452. World’s Toughest Mudder, Rally in the Valley, and Underdog Fitness with AJ Golik!

Katelyn and AJ chat about his experiences at World’s Toughest Mudder and Rally in the Valley, reflect on adult friendships and community, set goals for 2026,

Obstacle Running Adventures

September 3, 2025

We first met AJ Golik when we both taking on our first DEKA and covering the event at Underdog Fitness last year and more recently saw him at Belvoir Castle when he took on World’s Toughest Mudder as a team with Kevin Gregory!

Katelyn and AJ discuss his experience at World’s Toughest Mudder, both as a competitor and as a friend of the event’s winner. AJ then shares about his time competing at Rally in the Valley, a multi-day, multi-event weekend held in West Virginia. The conversation then shifts to the challenges of making friends as adults and the importance of finding a community. They wrap up their conversation by manifesting goals for 2026 and AJ answers an oddly specific Long Island question cue Piano Man!

Start – 4:50 – Intro
4:50 – 9:06 – Quick News
9:06 – 10:28 – Content Preface
10:28 – 2:23:10 – AJ Golik
2:23:10 – End – Outro

Next weekend we will be either the long awaited book interview or elites to discuss the late Spartan payment issues, or Trifecta World Championship, or something else entirely!
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News Stories:
In and Out Burger Themed Tough Mudder Obstacles
Project Mayhem Skate’lympus Obstacle
Lauren Weeks’ dog passed away
Climbing Mt. Kilimenjaro in a Wheelchair
NYC Bakery Run

School House Secret Link
Help Homeless Secret Link
Mountain Tumble Secret Link
Fitness Goals Secret Link
Trampoline Save Secret Link
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Related Episodes:
345. Kris Rugloski on Winning The Grit Games!
346. Austin Azar on Grit Games, Spartan 3K, World’s Toughest Mudder, and Rubix Cubes!
379. Deka Mile Live Coverage at Underdog Fitness!
444. World’s Toughest Mudder 2025! (Part 2: Event Day Audio, Interviews, and Katelyn’s Pit Audio)
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The OCR Report