In my humble opinion, a Bad Ass Woman of OCR isn’t just one that stays in the spotlight with epic races all the time, stealing top podium spots, or even breaking speed records. In the case of Lauren Casavant, not only is she fierce in the OCR community, but has also taken her love of being active to the next level with her company PursuEVENTures.
Not everyone that is part of the racing community is tearing up the course each event. There are plenty of people behind the scenes that have raced and now are working on making each event the best it can be. Happy racers equal repeat customers, and Missy takes great care to ensure that everyone in the festival area post-race has the best time possible. Missy or “Mamma” as she is known has had quite the career within the OCR community.
Faye has gone from being a Spartan Race rookie to the top-ranked female in the world in just a few short years. She was a top middle distance and cross country runner in high school and to this day still holds the junior girl's provincial record in the 3,000 meters. She has been featured in many magazines and online articles, and I wanted to give our readers the chance to get to know her a bit better.
I can’t say enough good things about this truly amazing woman. From being one of the first women to conquer OCR, she has been the voice of strength for many of us looking to get into the sport. Often she has been referred to by Brett Stewart as “his little sister” when he speaks about her. I wanted you all to get a better sense of who Margaret is and how she continues to be a strong female voice in the OCR community.
Stefanie Bishop is nothing but amazing. It is not an easy task by any means to win the World's Toughest Mudder event, but this lady did it with grace, honesty and a fire in her belly. I watched her race rather closely this year and saw nothing short of raw emotion when she got to take home the win. Through this interview, I learned more about Stefanie and her true spirit for OCR.
Melissa is in a few words a loud and proud woman in the OCR community. Many of us know her as Sharkbait but how many of us actually know her? It’s never easy as a newer writer in the OCR community to reach out to amazing athletes such as Melissa, but I was floored when I sent her a message on facebook and she agreed to let me interview her.
From surviving a road biking accident that left her with many broken bones, to nursing her children while on the course it seems like there is nothing that Allison can’t or won’t do. I have the honor of interviewing her for this piece, as everyone has their “layers”. Allison is a super nice person, but when it comes down to her coaching and training, she is not afraid to push you outside of your comfort zone.
In the OCR world, there are some women that stand out more than just your usual face in the crowd. These women are known for their athletic skill, the “never give up attitude”, helping others, and just being an overall positive and gracious person. Doing my research for my article series, I learned that Amanda “Pinky” Neil is not just your typical girl in pink, she is much more. I was excited to learn a bit more about “Pinky” and her love for OCR. This lady loves the OCR community and what it has done for her, and wants to continue to do things that set her soul on fire.
As part of the Comeback Kids winning team on the Spartan Ultimate Team Challenge show, Laura Messner showed the world who she is and how far she has come. She has faced times of self-doubt in her past, but has risen from the ashes to prove that you need to love yourself and be true to who you are. In this world, we have too much negativity and self-loathing and Laura strives every day to be the best person she can be, and through this inspires others.
I first heard about Andi Hardy through an OCR podcast and her story hit a chordwith me. Often when people think of OCR they think that your age or ability can hold you back. In Andi’s case, that is totally wrong. Not only did she accomplish great things during her very first OCR races, but she has continued to make huge strides and show the world it isn’t about a number but about who you are as a person.
