Spartan Race Australia Obstacle Photo Credit: Denise Mast
After nearly an entire community of athletes traded their muddy shoes in for colored eggs last week, OCR came back all fired up. Columbia and Belgium gave it everything they had with Desafio de Guerreros Warrior Challenge and Run for our Lives. At the same time Spartan Race was a hit down under. Spartan Race Australia upped the ante over the weekend with even more rugged and impressive obstacles than it already had before. Check out one of the truly unique obstacles coming from Spartan Race Australia. This takes the idea of a multi-rig/obstacle to a new level!
Here in the United States, from the Deep South to Deep SoCal, the weather was gorgeous, the races were plentiful, and the athletes were ready to shed some jellybeans and chocolate bunnies with a vengeance. Bunnies. With a vengeance. Mud Run Guide was around the country over the weekend bringing you on the ground coverage on Facebook and Instagram.
Photo Credit: Terrain Races
TERRAIN MUD RUN, Southern California
Terrain Mud Run invaded SoCal for the first time, holding both their 5 & 10 k races at Lake Elsinore, CA, drawing some very competitive athletes, and plenty of “fun-runners” from the region to wear that coveted monkey-head. The weather was hot and dry, and many met their match on Terrain's diabolical twist on a Monkey bar rig. Chris Cow was there both as a racer and to write his review for Mud Run Guide – look for it later this week!
Topping the podium in the 5K competitive heat was Nicholas Sigmon. Victor Quezada would finish in second just one second ahead of Luis Rogel-Salgado. In the women's race, it would be Yanet Urciaga taking the top place in the 5K Competitive Heat. Cat Textoris would finish in second and Sindy Lopez rounded out the women's podium.
In the 10K Competitive Race, Luis De La Vega would be the fastest of the day. Ivan Santana would finish second and Jonathan Mendoza in third. On the women's side, Laurel Shearer took the top spot; Evelyne Ruiz finished second, and DeeAnn Smith would finish third.
MACON MUD RUN, Macon Georgia
Macon Mud Run
While many would say the biggest event was taking place in Macon, GA this weekend with the Cherry Blossom Festival; our community prefers the slightly less cute, but much more fun Macon Mud Run. Boasting over “100+ mud pits”, Participants chose from a 5K or 7K course that provided a fun, muddy, romp through the woods.
Unlike many of its more hardcore brethren, they opted to forgo rigs and other intensive upper body obstacles for more mud pits, including a pseudo-warped wall carved from a mud pit, “spirals of death” with (you guessed it) more mud pits, and… so on. No one will ever say this race is not aptly named.
Our own Chris Lewis was there and was happy to report that this course is worth checking out if you’re looking for a fun, muddy alternative to bring some friends out to or ease them into an easier introduction to the sport.
Topping the podium in Macon were Jeremy Gallant in first, Jack Tibbets in second and Jordan Norvelle in third. While Jessica Spencer Jones, Kerri Lee, and Alissa Marcolongo brought it home for the women.
RUGGED MANIAC, Phoenix Arizona
Photo Credit: Brett Stewart
Rugged Maniac made the first of two visits to Phoenix, AZ this year, to a venue they've been using for over five years now. Their familiarity with Wild Horse Pass was evident by many of the new additions and small touches added to the course. New, innovative obstacles were debuted, along with some fresh twists on more familiar ones.
Our fearless leader Brett Stewart was there and says they definitely “delivered with their most challenging and fun 5k yet.” And encourages us to keep an eye out for a full review and race video on Tuesday. If he is writing it, I am reading it. The top 10 male and female finishers qualified for the OCR World Championships while the top 3 of each took home some great medals and swag. Those well-earned honors went to David Roberts, Alec Fillmore and Robert Grbec for the men, and Regina Atkin, Laticia Angullo, and Nicole Benedict for the women.
BATTLEFROG, San Antonio Texas
BattleFrog Series
Any time BattleFrog Series uses a motocross course, you know those hills and that mud is going to get used to its full potential. This was no exception. With the addition of varied difficulties at the individual obstacles, they reached out to a much more diverse group of racers, offering something for everyone.
Conquer The Gauntlet sponsored athlete and general amazing human, Christina “Honey Badger” Armstrong took the BFX trident home for the women, and said she thought that “as a BFX racer, this was great because we could pick any one of them to do and still continue with our race as long as we did our body builders. I was able to take on the obstacles, Body Builders and all the terrain for five grueling laps being the only female to finish five that day.”
Another favorite to the Texas racing scene, Lone Star Spartan Irene Pear, mentioned that the course “was like no other. Different struggles and challenges for everyone. Which, at one point, made us all equal.” And mentioned happily that a highlight for her were the incredible and dedicated volunteers.
Taking the heavily fought for spots on the men’s podium in San Antonio were Nathan Palmer, Jan Philip Dieckmann and Jacob Kohler. While the equally formidable women’s podium was topped by Alexandra Walker, Ally Reite, and Melanie Chargualaf.
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