As HESCO BONEFROG makes its debut in Cedartown, GA at Highland Park Resort on August 27th, they bring world-renowned announcer Dustin Dorough to EMCEE the event. Dustin brings a wealth of announcement experience to the OCR arena and is best known for his role as announcer for Spartan Race.
The summer continues to roll on with obstacle races across the globe taking place every weekend. This past weekend OCR was everywhere from the Spartan Race European Championships, Terrain Races in Flagstaff, Arizona to BoneFrog Challenge in South Carolina. Rugged Maniac made a stop outside of Kansas City while Tough Mudder was outside of the Big Apple, with both a full course and a Tough Mudder half. With over 40 obstacle races and mud runs taking place this weekend around the globe, that is a lot of muddy, wet, and challenging obstacles to overcome.
What an incredible week to be an Obstacle Course Addict! With races from over 12 different race companies all over the globe, there was no shortage of options for whatever level of crazy you wanted to indulge in. Some East Coasters were even fortunate enough to do two events in one weekend, hitting Warrior Dash in NY and Tough Mudder in PA – and speaking of Tough Mudder, they proved this weekend that teleportation is a real thing, as they popped up not only in Pennsylvania but in Chicago and Central TX as well, to rave reviews in every location.
Let's talk about the brands that are the bedrock of OCR. As the sport has grown over the last 3-4 years, one thing has stood out: there are a few brands that are the biggest and best - the Chili's or Chipotle of the sport; you always know (within reason) what you're going to get when you show up. You're not going to be (too) surprised with the event, as there reputation of quality precedes them.
The Bonefrog Challenge recently returned for the third year to the New England area and I had the privilege to attend the event for the first time. The regional race, created by Navy SEALs and appropriately held on Armed Forces Day each year, was developed to test athletes to move beyond their comfort zones and push themselves both physically and mentally. With a course that boasts over 50 obstacles and 10 miles of rugged, mountainous terrain, it definitely accomplishes this goal in spades. The aptly named race is truly a challenge and requires athletes to be functionally fit to complete the course.
The only easy day was yesterday, this is my life motto/creed which I borrowed from the Navy SEAL's as it is their motto/creed. As I noted in my Bone Frog pre-race article, this event has been one of my most anticipated races all year! The day was just as it should be for a Navy SEAL OCR, it was pouring rain and not exactly warm.
