Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) is still a very young sport, trying to find its way through a labyrinth of challenges to take its place in the wide world of sports. This is not the first time we've looked at where the sport is currently and where it appears to be going.
Making Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) financially feasible is no easy task. It takes an enormous amount of money just to open the gates for a major race. To cover the high fixed costs of putting on an event, race promoters look to attract more participants to each venue. But while attracting new racers to OCR is necessary for growth, both as a sport and for the individual promoter, they also face the continuing challenge of creating an event that challenges the more experienced or elite athletes while not discouraging the amateurs or first-timers.
The past decade has seen incredible growth in extreme physical challenge events. In addition to our beloved Obstacle Course Racing, there’s made-for-television American Ninja Warrior and the oddly mesmerizing CrossFit Games.
Merriam-Webster defines a sport as "a contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific set of rules and compete against each other". They also describe it in general as "a physical activity (such as hunting, fishing, running, swimming, etc.) that is done for enjoyment." In the broader sense then, obstacle course racing (OCR) is obviously a physical activity…hence a sport.
