OCR News Weekly
This week, controversy with Hong Kong Athlete at Spartan Race, Rat Race Dirty Weekend Adds New obstacles, Wolf Run Named Wins ‘Best Obstacle Race’ at The Running Awards
Welcome to OCR News Weekly
This week, controversy with Hong Kong Athlete at Spartan Race, Rat Race Dirty Weekend Adds New obstacles, Wolf Run Wins ‘Best Obstacle Race’ at The Running Awards
Today is Thursday, April 27, 2017 – I’m Margaret Schlachter, and this is OCR News Weekly brought to you by Mud Run Guide.
Spartan Race
Former Hong Kong triathlete Ivan Lo Ching-hin protested his innocence as organisers of the Hong Kong Spartan Race made a last-minute decision not to allow him to compete in the elite category of Saturday’s event.
Lo is serving a four-year drugs ban for failing to provide a urine sample in an out-of-competition test, but competed at the first Hong Kong Spartan Race in November last year.
Since the event is not governed by the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, nor a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s code, Lo was not breaking any rules by competing.
But in a statement in the small hours of Saturday morning, Michael Goodwin, Spartan’s Asia-Pacific managing director, said Lo would not be allowed to compete in the elite category, for which prize money of HK$17,500 was on offer for first place. Saturday’s event was the first leg of the Asia-Pacific Championships, for which US$50,000 in cash and prizes is on offer.
“Spartan is strongly committed to … ensuring that our elite and competitive category athletes compete with fairness, transparency and sportsmanship and as such, we have deemed Lo ineligible to compete for points and rewards in our races during his period of ineligibility recognised under HKADC [Hong Kong Anti-Doping Committee] and the world anti-doping code,” said Goodwin.
Full Article: http://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2089804/dope-ban-triathlete-hits-out-spartan-race-organisers-not-letting-him
Rat Race Dirty Weekend Adds New Obstacles
The Rat Race Dirty Weekend takes place at Burghley House on Saturday, May 6, and features 20 miles of mud, cargo nets, tunnels, slides and freezing cold water, amid 200 obstacles guaranteed to obliterate muscles and shed nerves. And now the race’s founder Jim Mee has added a handful of hellish new features, while making other existing challenges even tougher.
If you plan to compete, you’re going to need a head for heights. This year, brand new for 2017, Dirty Weekend will debut a slide that’s five storeys high, a Gladiators-style uphill ‘travelator’ moving walkway, and a foam feature dubbed ‘The Washing Machine’. More frightening yet is ‘The Rollercoaster’, a 20 ft high, 200 ft long balance bar obstacle that sees competitors snaking through the tree-tops along a wooden gangway less than 1 ft wide.
Rat Race will also be unveiling what they say is the Britain’s biggest ball pool – an obstacle voted for by the readers of mud-run website ‘Mudstacle’ and which will be filled with a whopping 50,000 plastic spheres. Meanwhile a Dirty Weekend mainstay – a jump from a platform into a man-made lake, called ‘Take The Plunge’ – is getting a makeover, too. Rather than plummeting a mere 20ft into the drink, the free-fall will be increased to 30ft. Jim explains: “With over 200 challenges spread over a punishing 20 mile distance, Dirty Weekend is already the world’s biggest obstacle course.
Wolf Run
Last week, the WOLF Run received the ‘Best Obstacle Race’ prize at The Running Awards, making it three consecutive victories at the prestigious ceremony.
The Wild Running event, which was founded in 2011, first won the award in 2014 and has since made the category its own. The 10km course combines obstacle, trail and mud running to create a unique experience that is centred around having fun whilst challenging both mind and body.
At the 2017 awards, The WOLF Run shook off steep competition from Dirty Dozen Wales, INVNCBL – The Hidden, Major Series – South, Munificent 7, Nuclear Rush, Nuts Challenge – March, Prestwich Challenge, Race For Life Pretty Muddy, Rat Race Dirty Weekend, Tough Guy – The Original and Tough Mudder – London West.
Charlie Moreton, Founder of the WOLF Run, said ‘We are thrilled to receive the award for Best Obstacle Race and even more delighted that we have managed to do so for a third year running. We would like to thank everyone who voted for us and of course all the runners who make the WOLF Run the great spectacle it is.’
The Running Awards were founded in 2013 due to a gap in the market emerging for an independently adjudicated running awards ceremony.
RESULTS
Spartan Race Seattle Results
This weekend, Rugged Maniac head to Oklahoma, Warrior Dash is in Missouri, Spartan Race is in both Miami and New Jersey, Altanta hosts Tough Mudder and Toughest Mudder, Savage Race heads to Maryland Bonefrog is in Austin, Texas, and Terrain Racing is in Tucson Arizona.
Outside the US, – In the UK we IronRun in Northamptonshire,. In Canada – Toronto hosts Concrete Rush. In Malaysia Viper Challenge is in Medini.
In the Ninja World – Wolfpack Ninjas kick off their Wolfpack Ninja Tour in Denver
For all the race listings this weekend check out the race calendar on Mud Run Guide.
Those are your headlines this week from around the obstacle racing world.
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