If you have friends who have never run an OCR or Mud Run before and give you the same old "No way, I can't do that" excuse, then share this post with them! Brett takes on the excuses that keep everyone from enjoying obstacle course races and mud runs in an interview with TotallyFIT Radio - and here's a checklist on how to introduce EVERYONE to this awesome sport!
As an Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) athlete who typically is better at longer events, I often am asked the question “When are you going to do the Death Race (or insert other similar event)?” The answer is probably never…because it is a different sport. Death Race and events like it such as The Ultimate SUCK, The Brutality, GORUCK Selection, Fuego y Agua and SISU Iron are not OCR events. They fall into a category on their own that lies in a region between OCR and Adventure Racing but closer to the latter.
As a sports performance coach, usually the first question I get from a potential client is something like, “how can I get faster”, or “what can I do to get better?” My simplest answer to this question is “chase or be chased!” Let’s face it, all the training in the world is nothing without passion! The easiest way I know to bring out an athlete’s passion is competition.
Getting loads of swag from races seems like a good thing at first. As your obstacle course racing (OCR) addiction grows though, it can present problems of having too much stuff. We talked about t-shirts, and race bibs, but what about race medals? Let's walk though a few ways you can show off your medal collection
The OCR industry has been tightening their belts in 2015. Across the industry companies are looking to operate both effectively and efficiently in order to stay in business for the long term. Most of the time this gives the participants the best event at the best cost to them. However, what is the downside when companies strive for growth and efficiency too quickly? What happens when companies mandate quicker build times for the guys on the ground?
Hey there, OCR. Come on in and sit down. Let’s have a little chat, you and I. It’s time that we address an issue that has been steadily building over the past year. It’s not easy for me to say this but here it is: OCR, you are developing a bad case of hubris.
As an obstacle course racing athlete, I often try to convince other people to join in the fun, whether that be in the competitive wave or the open wave. One of the following excuses often stymies my suggestions though. The only problem is people often do not say what they really mean when they provide an excuse.
Most of the major OCR's, like marathons and other large scale races, can cost a runner well over $100 to enter the race. Add to the entry fee all the extras, and you can easily spend $500 on race weekend. But it doesn't have to be that way!
This is not the first time and unfortunately will probably not be the last time this subject is written about. It has become far to common to see this at obstacle course races around the global. The problem, littering. The majority of the littering is from energy gel packaging’s being discarded on the ground. The bigger the race, the more garbage finds itself on course.
Tough Mudder has developed their own niche within the obstacle racing community. They stopped timing their normal events and abide by the concept of “it is not a race, it is a challenge.” While I personally prefer the race aspect, like they have a World’s Toughest Mudder, I do appreciate this different approach. Earlier this year Tough Mudder unveiled some of their new obstacles as part of Tough Mudder Redefined including “Cry Baby”. Cry baby is an obstacle where you are required to crawl through tear gas.
