Obstacle Course Race (OCR) training and racing can be expensive, there is no question there.But what if…you had an unlimited budget to spend on OCR? What would your training look like if the cost was not a concern? Here is my take on what OCR training looks like with an unlimited budget.
With over 15,000 people attending the online game DOTA 2 championships this year and over 30,000 watching the CrossFit Games over the weekend at a time on live feeds. Why can't obstacle racing keep up?
Turns out I’m not the only one who is fed up with Spartan Race when it comes to who’s on first. Last few years, the elite men left the gate first. A short while later, the elite women took off. I watched each of the four championship series races this season and here’s the problem.
Let’s face it; our sport as it currently exists does not fit the Olympic mold. The courses, the obstacles, and the events have too much variation. There are distances from 1 mile to 24 hours and courses that have obstacles which are essentially glorified speed bumps to those with a 98% fail rate. The sport as it currently exists will never be in the Olympics, although a variation could be with standardized distances
Five years ago Spartan Race became Reebok Spartan Race as the two companies entered into multi-year title sponsorship deal. At the time, the announcement was a major turning point for the entire obstacle racing industry, having a company rebrand with a major sponsor.
Over the weekend, myself like many in the obstacle racing world turned their computers on for the first Spartan U.S. Championship Race. For the week leading up to the event, Spartan Race promoted the live coverage of the event on YouTube, Facebook, and Spartan.com. Many wondered what the coverage would look like and how it would be received my the often fickle obstacle racing audience.
I am not going to assume that everyone reading this knows what the sternum checker is, so here are some photos. You’ll notice immediately that there is a wide variety of things called “sternum checker,” but this isn’t an op-ed about standardization of obstacles. Not yet anyways.
Spartan Race is a physical and mental challenge. It is also a test of one’s character. The rules of Spartan Race are tough, but clear. No outside assistance. No cutting distance. Attempt every obstacle. If you fail an obstacle, do 30 burpees. Fail the burpees? Resign from the race. These clearly stated rules make the completion of the race an intense challenge, and victory a true accomplishment. This is no “fun run,” this is a test of your overall fortitude, and you pay to endure it.
Getting a significant other or friend who’s new the Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) excited about a run is sometimes a hard process. Before you’ve done it, understanding just why you would pay someone to be subjected to the elements, mud, pain, bruises, cuts, exhaustion, and possible serious injury can be challenging, to say the least - as I am sure someone must have said, “You can lead a person to mud, but you can’t make ‘em race”.
Pro teamers race hard and inspire us all with their performances but what if their presence at an event meant much more to building a brand and making the race experience that much more memorable for those out there participating?
