World's Toughest Mudder

The World’s Toughest Mudder is a 24hours obstacle race. More than 1000 contenders join the race at New Jersey, USA in 2013. 22 obstacles set in the 5mils course. Contenders have 24 hours to log as many miles on an amped-up Tough Mudder course as they can. This is the assignment for Photo Technique Digital, a Japanese photography magazine.

I, Shizuka Minami, was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1979. I studied the aerodynamics and hold a BS in Aerospace Engineering from Tokai University. I conducted research with leaders in the field and published a prominent study on aerodynamic seeds using microscopic cameras and high-speed cameras. After NHK, a Japanese national news program, made a documentary film on my research, I became interested in documentary photography. In 2003, I moved to New York to pursue photography. I studied at the ICP's Documentary Photography and Photojournalism program in 2005. Then I have been shooting photos as my profession since 2005.