“I AM OCR” is a Mud Run Guide exclusive series featuring athletes from all walks of life. You can view the entire series here. Do you or a friend have a story the world should know? Just email us at crew@mudrunguide.com and your story might be next!
I AM OCR: Liana Rogers
I was at my heaviest 185 lbs and Im 5ft tall. I tried the diets, joined a local gym but never attended- I just paid for it!I just could not figure out where to begin. A good friend of mine invited me to come workout with her, and after multiple invites and rejections, I finally agreed to go. It was just before my 41st birthday, in the heat of July in Georgia, I went for my visit to The Compound. What was I thinking?
I AM OCR: Rebecca Crump
We conquered the course with our team and were ready to tackle the Tough Mudder Virginia the following month. Again, we faced another big hurdle… Tropical Storm Andrea came through the night before and tore apart the course, flooding the James River (which was part of the course as well).
I Am OCR: Edward Puente
From being a very avid runner/cyclist/marathoner to hospitalized and bed ridden I became very depressed and to top it off I was unable to continue nursing school due to my absence.
I AM OCR: Heather Blevens
During the race I ran, but it was more than running - it was running away from who I was told I was, the girl that I should be by seemingly everyone else standards, to become a new girl at the finish line, the girl I wanted to be, the mom that is not going to wear the dress and heels to pick up my son, but the one that's climbing a tree, running in the mud, the free girl.
I AM OCR: Catherine Williams
Although running is not a passion of mine, it is great training for the obstacle course racing. The best thing about Obstacle Course Racing is that it provides a challenge for everyone from elite racers, to athletes in training (like me), to those just starting out. It fosters team work and encourages us to become better humans. I never believed in a million years that I would be able to complete a Tough Mudder or a Spartan race.
I AM OCR: Paul Mitas’ Extra Obstacles
I don’t let diabetes stop me from doing things, I never have and I never will. It is just an extra obstacle that I have to face. Over the couple of years I have been doing OCRs I have helped a number of other people with diabetes learn how they can do these events or any other event. I don’t hide the fact that I have diabetes, in fact I will tell it to anyone who asks, ‘Why are you running with that pack?’ or ‘What are you doing?’ when I stop and a water station and start pulling things out of my pack.
I am OCR: Lucy White
I think everybody to some extent is or can be an “athlete”, BUT then there are those that are “born competitors”. I have been a competitor/adrenaline junkie my whole life. I eat, sleep, live, and breathe competition. The greatest compliment I was ever given was by a bodybuilding photographer and writer for Muscular Development Magazine, who was doing an interview with me. He told me, I was the first person he had ever met, that he could not ask “What is it that you do?”, but instead he had to ask, “What is it that you haven’t done?
