If you haven’t tended to sore hands, massaged burning forearms or checked Instagram in December, you probably haven’t heard of one of the most grueling training challenges proposed to OCR enthusiasts. The brainchild of OCR Beast founder and coach, “Spartan” Spencer Mahoney, the Dead Hang Challenge focuses on developing improved grip strength and of course, those epic “Popeye forearms.”
Obstacle course racing and American Ninja Warrior, well, the fitness lifestyle in general, continues to explode throughout the world. Your typical athlete role model isn’t just the 300 professional football player or seven-foot basketballer. Your neighborhood gym no longer exclusively offers grimy treadmills and bulky weights. We are at the cutting edge of a complete fitness shake-up, and to be completely honest, I love it!
“Do I need to use a hydration pack?” This is the question thrown around OCR message boards for every race, no matter the length or weather conditions. Before I dig into this gear review, my answer to that beloved question is, “sometimes.”
Hill training is one of the most important components of a solid OCR routine. Learn the basics of hill training in this OCR 101 article.
Hopes were high for the first Spartan Beast held at Snow Summit in Big Bear, California, literally. The 4,000 feet of elevation gain in 12.2 miles did not disappoint. Well, it actually did disappoint a few competitors, who suffered the elevation, dust and tricky technical terrain.
You could feel the nervous tension in the air at the OCR World Championships at dusk on Thursday night. In 12 short hours, the first racers of the weekend would be taking their mark. Athletes from 67 different nations were congregating around the obstacles as the finishing touches were being made. Strategies were developing and although we did not speak the same languages, you could tell we were all thinking the same thing; this course is going to be brutal.
After years of missing this event due to conflicts in personal, business or racing schedules, I was finally able to take on Warrior Dash Oregon, a muddy 5K that continues to attract thousands of participants each every year. It’s always a great day for OCR when you can eat breakfast before and shower after the race at home.
We’re all fans of Tough Mudder, Spartan Race, Warrior Dash, and BattleFrog (RIP), but there’s a type of race that can never really compare to the massive marketing Goliaths taking over the obstacle course racing world. This type of race continues to entertain both competitive and everyday mud runners who crave the next challenge but are not ready to drop another 200 bucks to play in the mud.
Welcome to OCR News Weekly. Today is Friday, June 23, 2017. I am Margaret Schlachter and thanks for joining the live broadcast or for those listening on their favorite player our recast. Today’s headlines come from OCR Series in Europe, Tough Mudder, Spartan Race, and Ninja Warrior
It’s a new race season, and what better way to kick it off than by running a race that: I have never done before and at a venue that has never hosted an OCR before. Top that off with one of the top athletes in the sport being there and the venue also being the host of the upcoming US OCR Championship, you have a great recipe for a hell of a Saturday.
