as a firefighter in his hometown.

After 5 years of cheating death and saving lives, Kevin decided to pursue a dream that led him to Tough Mudder. He began setting up events with the course team, on the “Tough Crew”. After 33 events, the love for tough Mudder resulted in the biggest change in his life, leaving behind his small mountain town for life in the big city. In his spare time you can find Kevin lost in the city, doing ride-along’s with FDNY, or dodging traffic on his bike.

Nathan Bassett

Hailing from the sunny shores of Australia, Nathan was born and raised in Melbourne. On completion of his high schooling, Nathan moved to the gold rush town of Ballarat in search of fame and fortune. Upon discovering that the gold rush ended over 100 years ago, he decided the next best thing was to settle into his academic studies. After emerging from the University of Ballarat with a double degree in Sports Science and Management, Nathan headed north to join USM EVENTS in the beach mecca of Noosa Heads. It was here he cut his teeth in the major sporting events industry, helping deliver a wide variety of triathlon, running and cycling events, whilst also developing new passions such as surfing and rock climbing.

After four years in paradise, Nathan decided to follow the Olympic dream and shipped off to the UK to help deliver the Canoe Slalom venue during the London 2012 Olympics. Once the Olympic glow wore off Nathan looked to Tough Mudder to continue his passion for outdoor eventing. When not planning the next big event, you will find Nathan playing his guitar or training somewhere in the great outdoors.

Nicola Rolph

Nicola was born in Norfolk, England, a land famous for Alan Partridge and farmer accents. In a bid to escape these social stigmas, Nicola headed to the University of Sheffield to study Languages, hoping that her fluency in French would lead her to sunny and exotic shores.

However, playing sport and being her Korfball club’s social events secretary revealed hidden passions and talents, and Nicola ended up in the UK’s rainiest city, Manchester. The silver lining to this wet cloud is Manchester is the home of British Cycling and Nicola was in the Major Events team which helped build the home advantage that saw the GB Cycling Team dominate the world cycling scene from 2008 onwards. Her Track Cycling expertise took her to the London and the 2012 Olympics, where she could generally be spotted track-side at the Velodrome, clip-board in hand, organising lycra-clad athletes, armies of volunteers and sport operations with medal-winning efficiency.

Dizzy from watching cyclists do laps for four years, Nicola has returned to her country roots to help Mudders get down and dirty in the wet and wild British countryside. When not working for TMUK, Nicola can be found falling off a mountain bike somewhere, punching out her stresses at kickboxing or baking unhealthy but delicious treats.

Jon Barker

Born and raised in England and Northern Ireland, then back to England, oh and Scotland and back to England again and finally to the United States, the travelling Barker clan settled in the great Northeast. Finally convinced the family was not on the run from Interpol or enrolled in some international witness protection program, he studied Communications at Penn State University.

After graduation, he set his sights on NYC but he didn’t even come close. Somewhere between State College and the Brooklyn Bridge he ran into the United States Golf Association. Traveling the country as a member of the USGA’s Championship Staff, Jon completed his journey with the USGA as Director, US Open Championships. Nine Open’s later, he finally made it to New York City. Leaving the rough and tumble world that is professional golf for the calm and serene atmosphere of NYC, Jon transitioned into the Film and Television industry. Jon has spent the past few years providing logistical and operational planning and support for numerous television dramas and feature films shooting in NYC.

Jon lives in Manhattan with his prettier, funnier and smarter wife Tanya and their 4 month-old-son Charlie. While he is disappointed that he was not allowed to name his son Bobby Charlton, he’s convinced that Charlie is England’s next great hope for a World Cup. In his free time, who are we kidding, he has no free time anymore with a 4 month old at home.

Paul Basile

Growing up in Massachusetts, Paul spent his time split between the country and the city. Eventually gravitating to the country he found himself living in Portland, Maine where he graduated from University with a degree in Political Science and dreams of law school. While in Maine Paul worked hard developing addictions to exercise, anything outdoors and cozy New England pubs a sometimes conflicting collection of hobbies.

After realizing that law school would look little like the mountains and the lakes of New England he decided he needed a career change. Paul moved to British Columbia to work at the Alpine Ski Venue for the 2010 Olympics, making the mountains his office. About a year later Paul went to London to work for the Olympics again. Tough Mudder had always intrigued him and with the end of the games in London he felt a strong urge to move back to the Northeast. There was no way for Paul to resist a chance to join the Tough Mudder team. Outside of work Paul can be counted on to be tracking down the perfect cup of coffee, doing something in the gym that will likely end up in an injury, hiking, running, skiing and then celebrating all of the above with a cold beer or two.

Jessica Maroz

Jessica grew up in the Midwest and went to Kenyon College where she studied Music and Philosophy and played field hockey. After graduation, Jessica focused on piano performance and worked in the arts, but then decided that she could benefit from learning Russian. So she moved to Minsk, Belarus where she spent the next few years speaking Russian, editing periodicals, teaching English and traveling around Eastern Europe.

Afterwards, Jessica spent several years managing a grassroots non-profit organization in the middle of Kansas. Then she went to Brooklyn Law School, where she realized how much she loved tax law.

After graduating from law school and prior to joining Tough Mudder, Jessica spent nearly four years at a Geneva-based international non-profit organization where she led their tax function through a major international restructuring, was a legal and tax consultant to a UK consulting firm and was a tax, compliance and risk consultant at a UK bank, among other things. Jessica loved traveling and working in Europe, S. America and SE Asia as well as the US and Canada. She especially loved exploring the cities she visited by running through them and can be found running across various NY bridges on the weekends.

Outside of Tough Mudder, Jessica’s favorite focus is her 5-year-old son Sasha, in addition to training for marathons, improving her French, baking French and American desserts, mediating disputes, playing the piano and reading non-fiction.

Ella Baroyan

Originally from the wild, wild, west, Ella grew up in Los Angeles and is now exploring her love for NYC. Formerly a Deloitte Consultant, Ella decided it was time to stop hoarding her airline and hotel miles and decided to go back to school. She is currently enjoying all that the West Village has to offer as a first year MBA student at NYU’s Stern School of Business.

Ella’s passion for health and fitness, specifically her obsession over spin and Yoga, drove her to learn more about Tough Mudder. She is currently part of the People Team as an Intern while attending school full-time. Some of Ella’s other interests include schmie-ing the streets of NYC, baking, and testing out all the coffee shops in her neighborhood

Sarah Hynes

Born and raised in Ireland, Sarah was no stranger to mud and cold growing up at the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains. She left Dublin after studying economics at Trinity College to pursue a typical finance career path: investment banking at Morgan Stanley in London and New York; MBA from Wharton; back to London to join a hedge fund. During her ten-year career in finance she invested across a wide range of assets, ranging from structured credit to technology start-ups.

Despite the allures of excel modeling and investment committees, Sarah was looking for something slightly more fun from her job. She realized that she didn’t aspire to become Gordon Gekko, so she left the rat race of hedge funds, threw out her wardrobe of business suits, and joined Tough Mudder’s strategy team. In her spare time Sarah likes to travel the globe, paint portraits, practice sparring in the boxing ring and go skiing, hiking, and cycling.

David Solan

Born in Halifax in northern England, David learnt to row at Cambridge University. In his spare time he dabbled in Civil and Structural Engineering. After some more bookwork studying Construction Management at the University of Leeds, he embarked on a civil engineering career which saw him building bridges (literal and metaphorical), climbing rope ladders, digging holes, lifting big bits of steel with massive cranes and hitting the go button on a 20ton hammer. What’s the next career step after planning the build of a nuclear reactor? It has to be Tough Mudder.

His spare time activities include water sports, mountain climbing, travelling to the far corners of the world, watching rugby and subsidising an upturn in the brewery sector. Invite him to dinner and you’ll find out everything you ever wanted to know about concrete.

Adam Suritz

Adam grew up in Langley, VA, home of the CIA. That’s all he is allowed to disclose about that. He spent four years at James Madison University, where he studied theater and politics, and learned there was almost no difference between the two. He also sang a cappella, played club frisbee, and was a member of One in Four, a Virginia based organization dedicated to helping men support survivors of sexual assault. After college, he did the actor-thing, working at theaters across the country, and eventually landed at Brown University, where he earned his MFA.

After moving to New York, Adam worked for Apple’s HR & recruiting teams, was a founding member of Fault Line Theatre, an off-Broadway theatre company, and got stuck in an elevator with (an amped up) Danny Bonaduce. While not working at Tough Mudder or Fault Line, Adam’s most likely plotting his next covert operation. (Please redact that last part).

Peter Tringali

Peter grew up in the Hudson Valley north of New York City before migrating to Brooklyn 3 years ago. After studying English and Rhetoric at Binghamton University, Peter enrolled in Brooklyn Law School where he has focused on studying international business, intellectual property and entrepreneurial law. Peter recently returned from an exchange program in Hong Kong, where he traveled across Asia for four months and is a member of the Brooklyn Law Incubator & Policy Clinic, where he helps provide free legal advice to early-stage startups.

Peter enjoys getting outside the walls of law school and the boroughs of New York to snowboard, hike, and do anything else outdoors. He’s played the drums since he was a kid and still has aspirations of one-day playing like John Bonham.

June Chin

Born and raised in Brooklyn, June graduated from Columbia University and began her career at Lehman Brothers. After she mastered Excel and structured a wide range of esoteric ABS deals, she decided to leave Lehman in 2007, which was either excellent market timing or just her pure good luck! She spent the next few years at Fortress Investment Group, analyzing global investment opportunities and traveling around the world to Asia, the Middle East, and South America.

She later joined forces with a former colleague that started an Asia-focused fund, but the commute to the fund’s headquarters in Chennai, India wound up being just too far a ride from her native Brooklyn.

She was pondering what to do next when she met the team at Tough Mudder and found her answer. Having been around the globe and back many times, June is confident that there is no other place in the world with such a unique group of people that share her same passion for both spreadsheets and crazy fitness challenges, and she is glad to have found her home at Tough Mudder.

When she is not at work, you are most likely to find June either training in martial arts, trying out new restaurants, or at home enjoying a “feel-good” movie and a glass of champagne.

Todd Schwartz

As Director of Obstacle Innovation, Todd’s main responsibilities include the conceptualization, design and development of obstacles at the Tough Mudder Obstacle Innovation Lab that continue to push limits. Wearing the hats of an ASID Designer, construction manager, firefighter and a former Marine, Todd derives his inspiration from a broad array of professional and “life” experiences. His colorful career ranges from construction management and design to athlete and brand management in the action sports industry. Todd’s passionate and outspoken personality, combined with his creativity and vast knowledge of “making and managing fun”, makes him a force to be reckoned with in any situation. At home, he will most likely be found skateboarding with his kids, survival training or riding his Harley into the sunset with the wind in his face.

Mandi O’Brien

Hailing from beautiful Portland, Oregon, Mandi is a graphic and web designer who migrated to NYC in October of 2010. She began teaching herself web development as a tech-savvy ’90′s teenager and went on to graduate from the Honors College at Portland State University. Mandi earned a degree in Graphic Design and completed her thesis, a life-encompassing self-portrait in Information Design.

Mandi’s other loves in life include discovering new music and going to see it live, going camping, loving on creatures and all-things geek media (think comics, video games and star trek).

Drew Ward

Born in Adelaide, South Australia, Drew’s formative years were divided between Australia and the west coast of the US. From an early age, Drew displayed the geographical confusion, wanderlust and thirst for variety that would characterise his life and career direction.

With engineering, management and finance qualifications, Drew has alternated between senior event roles (with Formula 1, MotoGP, Commonwealth, Olympic and Paralympic Games) and what his mother would call “real jobs” in project management and property development across Australia, SE Asia and the US.

When not driving Tough Mudder’s relentless march into Asia, Drew enjoys feeding his coffee addiction, tending to his reef aquarium, fanatically supporting the Carlton Blues, and trying to get better at riding his bike up hills.

Scott Jerzak

Scott was born in Sacramento and has lived in the small mountain town of Crestline for the past 23 years. As a Boy Scout, Scott achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. Living and exploring in the San Bernardino Mountains, he fell in love with being outdoors. Scott enjoys trail running, backpacking, fly fishing, rock climbing, snowboarding, and searching for amazing chicken wings, the best happy hour, and a good slice of pizza.

Scott attended the California State University of San Bernardino where he graduated with a degree in Photography and a certificate in business for the artist. Some say that he’s a knowledge seeker as he’s always eager to learn new things. Never been to Brooklyn and ready to make the move across the country and start a new chapter in his life story. Small town boy in the big city.

Padraic McGarry

Padraic grew up in a small town on the north shore of Massachusetts and when he says small, he means no stoplights and no sidewalks. The only commercial activity is two general stores on the east and west side, an ice cream stand, and a golf course. Winters were spent up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and trips up farther north during the summer to see how many times he and his friends could flip while rafting down the Penobscot river.

Adventure turned into a commitment after graduating from high school and a contract in the Marine Corps proved quite an expedition. After gaining a degree in the University of Southern Military College (Paris Island Campus) it was off to Japan where mud and jungle became a training ground for things to come.

A quick four years in the Marine Corps and it was back in class, learning the science of Geographical Information Systems, while teaching kids to reach for the sky as a Climbing Wall Coordinator. After a few years in school it was decided that the best knowledge is first-hand knowledge, and so a move out west to Utah and it’s five national parks along with “the best snow on earth” would fit just fine. Establishing a job with Park City’s Resort Services Office (you got to get a season pass somehow) and working as the Fields and Special Events Coordinator for the Basin further developed his love of outdoor recreation. It wasn’t too long before delusions of grandeur entered his head and the world of Events opened up. The first stop would be Lexington, KY for the World Equestrian Games and a nice walk on the famous bourbon trail. He followed up with a magical heart lifting employment for the London Olympics thoroughly taking advantage of the discount airlines and family owned hostels throughout Europe, while not missing a chance to dive in Egypt. And now from London to NYC working with Tough Mudder the stars have unquestionably aligned.

Steven Rodaway

Steven joins Tough Mudder from the green and pleasant land of Wales. Following a childhood spent chasing sheep, singing Tom Jones ballads and playing rugby, he graduated with an accounting and finance degree, but decided to trade a life of capitalism for Challenger II tanks. He spent the next 10 years gallivanting around the world as a Cavalry officer, usually at high speed, before ending up in the London Headquarters contingency planning for all sorts of eventualities (apparently the Tower of London is the perfect location to hold out against a zombie attack).

Always keen for the next big challenge, Steven decided to leave the army to help plan and execute the world’s largest peacetime logistics operation: The London 2012 Summer Olympics. Then after it was all done, he made sure 30 million pieces of stuff were packed up and shipped out in record time.

When not trouble-shooting an operations challenge over a nice cup of tea, Steven can be found climbing a mountain, defending his kickboxing title, celebrating the latest Welsh rugby victory with a pint, or cutting some dodgy moves on the dance floor.

Bret Ritter

Bret was born on the American Embassy in New Delhi, India and has been crossing the globe ever since. Bret spent his youth in Germany, Panama, DC, Tokyo, and finally settling down in the beautiful Sonoran desert in Tucson AZ. This is where Bret found his calling for building. After receiving his Architecture degree and working in a studio for a short stint, the desire for getting his hands off a keyboard and drafting table and back with a hammer led him to start a successful design and build company that he ran in Tucson, AZ.

Ultimately, the lure of the big city (NYC) was too much to ignore and off he went. With a pick-up truck and a twelve foot trailer he found himself as a senior project manager for a high-end design / build company in NYC. One day as he was signing up for a Tough Mudder event, he decided that he wanted to be a part of building (probably) the toughest event on the planet, and… The rest is history.

In his free-time you can probably find Bret walkin’ his hood (Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn) with his lady and their dog on the search for the perfect chicken sandwich, playing music with his buds, or taking every opportunity to get in his truck and get out to the country to take in some fresh air, a campfire, and a few beers with friends.

Jenna Whiteley

Jenna grew up on a small farm in New Jersey (it’s not called the Garden State for nothin’), developing a love of the outdoors while hanging out with retired thoroughbred race horses, assorted dogs and cats, and a llama. Deciding to trade pine trees for palm trees, she headed to Stanford for great undergrad classes, beautiful weather, and outstanding sports teams. She liked it so much she hung around for a Masters, taking a three month leave in the middle to organize volunteers in Boulder, Colorado for a presidential campaign. After returning to Stanford and gaining some more little letters after her name, she decided to go for an academic trifecta, this time trading sunny California for rainy London and a Masters from the London School of Economics.

While in London, Jenna was surprised to find she’d fallen in love with English pubs, jacket potatoes, and diverse accents, so she stayed in the UK doing internal and external communications for a pharmaceutical company. After one too many foggy days, she moved back to NY to coordinate internal communications at a luxury accessories company, successfully honing her interpersonal skills (but failing to enhance her fashion sense).

When Jenna’s not at work, you can find her grabbing flags at co-ed flag football games, dancing (not particularly well) at various concert venues, on a quest to find the best Old Fashioned in the city, or jogging along the East River Greenway. A Junior Olympic racewalker as a child, Jenna eventually decided she was ready to take both feet off the ground at the same time and try running, completing multiple half marathons with friends and family. She’s now ready to add some real challenges – like electric shocks and burning hay bales – and join the Tough Mudder team.

Fan Wang

Fan Wang joins the Finance department as a Data Analyst. Born and raised in Yunnan, a beautiful but remote part of China, Fan Wang is always looking forward to see more of the world. After she managed being a leader of her high school volleyball team while maintaining her GPA high enough to enroll in the top universities in China, Fan decided to move to Beijing for new challenges. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science there and was also an intercollegiate softball player. She worked several years afterwards in IT, programming and project management. When things became less and less challenging every day, she knew it was the time to move again. This time: Oregon. In Oregon, Fan enjoyed the hiking, jogging and hippy culture every day. At same time she studied in University of Oregon for a Masters’ degree in Computer Science. After exploring the west coast and discovering the fun of finance, Fan moved to New Jersey for the Master of Quantitative Finance program at Rutgers University. Living in Jersey City (still), she’s found a place to experience new things everyday while staying in one place. Away from office, Fan enjoys cooking creatively (possibly not a good thing), traveling around the world, and searching for the most authentic Chinese restaurant in New York.

Melissa Benjamin

Melissa was 7 years old when her parents uprooted from Jersey and headed to the great white north, of Toronto, Canada. She never felt at home in a hockey rink, but found her happy place in a karate dojo instead. After fighting her way to a black belt and graduating from high school, Melissa ended up in Montreal at McGill University studying International Politics. It was in Montreal where she really fostered her love of foreign culture, language, and food.

Three amazing years, many embarrassing intramural sports games and a Bachelor of Arts degree later, Melissa left Montreal in search of something bigger, better, and further away. After graduating, she packed up her backpack, and took off for roads less travelled. She ultimately spent 2011 spread between 14 different countries in South America, Europe and Asia. It was during this year that she really began to understand the value of exploration and adventure. Upon her return, in search of a workplace full of energy, creativity, and passionate people, Melissa found herself in heaven (AKA the Tough Mudder office) helping out our Operations executives!

When she’s not in the office, Melissa can often be found trying to spread her Canadian cheer – striking up conversations and giving directions without being asked. Her favorite days are spent biking between boroughs from one delicious restaurant to the next.

Patrick Eyers

Patrick is a litigator with extensive experience representing clients in the financial, industrial, shipping, electronics, and sports industries. Before joining Tough Mudder, Patrick was a member of the Dispute Resolution and Competition groups at White & Case, based in New York and Washington, DC, with several stints in San Francisco and Tokyo. In addition to his antitrust and intellectual property experience, Patrick worked for years representing low-income women in family law cases arising from domestic violence in the New York area.

Beyond the world of depositions and discovery, Patrick can be found running the trails of Rock Creek Park or the bridges of the East River. A native of Sydney, Patrick continues his search for decent seafood and surf in the Northeast.

Darah Wolf

Originating from the farmland, chicken coops and occasional Alpaca farms of Southern New Jersey, Darah quickly grew an attraction to the outdoors where she played field hockey, swam, and received a certification in Archery. Being close to Philadelphia, Darah fell in love with her beloved Philly sports teams at an early age and never let the bond break. After high school, she migrated to Boston, but still maintained her Philly pride even with Fenway Park just over a block away. There, she attended Northeastern University and was involved in the Co-op Program where she had the opportunity to dive into the workforce. Her unique array of experiences included directing live news broadcasts for some of Boston’s elite, writing blogs on DJs/planning live shows at a music start-up, and even meeting some celebs along the way. She graduated with a degree in Communication Studies and continued on with her search to find her place in the world.

Heading to New York City was a no-brainer for this born-to-be city girl. She landed herself right into Mudder Services, Marketing Department at TMHQ and hasn’t looked back. Outside of the office, Darah can be found (or not found) traveling the world, climbing mountains, and of course on Broad Street (Go PHILADELPHIA!!).

Hamish Russell

Despite growing up in the sun and on the beaches of South Florida, Hamish experimented with cold weather living in New Hampshire for High School. Quickly realizing how cold New Hampshire actually gets, Hamish enrolled south of the Mason-Dixon Line at Duke University where he studied Economics and Management. He also spent more time waiting in lines for basketball games than he cares to admit.

Always looking to get involved with new ventures, Hamish helped develop and grow a number of fledgling student groups through his work on Duke Student Government and his participation in the Education Without Borders 2007 conference in Abu Dhabi.

After two years at Adult Swim + Cartoon Network in Media Ad Sales, Hamish joined Landmark Ventures where he focused on Advisory services for Enterprise IT, Information Security and Physical Security start-up companies. While this led to predictably hilarious client visits to Correctional Facilities across the country, Hamish traded one type of excitement for another and joined the New Event Development team.

Suzi Chun-Turley

Commuting all the way from barrio of Washington Heights, Suzi is all about fighting the forces of evil and giving back. She realized early on that she’d have a bigger impact if she got some skills. So she got operations and business degrees from Columbia, learned some finance at J.P. Morgan, some strategy at McKinsey, and management toughness at Bridgewater. She got to apply some of her learnings at REDF, an early social venture fund developing a unique way to measure social impact, and at the UN’s internal management consulting team occasionally hanging out with the Moroccan peacekeepers.

When not thinking about social impact, she has been rumored to stop everything for fried chicken and whoopie pies, moonwalk on top of Kilamanjaro, and embarrass her Korean family with her golf and karaoke. At home, Suzi is one tough mutha… she can be found under furniture or wherever her one year old son has decided to hide her phone.