Last week, some very well-known coaches in OCR got into the BSRC men’s division debate. The focus was on who can beat Hunter and what would it take (besides beating a time of 6:01). The viewpoint of the coach was one we don’t see often. But I follow these guys closely and pick up any tidbit of info I can to improve my own game. At 55 years of age, I’m not out to pick off the Sheriff. But I am in it to stay in it for the long haul.

And that brings up the first point these guys make. Although people like me can do all the things in this Challenge, there is a gigantic difference between the ability to do and the ability to compete and win. “Because I can” is not enough. Most of us fit into that category already. And that my friends are a lot to be proud of. Stay in the race, stay healthy and fit, and stay up with the best the coaches offer you.

These guys got down into the weeds of body weight, size, and composition. They discussed running, form, and distance vs. sprint capabilities. They argued sports backgrounds like CrossFit, OCR, and bodybuilding. Then they tried to come up with the ideal mix of all this. They could not agree on one single individual but the general consensus was this:

No specialist will walk away from the winner. They will walk down the lonely road with Steve Austin pointing the way. Winning this kind of challenge requires a mix of running, strength, aerobic, anaerobic, and calisthenics/gymnastic skill and technique optimized towards tackling obstacles quickly and efficiently. In general, they feel that Hunter epitomizes this role. Likewise, they do not know who will be next.

Broken Skull Challenge Season 5 Episode 5 Recap

Tonight’s episode brought us eight men whose backgrounds included National Guard, Army, a restaurant manager, and a marketing director. Steve flat out told the guys that so far this season he has not seen the kind of motivation on his course that it takes to render a @#$#$% from him.

We started the day back in Trench Warfare. No more Drain. Just forced impact. Jared and Sanchez did it with sudden ferocity. The twist this season was that opponents had to ring both bells. Jared wore out Sanchez and got the second bell.

Philip and Daniel took the next mark and Philip the podcast host took the two bells.

Phil and Keith the 48-year-old restaurant manager were next. These were two big dudes. Their first encounter was short. Keith had Phil’s leg locked but it was not enough to stop that man from reaching long for the bell.

Jo and Dayne went next. Jo the young man engaged late and never knew what hit him. Dayne the CFO took the round.

Round 2

Round two was in the Stress Test. This is a new obstacle in water with a log hurdle, a wall climb, and another log hurdle. Exit the water and reverse to run back and hit the bell. Dayne took off again looking like a Jesus Christ lizard (check it out on YouTube). He did the same back in Trench Warfare. Dayne won leaving Phil on top of the wall.

Philip and Jared went next. Philip slipped on the takeoff then struggled with the second log hurdle. Jared had the lead and rung the bell with Philip still on top of the wall.

That left Jared and Dayne for the final round. Jared was motivated by the tough emotional loss of multiple family members and a friend last year. Dayne just seemed to have some other-worldly can of gas. Jared wanted to take his aggression out on the world. Dayne the CFO wanted to own the world.

The Pit included a new obstacle called Boulder Press. Three deadlift carries of increasingly heavy barbells faced the men. The release took place at the top of a ramp. The men were neck and neck through the third carry.

Jared entered the Pit first. Dayne the wrestler took his time. Dayne tackled Jared and stayed on top. They arm wrestled for a long time until Dayne was able to execute a flip and put Jared’s face into the dust outside the ring.

Skullbuster Course

So now the question was, did Dayne have the background that the pro coaches think will beat 6:01? I think without a doubt he has the right stuff to beat the Skullbuster. He had the motivation to win day one and show his son that his dad was a winner. Dayne claimed that his training brought him this far and it would bring him to victory.

He snatched up the log and started down the quarter mile run. His pace looked a bit slow and he dropped the log at 1:50. Not bad. His rope swings onto the cargo net was precise. The frame was no problem. He had great momentum on the trailer push. At landing pads, he looked like he finally had all that water grace back again. By the water obstacles, he looked a little winded but not too bad. He leapt from the second tire rack to the next and bolted out of the water and up Heartbreak Hill. He was still in the game strong but losing steam. He had plenty of strength left at the bottom making the rib flips look easy. But slow. He climbed the rope, hit the bell, and beat the Skullbuster.

My guess is that he was in the seven-minute arena, not as fast as Victor two weeks ago. Steve called the medic after the race as Dayne was flat on the ground. He was taken away in an ambulance hooked up to an IV. His time was 8:30. Steve and Hunter applauded him for his accomplishment given that Dayne had never run an obstacle course race before. Not bad for a CFO. Good enough for one of the coaches to pick him up and train him to the podium? We’ll see.

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