Do you remember that girl who sat two seats in front of you during your Intro to Economics class during your sophomore year? You know, that awful 8:00am class that you barely passed because you happened to ditch on the day the professor basically gave out all of the answers for the upcoming final.
Year-in and year-out, Warrior Dash proves its worth as being one of the best mud runs for beginners, as I wrote in this article on that subject last year. One could argue their obstacles and event is somewhat formulaic, and that's exactly what I want! When I'm recommending a race for first-timers or fun-seekers - whether to millions of people* or a group of parents and teachers at my daughter's school, I want to know they are going to get a safe, fun, experience that I know each and every one of them can handle. Period.
I struggle to understand the backlash that the Big Brands tend to receive. Don’t get me wrong…I’d certainly prefer to pay a lot less for registration, and if some brand started giving out a free pair of shoes, two hydration packs, and a Rolex to every finisher, then I’d bleed whatever color they’re sporting.
Last year, my favorite Mud Run Guide Editor in Chief and Dirt in Your Skirt owner Margaret Schlachter posted an article about “The Dark Side of OCR: When Hobby Turns to Obsession”. Her article was thoughtful and well written, but it brought up the question in my mind. Where is the line between unhealthy obsession and dedicated athlete?
The game-plan for BattleFrog Series' growth is to be full-steam ahead; during several different occasions with Ramiro he's explained the strategy of developing the entire sport of OCR, and how ESPN commercials and reality competitions, the Bowl Series, and investments in obstacle development (like the MOBs mentioned earlier) coupled with explosive expansion all over North America will create the future of the sport, obstacle course racing as a household term, or OCR 2.0 (my term).
You line up for the start of an event that boasts the most obstacles per mile with advertised numbers of 100+. What should you be expecting? Dozens of rigs? Fifty different low crawl obstacles? The large variations in what constitutes an obstacle and what that means to the course may be overwhelming, confusing and even misleading to athletes, new or experienced.
When you boil it down, what we’re discussing is a matter of semantics. Is it a sport? Yes, it is. At least…it is in the most common understanding of the word. Let me elaborate…
Recently, I was asked why I didn't participate in the SoCal Warrior Dash a couple of weeks ago as I have for the past consecutive years. My response was that of silence. I shrugged my shoulders and carried on with my day. The truth is I know why I didn't participate, but I couldn't bring myself to admit the reason until now. As an Obstacle Course Racer Enthusiasts, I was baffled by my reasoning. Have I outgrown Warrior Dash? Am I an OCR snob? Even more disturbing is the realization that more and more traditional Mud Runs are becoming in Disconnect from The OCR Community.
Sean Corvelle asks “When was the last time you did something for the first time?” as he fires people up at the starting line of a Tough Mudder. I want to go a little deeper with this: “When was the last time you tackled something so big that it changed your life?”
Now that you have adopted your spandex shorts and are feeling race ready you take a look in the mirror but something does not seem right. You do not look like those elite racers lining up on the starting line from last weekend, so what gives? It is not that something is missing, it is that you still have something…body hair.
