This morning, Mud Run Guide caught wind of a rumor beginning to circulate about the BattleFrog Race Series. The rumor was that for 2016 BattleFrog was to cancel the use of timing at their events. We hopped on a call with BattleFrog Headquarters this morning to confirm or deny this rumor. After a couple conversations with the team from BattleFrog this morning they confirmed there will be some changes to how they time the races for 2016 but are fully committed to their BattleFrog Pro-Team and the pro-division at their races. We reached out to Michael McAllister at BattleFrog, and he sent us the following quotes.
“As sometimes happens, the rumors are wrong but foreshadow a bigger announcement that will improve the race experience for all our Battlers. Stay tuned next week for news that is going to change OCR racing yet again. BattleFrog continues to be thought leaders and innovators: Gotta Live It!”
We asked how this will affect elite athletes who have come to love the competitive aspect of BattleFrog Race Series, McAllister added:
“BattleFrog is totally committed to producing the best experience in OCR for elite Battlers. We are building and will soon announce new timing features and technology that will create an awesome new experience for all our Battlers. Battling is Believing, come and see in 2016!”
Mud Run Guide will continue to follow this story and will update the story once the official announcements are made for 2016.
Does timing matter to you?
What do you look for in a good race series?
For the Elites (where money/prizes are awarded), yes timing and officiating on the course matter.
For the rest of us, imo, traffic jams on obstacles depending on the time of day and the fact that obstacle completion and 10 x 8-count bodybuilders are NOT enforced/officiated in a consistent manner means that course completion time is not an actual measure of OCR performance/proficiency.
I like timed events.
As is now, I see both timed & untimed Battlefrog option on their Nashville event in April.
I don’t run “Elite” but like timed events so that I can compare myself to overall finishers, men and people in my age group. Without timing, BF isn’t a race, its a challenge, its another Tough Mudder.
If rumors are true then does that mean that BF has waived the white flag to battling Spartan on the race side and is now going after Tough Mudder?
I liked the 2014 BattleFrog 15k but have not liked much of anything they have done since including virtual runs, shortening the distance, and calling multiple laps an “Extreme” version. Can’t guess what they have planned for 2016 but I am not hopeful.