The sport of obstacle course racing (OCR) basically prides itself on the races being sufferfests. Heck Scott Keneally’s new documentary about the sport is even titled Rise of the Sufferfests. Some of the most memorable scenes in this movie are the visuals of the participants battling hypothermia after completing the events.
Just got back from a Spartan Race in Pala, California. Brutal heat, unforgiving climbs (starting with a whopper 5-mile mountain climb for warm-ups…), no shade or wind…all around Beast and 12 miles of it! I learned my lesson a year and a half ago racing a Spartan near Vegas. Desert conditions, a mountain climb to start, and I wasn’t nutritioned up enough for the job. The real culprit for me was salt, oddly enough. I blacked out briefly several times. Didn’t feel stable until a few hours post race. And it was only an 8-mile competition.
This weekend marked the return of Spartan Race to Southern California and the debut of a new venue at Pala Raceway. For years, Spartan Races, Tough Mudders, and other OCRs have been held at Vail Lake in Temecula. Love them or hate them, the endless, relentless hills overlooking and surrounding that venue were iconic to obstacle course racing in this part of the country. This year, all that changed, as the new owners of the Vail Lake property decided to rescind access to all of the various races that called Vail Lake home.
Muddy Mud Guts and Glory Masters, Warrior Dash Warriors, Beasts Beasting the UltraBeast and Conquer the Gauntlet...Conquistadors? Okay - that last one was a stretch, but you get the gist. This last weekend had no lack of races, mud, pain or fun! Whether it was a fun run or a death march you craved, OCR delivered in spades.
Conquer the Gauntlet headed to Arkansas over the weekend. Arnel Banawa of OCRTUBE made a trip to the midwest to check this series that continues to get praise from many around the OCR community. The globetrotting Banawa called this race, "I think that this is OCR's best kept secret! How did I not know about this 5-year-old race company?" with a reaction like that you know it is a good event.
Tough Mudder Pittsburgh made its return to the Pittsburgh area last week. Coopers Lake Campground hosted the event for the second year in a row. Some weather that rolled through the area Saturday night helped create some muddier conditions than those experienced on Saturday. For anyone considering which day of the weekend to run, I can try and shed some light on the differences between a Saturday run versus one on Sunday.
With their spot-on marketing, and Facebook posts from my east coast friends, I COULD NOT WAIT to run a Savage Race. Being that they don’t go further west than Texas, I decided to take matters into my own hands and signed up for the Dallas Savage Race on September 10, 2016.
Bunim/Murray Productions, producers of the successful reality shows Project Runway, Real World, and most recently The Selection on History Channel is currently casting a competition style series. Yesterday, Mud Run Guide spoke with the casting agents for the show to find out who are the ideal candidates for their newest show "Special Ops Experiment (working title)".
For the past several years, the popular BoldrDash racing series has been a staple in Rhode Island. This year, they decided to try a new venue at Rocky Point Park located on the Narragansett Bay. The iconic spot was once a beloved amusement park until it closed down back in 1995. BoldrDash is hoping to breathe some life into the area once again and help rekindle old memories.
September is Childhood Cancer awareness month, Warrior Dash is working with their charity partner St. Judes Children's Research hospital to bring more awareness to this cause. Warrior Dash continues to be a leader in the obstacle racing industry since it's beginnings in 2009. Over the month of September, Warrior Dash will be working with St. Judes to increase donations and offer a chance for those who donate to win special prizes to be used during the 2017 season.
