What do a marathon runner, a football player, a professional dancer, and a boxer have in common with OCR? Turns out, not a whole lot. I asked some of the contenders before the show what they would do differently in their training now that they have faced the top OCR Defenders. Turns out, a lot. Social media debates have asked over the last few years, who are the best all-around athletes, the fittest, fastest, and strongest? Turns out, in my humble opinion, it’s OCR. And in Hunter McIntyre’s intro last night on Million Dollar Mile, pound for pound, turns out he agrees.
Biggest Surprise of the Night
Last week I asked Nikki if she would have preferred to compete against a guy or a girl. The support for co-ed competition in OCR is growing. Million Dollar Mile delivered last night when Emma Chapman faced off with DaShon Johnson – TMX World Champion vs. a professional boxer. DaShon had the lungs, legs, and longevity to get all the way to the $250K mark until Emma got him at the deep end of the pool.
DaShon got farther than any other Contender so far on the show. That definitely helped get my interest and heart rate up.
Biggest Downer of the Night
Because the first Contender, Logan, a marathon runner (and pretty fast too), tapped out after the first obstacle. I hoped that wouldn’t be the trend for the night. It wasn’t. Hunter was coming up.
Biggest Laugh of the Night
Professional dancer Amir Yorke faced off against the Sheriff. Dancers are amazing athletes and I confess one of my secret ambitions has always been to be able to dance like Gene Kelly. But alas, I’m just an OCR athlete. On the other hand, Hunter McIntyre is JUST an OCR athlete. That’s all he does 24/7/365. And as soon as Amir got sight of Hunter, that fact showed to the whole world. Amir’s face just fell. He knew. But he tried. Halfway into Flies on the Wall, Hunter caught up. Then he went between trash, encouragement, and comedy chatter to add a little color before ending Amir’s race.
Contenders Gotta Do Better
Yes, Amir, ya gotta do better than that. In fact, all of you Contenders, ya gotta do better. While it takes a good story and hopefully some athleticism to get on the show, it takes a whole lot more if you want to beat these Defenders. I asked Hunter before the show what it would take for someone twenty years from now to beat him. His answer was no surprise. First of all, you won’t beat him (he says).
The other contender, Kellen, easily got whacked by Veejay Jones. Kellen, the football player, did really well at Energy Bars. But Flies on the Wall allowed Veejay to catch up and tag him out. So far on the show, that obstacle has taken out more Contenders than any other. And usually, it’s only the second obstacle. It’s about 100-feet of Spartan Z-Wall. Should not be a big deal but it is.
Biggest Wish for the Show
I said it last week and I’ll say it again. I wish the producers would let the athletes run the entire course side-by-side. Best time wins. Maybe next week someone will get farther than DaShon. He almost won $250K and could have walked away with at least $100K. I think he had enough lead on Emma to do that. But we all know deep down it’s not about the money. On the course, we simply want to win against our demons whether they be the obstacles, the athlete next to us, or the athlete in the mirror.