EPIC Series obstacle races, mud run, and OCR information, distance, cost, dates, calendar, discounts, obstacles, reviews, and more

Not so Epic

The obstacles were fun and challenging, but fewer than expected. We had to do laps and since there was no timing we had to stop at each lap so someone could mark on our bib which lap was complete. There were no pins to attach our bibs so some people tried duct tape which did not work. Most ended up putting their bib down their shorts or in a pocket. There was no organization and everything was pretty confusing. I guess I'm spoiled from running Spartan races. Epic definitely has potential, they simply need to be consistent and well organized. This race was a mess that I decided to never do again. That is not how you want a participants first experience to end.

Worst OCR Experience

The Phoenix event was one of the worst OCR experiences I have had. I had to wait until 1:30PM to compete in the Elite portion - I completed the Competitive portion at 8:45AM or so. That is almost 5 hours later. When I originally signed up, I chose 9:15AM as the time I would go into the Elite event. At the race, the managers were letting everybody just come in and complain and they would put them in wherever. I ended up being second to last. The management of this race was extremely poorly managed.

Also, when I signed up for the race in early 2019, the Elite Endurance was supposed to consist of 115 lb ATLAS STONES over a wall, and 130 lb ATLAS STONES over shoulder. As such, I was training for 5 months with ATLAS STONES of that weight. The website lists atlas stones, and all videos of previous events show atlas stones as well. Instead of the atlas stones, we were informed at 10PM MST the night before the race that we would have 125 lb SANDBAG over wall and 150 lb SANDBAG over shoulder. The increase in weight is not terribly much, but it can make a difference in the long run. What really mattered was the type of sandbag over the wall. The sandbag was a ruck type that was difficult to manage if someone had not trained with it. Had the sandbag been a puck type at the 125 level, it would have been similar to manage as the stones, and the 10 lb increase would not have been too detrimental to get over the wall. But trying to learn how to sandbag clean (as this is the only option for a 5'7" short guy) and get it over the wall on the spot, was frustrating and embarrassing. In addition, the guy timing me was telling me to quit, because I was at 5 minutes and only 2 reps of the sandbag over the wall (it was the first obstacle after the truck pull). He told me I would not finish. I had been training for 5 months with every single remaining obstacle on the Elite course, so I would have gone through it proficiently, but his discouragement was making me want to quit.

Because I was second to last, all of the day's competitors were on the sidelines waiting for the awards. I had one guy behind me who they let go right after me, so he was waiting, the crowd was waiting, and it was no time for me to learn how to sandbag clean (it was much different than a regular clean). After two reps, I walked away pissed off at the whole experience, and my months of training did not even get to be applied to the remaining obstacles. All competitors in the beginning of the elite event were given the full 15 minutes to try to get through, but I was told by the timer to quit at 5 minutes - I am assuming because it was already almost 2PM, and everyone was waiting for the day to be over and get through the awards.

As for the Competitive portion, it was a hot mess. The guides on the course gave incorrect instructions and I ended up having to run an extra lap. Not too much of a big deal, but when I checked my time on the results site, it shows I had a time of 0:00. WTF?! I timed myself on my watch and it was just under 30 minutes. I completed all obstacles and even ran an extra lap, and to have a time of 0:00 is very upsetting. Very upsetting!

It makes me sick to my stomach to know that I worked so hard to train for something this company listed would be there, and then we were informed it was changed LATE THE NIGHT BEFORE! Spartan and Tough Mudder don't change what their obstacles consist of or the weight totals. If they have a 60 lb sandbag carry, then that's what will be on the course, not a 80lb sandbag. If they have a 400lb tire flip, then that's what it will be - it won’t be a 500lb log flip. I also heard complaints from others who had trained specifically for the "Endurance" elite that they were not expecting the heavier weights.

For those of us who take it seriously and train specifically for what is said will be there, the event needs to be consistent with all the others around the nation. Changes the night before and surprising every one that they will have to do something different than what they trained for is completely unacceptable.

Do not waist your time. Stick to the main OCR races.

Dont do it they dont care only care for the money they make

Dont do it we bought through Groupon got NO SHIRT, NO TIMING TO OUR RACE AND EXTREMELY UNORGANIZED...they dont care for the Central California area. If you use Groupon they dont record your timing ... I've emailed & they dont care... I posted on my fb & many people responded about being ripped off... after many Spartan Trifectas I've NEVER experienced this at a race. So UNORGANIZED UNPROFESSIONAL

Response: Official Organizer Response: "Thank you so much for your review of the 2019 event. Due to the undercutting that Groupon provides companies such as ourselves we were not able to offer all of the perks that come along with racing our event. We looked at Groupon as a way to bring new runners to the OCR world who may not care as much for their time and wanted to give the sport a try at a low cost. Our Groupon offering did not offer timing, as it was to purchase our Open race which traditionally had not timed people before. The Groupon package also was not giving shirts to the athletes but a finisher medal. The confusion arose when groupon moved the athlete over to our registration site and the site still asked for shirt size. The onsite management team should have recognized this and allowed for shirts to be distributed. We are aware of the confusion caused and should have stepped up to rectify the situation. We apologize for the experience and hope that you would come out to see us again in the future!"

An OCR for Athletes!

This was my first go at EPIC Series and it did not disappoint! My good buddy had ran the course the month prior in Huntington Beach and couldn't stop talking about it, so I had to give it a go. I ran competitive as well as entered the ELITE Endurance Course.

To start, the venue location was incredible. Surrounded by water on San Diego's Fiesta Island, the course was expansive and very well put together. The "EPIC" course was built in a giant circle that was about 1.5 miles around with about 30 obstacles within. Each obstacle was very organized and challenged a different muscle group without the need to run a long distance or get muddy. This was one of the main reasons I was interested in the event to begin with. Most of the OCR's I have participated in (spartan, tough mudder) had a big footprint, but not a ton of obstacles. This was the exact opposite. As soon as you get done with one obstacle, the next one is right behind it ready to challenge you in a different way. For example, once you climb over the rock wall, you go right into a balance beam, then a rope climb, then burpee box jumps and so on. This made for an extremely entertaining workout which took me just about 30 minutes to complete. Very very fun for all ages and athletic levels.

On to EPIC's "Elite" course. This was something I was training for, but when you see the course up close, it is daunting. There are different lanes for both Male/Female as well as Strength/Endurance. Same obstacles, different weights and reps. The ELITE Endurance course consisted of clean & press, deadlifts, sand bag lunges, atlas stone up and overs, kettle bell step-ups, tire flips, hanging weight lunges, and a sprint to the finish, all with 5 burpees in between each obstacle...yes, I was dead! Luckily, my judge who was with me was also my main voice of confidence. The atmosphere is what really captivated me, though. All the competitors, friends, families, and gyms were gathered around the course cheering on their athletes and giving them all the strength they needed to succeed. It was a sight to witness for sure. This was by far the most difficult workout I have had in a while, but it was 100% worth it in the end.

In addition to all of this, they had an awesome group of vendors, food, and beverages. The volunteers and event staff were all extremely nice and really made for an enjoyable experience as a first time participant. I even saw they had a kids course, which also looked relatively challenging.

To conclude, if you are looking for a fun and challenging way to spend a Saturday morning, look no further than EPIC Series OCR. They have really done a great job creating a course that is compact, yet filled with a ton of fun obstacles to overcome. If you consider yourself an elite athlete, go ahead and test yourself through the elite course and make it real! All in all, amazing day and great event.

Can't wait for the next one!

Epic Series - From the Perspective of a Volunteer and Participant

This was my first volunteer and race experience with Epic Series. I had time the day prior to the race to help with course build and as this was my first event of this type, I was a bit curious as to what to expect. There was a lot to do but time went by quickly with this fun group of guys.

Returning the next day for the race, our team arrived roughly an hour prior to our race start time. The race took place at the sports fields with plenty of parking ($1 charged by the city). Check in was quick and easy. The course was set up on asphalt. The run portions were one lap around the perimeter of the course, which I would estimate to be about 200-300 meters per lap. The course was quite spectator/picture taking friendly so have a friend bring a camera and catch you in action.

We were the first open wave after the competitive waves. The announcer called for our wave to get ready and we lined up a few minutes before the start of the race with our flags for the flag lap.
After our cardio warmup lap with the flags, we ditched the flags and went immediately over a ladder wall and on to the various stations. Most stations had 3 levels (weights, timers, reps) to pick from. Open division can mix and match, pick your level at each station. Other obstacles included atlas stone lift and toss over shoulder, various types of walls again with different levels of difficulty, a 25-lb. medicine ball carry around the perimeter of the course (all levels carried the 25-lb. medicine ball).

The balance beams were fun, again, three different degrees of difficulty, mostly based on the angle and width of the top of the peg to stand on. Box jumps/burpees, 3 different heights, we all did the same number of reps. Bunny hops with bands around our lower calf/ankle, different distances, which were marked by color so you know when to turn around, 3 laps for each level.
And let’s not forget Barnaby’s Beast, the rock climbing wall. This was one of the obstacles I helped to set up so it has a special place in my heart, seeing everyone going up and over. Mixed in here were more box jump/burpees because you can never have too many of those. And the wall sits were a fun way to give yourself a bit of a break to catch your breath, 1, 2 or 3 minute timers. Jerry can carries, pick your weight – doable “didn’t have to put the cans down to rest” weight, “glad it’s only a lap” weight, and “what was I thinking, this is getting heavy after all those other obstacles” weight.

Cargo crawl which was quite low (practice your army crawl – too low for bear crawl). Robin Hood, the bow and arrow station, was fun. Watching us, you could tell we are not going to survive out in the wild using a bow and arrow to catch our dinner. After Robin Hood, we transitioned right into the rope climb. If you can’t climb the rope, no worries, there is a cargo net to climb up instead. Up the net or rope, ring the bell, and back down. Lumbar jack was mixed in there also – lift the bar up and over 5 times in each direction, pick your weight.

And to keep you moving, another lap around the course this time with a slosh pipe on your shoulders. Squat station with weighted bar and your friends to photo bomb you keeps things light (nothing is feeling light at this point so smile for the camera).

I was told it is about 60 minutes average time to complete the course for open division and we were done in about 50 minutes. We had fun and our team plans to return next year, upping our game to the next level of difficulty.

It was a surprisingly warm morning just a few miles from the beach in Huntington Beach at 10 a.m. and although the course was quite compact (fitting into the 200-300 meter perimeter used for the walk/run obstacles), there were a couple of water stations available on the course. After we collected our shirt and medals at the finish line, we made our way over to check out the post race vendor booths. It was a small area but there were both free samples and some hot food to purchase. We wandered over to the elite course and were amazed at the strength of these athletes. Again, this course was very spectator-friendly. The kids course was right there next to the vendors as well and it looked like a very fun course for the kids.

This race review is from an everyday athlete who is not young, I won’t say how not young, but definitely not young. There were super-fit, competitive CrossFit athletes to everyday Joes and Janes, and with three levels of difficulty to pick from in the open division, this event was as challenging as one wanted to make it. Success is achieved where you are at in your fitness journey and not based on how you measure up to anyone else. Challenge yourself to be a better version of you.

Discount code

Discount code MRG10 does not work, i've tried it 4 times. Can you please update it?

Legit OCR

Epic Series OCR is a legit race. With three different skills levels, the Open waves make it easy for a couch surfer to accomplish something while a serious athlete can challenge him/herself on the black level. The Elite races are amazing to watch