The North American Obstacle Course Racing Championships took place over the weekend at Stratton Mountain, Vermont. Athletes from all over North America converged on the Green Mountains for three days of racing action.
Friday's Short Course
The North American OCR Championships Short Course featured over 1,600 athletes from ten nations, forty-five states, and 8 Canadian Provinces and a prize purses worth over $14,000 was disbursed among the pro divisions. The Friday event featured a 3-Kilometer course with sixteen obstacles from races and builders around North America.
3K Short Course Pro Division Results
| MEN’S PRO DIVISION | WOMEN’S PRO DIVISION | ||
| 1. Ryan Atkins – CAN | 18:23 | 1. Lindsay Webster – CAN | 21:51 |
| 2. Veejay Jones – USA | 18:38 | 2. Nicole Mericle – USA | 22:38 |
| 3. Jesse Bruce – CAN | 19:13 | 3. Alexandra Walker – USA | 24:48 |
Agr Group Results
Full Results From the 3K Championships
Men's Pro Podium
Women's Pro Podium
In addition to claiming the 3K Short Course North American Title Ryan Atkins took home $5,000 in prize money. Joining Atkins on the podium was Veejay Jones and Jesse Bruce. On the women’s side, Lindsay Webster finished in the top place followed by Nicole Mericle and Alexandra Walker.
Saturday 15K Classic Distance
The Saturday event featured a 15-Kilometer course with nearly forty obstacles. The race showcased some of the most unique and exciting obstacles in the industry. Athletes qualified to race from all over North America and this unique race showcased the best in both the Pro Division and also the best Age Group racers.
Both Ryan Atkins and Lindsay Webster continued their winning streak. Both Atkins and Webster followed up their strong wins Friday with incredible Saturday. Webster is currently the reigning 2017 OCR World Champion. Webster took the lead early in the race and never looked back. Besting the rest of the women’s field by six minutes. Nicole Mericle finished second and April Cockshutt third.
The men’s race proved to be an exciting one with Mark Batres getting to the top of the first climb in the lead, however, Atkins was quick to take over on the descent to capture the lead. He continued to build a cushion throughout the race distancing himself from the rest of the men’s field. Mark Batres finished second and Jesse Bruce would take third place overall.
In addition to claiming the 15K Classic Distance World Title Ryan Atkins took home $5,000 in prize money. Joining Atkins on the podium was Mark Batres and Jesse Bruce. On the women’s side, Lindsay Webster earned her $5,000 prize for first followed by Nicole Mericle and April Cockshutt. Second place won $1,500 and third $500 in both the Pro- Divisions.
15K Classic Course Results
| MEN’S PRO DIVISION | WOMEN’S PRO DIVISION | ||
| 1. Ryan Atkins – CAN | 1:33:03 | 1. Lindsay Webster – CAN | 1:48:01 |
| 2. Mark Batres – USA | 1:36:30 | 2. Nicole Mericle – USA | 1:54:01 |
| 3. Jesse Bruce – CAN | 1:38:39 | 3. April Cockshutt – CAN | 2:04:07 |
Full Results and Age Group Results Here
Sunday Team Race
The Sunday event featured a 10-Kilometer course with 23 obstacles from obstacle races and obstacle builders around throughout Canada and the United States.
Teams of three took on this relay style event featuring three sections of the course – Speed, Strength, and Tactical Obstacle specialties. The race is a combination of strategic planning among teams and knowing strengths and weaknesses.
With several powerhouse teams in the men’s and women’s divisions the races shaped up to be a battle between two Canadian teams in the men’s Pro-Race – Team Platinum Rig and Team Northman. Team Northman took a strong lead in the first part of the race. However, Jesse Bruce from Team Platinum Rig made up ground on the third section of the course before the last slant wall. It all came down to the last 20-foot slant wall to determine the winner. Team Platinum Rig edged out Team Northman to take the title.
In the women’s Pro-Team Division, Mom Strong took the lead on the first climb up the mountain and never looked back. It became a battle for second and third place between Bad Ass Masters (who team averaged 51 years old) and Strong as a Mother. In the end, Bad Ass Masters finished a few minutes before Strong as a Mother. All three Pro Women’s teams are made up of mothers.
In the Co-ed Division, it was all about Team Suunto and Benji, Ryan Atkins the one male on the team finished running on Team Northman then turned around to race with his wife Lindsay Webster and Nicole Mericle. They took the lead during the strength section from Team Hotwheels MudGear and went on to win the division by eight minutes over the other co-ed teams. Conquer the Gauntlet Pro Team finished second with Team Hotwheels MudGear coming back after dropping to 5th place at La Gaffe obstacle finishing third.
Sunday Team Results
| Pro Men’s Team Division | Pro Women’s Team Division | Pro Co-ed Team Division | |||
| 1. Team Platinum Rig
Samuel Herbert William Brouard Jesse Bruce |
58:47 | 1. Mom Squad
Julie Hartjes Rachel Corigliano Ashley Samples |
1:21:57 | 1. Team Suunto & Benji
Ryan Atkins Lindsay Webster Nicole Mericle |
1:07:10 |
| 2. Team NorthMan
Marc Andre Bedard Ryan Atkins Benjamin Morin Boucher |
59:19 | 2. Bad Ass Masters
Darla O’Connor Heidi Williams |
1:35:26 | 2. Conquer the Gauntlet Pro Team
Evan Perperis Matt Willis Amy Pajcic |
1:15:23 |
| 3. NexGen OCR
John Penland Veejay Jones James Nair |
1:01:24 | 3. Strong As a Mother
Chrisa Dustman Cynthia Campanaro Heather Gollnick |
1:38:21 | 3. Team Hotwheels MudGear
Alexandra Walker Natalie Miano |
1:22:06 |
Full Pro Results and Open Results
The North American Obstacle Course Racing Championships is one stop on the road to the OCR World Championships to be held outside London, England in October 2018. The OCR World Championships has become the premier championship for athletes globally in the obstacle course racing industry and continues to set standards for excellence. Bringing together not only athlete but also race organizers in a truly OCR United effort.