He was one of approximately 40 Dartmouth students who competed in the event, a four-hour, 10-mile obstacle course designed by British Special Forces to test strength, endurance and willpower.
The New England edition, which took place on Aug. 10 and 11 at the Mt. Snow Ski Resort in West Dover, was especially difficult because obstacles were spaced throughout the mountain, requiring competitors to run up and down ski trails.
"The hardest part was the fact that there was a lot of uphill," Jared Tagen '15 said. "Going down the black diamonds in snow is fun but going up them in the mud is much less enjoyable. The obstacles were actually nice to break up the monotonous up-and-down treks."
The competition began with a series of wooden inclines, barbed wire and an ice water swim challenge dubbed "Arctic Enema."
To complete "Everest," participants ran up a quarter pipe greased with soap and mud. Most competitors lunge for teammates' outstretched arms at the top to complete the obstacle.
"We were helping out a team and it was a pretty cool moment almost at the end of the course," David Aspinall '15 said.
The final obstacle, "Electroshock Therapy," requires participants to run through a field of live wires with up to 10,000 volts of electricity.
"The toughest part was the electroshock because you had no idea what to expect," Aspinall said. "You just went as fast as you could through it. That was definitely the one that people talked the most about and were most scared of throughout."
Tagen agreed, recalling the "Electric Eel" where participants crawl through a few inches of water underneath a series of hanging wires.
"You're just crawling and then all of a sudden you get hit by these wires that really shock you at first," he said. "But once you get through the electrical obstacles, it was exhilarating."
Katherine Fox '15, who competed on a team with nine other girls, agreed that the final two obstacles were the most climactic.
"Everest really freaked me out beforehand, so when we finished it as a team that was awesome," she said.
Some participants trained for the event by running, weight training and cutting down on late nights, while others jumped right into the course without changing much from their normal routines.
Funds are divided between course setup and the Wounded Warrior Project, which benefits veterans. But the steep non-refundable $150 admission price turned some potential student participants away.
"I think the price definitely discouraged participation," Tagen said. "We only had three on our team from Psi Upsilon Fraternity in the end, which was too bad because of people having to back out and missing a unique opportunity."
Most of the Dartmouth competitors competed with members of their Greek organizations.
"It was a great experience and a good way to get to know people in my fraternity in a different way," Tagen said. "But I don't think I'll ever do it again. I'll save my 150 bucks and just hike up Moosilauke next time."
But for Tagen, the sweetest result came at the end of the course where, less than 36 hours after his 21st birthday, he was able to enjoy a sponsor-provided ice-cold beer and savor conquering the course.
