Since the beginning of obstacle racing has been more like a chain of islands than a unified sport, each company working independently trying to grab as much of the market as possible. This side of our sport has been chronicled over and over again but this article is not about the infighting or which company is trying to outdo another. This article looks at what is happening at the grassroots level of the sport...
The early buzz may be about the new obstacles (I promise, the details are coming soon), but the real changes on the course alter the dynamic of what it takes to become a Tough Mudder: Teamwork. Many of the new or upgraded obstacles require teamwork to get over, and approximately half of the 2015 Tough Mudder course cannot be completed alone. Remember the days when you ran up Everest solo? No more. Climbing out of Mud Mile pits by yourself? Nope. Hold Your Wood? Bring a team for these telephone poles. "We didn't set out to make it tougher, we decided to deliver new obstacles and challenged for Mudders to overcome - together."
Atlas Race10887980_10204595838390361_1951751608_n continues to make waves in the obstacle racing world with another announcement on top of the recent Heart of Texas ThrowDown. This one is for all the west coast obstacle racers. The Best of the West Challenge is a three part series within Atlas Race that includes NorCal, Medford, and Portland. Racers that complete all three events in 2015 will earn a special medal and t-shirt for completing the Challenge
The course designers over at Tough Mudder have come up with a new way to challenge participants who sign up for their events in 2015. Multiple sources including Sports Illustrated Online and DNAinfo.com are reporting that tear gas maybe be included in the arsenal of obstacles this coming year.
Brakken Kraker takes an in depth view of the competitive OCR circuit in 2014, an analysis of trends in the industry and looks forward to next year.
This is the second year that I have participated at the Rock Solid Mud Run in Englishtown, NJ. It is a race that is literally in my back yard – how can I not attend? Raceway Park in Englishtown is completely flat -- but the obstacles, trail running and swimming will challenge you.
The 2015 Spartan Race World Championships *may* be changing locations. Vermont? Montana? Cali? ICELAND?? Mud Run Guide partnered up with Spartan HQ to pull off a "Guess and Win" contest - make your pick NOW!
Growing up in New England, nearly every kid dreamed of playing in legendary Fenway Park. The dream quickly faded when I realized that I simply wasn't very good at baseball. However, when Spartan Race brought their stadium series races here a couple years ago, I jumped at the opportunity to finally get down on the same field as my childhood heroes.
This is my second Rugged Maniac, the last one was in 2012 before Shark Tank. I can say that I enjoyed it the first time, but the second time was even better.
A lot of times people think you need to have gym memberships or go to big fancy crossfit gyms to be in good shape for Obstacle Course Races(OCR's). The reality is you just need the right equipment and you can do great workouts from your own home or anywhere.
