You see the big transformations on TV all the time. Competitors in front of a national audience in the hopes of winning a cash prize. Well now is your chance, (on a smaller scale) but still with a chance to win a cash prize against only other participants of Obstacle Course Racing (OCR).
On American Grit Episode 8 the teams were faced with an evolution that was essentially a really complicated version of capture the flag. One teammate selected by the Cadre has 30 minutes to fortify their bunker using only basic materials. After 30 minutes another teammate will try and breach an opposing teams bunker and capture the flag.
I am going to start this review off with a simple but true statement: If you are an Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) athlete that trains with weights and you are not using Fat Gripz, you are wrong. Fat Gripz turn every exercise into one that stresses your forearms. While you do not have to use weights to be a good OCR athlete, I am an advocate of incorporating at least some of them into your training because it provides a simple method for increasing stress on the body (ex. more weight makes things harder which creates physiological adaptation.
Our very own resident ninja, Evan "Rocket" Dollard takes on Hollywood stuntwoman extraordinaire, Jessie Graff! Who takes the W in this epic ninja throwdown? Watch & find out - It's NINJA QUICKIE TIME!
This spring a new "movement" started on social media from an unlikely source. Have you seen those Super Nice Club hats recently popping up on your social media feed? The creator of this movement is none other than Tod Brilliant. In the OCR world, Tod Brilliant is often known for his cheeky trolling in Facebook groups such as Obstacle Racers Worldwide. For almost two years he has grown a reputation as a top troll in the OCR world so when he launched the Super Nice Club this spring it seemed another ruse from a known instigator.
Running became a passion of mine "later" in life, I didn't run my first mile until I was in my early 30's, my first 5k in 2002 or so. Over the years I've fallen in love with running dozens of different times in various forms; trails, roads, obstacle course races, ultras, stage races, cross-country relays, etc. I've even fallen prey to the running demons that often plague us all; overuse, injury, self-doubt, DNF's, failures in all shapes and sizes. I've cared way too much about certain runs that didn't matter and dismissed some very valuable ones as unimportant; A races that I'd spent months training for became B or C races on a whim, while I turned simple training sessions into do-or-die battles with running partners.
While the OCR calendar kept it light for the Memorial Day weekend, knowing many of you would be favoring family time on this Memorial Day Weekend, a couple of our favorites did not want to leave you all in withdrawals and came to save the day, with mud and fun before they let everyone go about their business. Many of you did indulge in other ways, however, be it at home doing a Memorial Day Murph WOD, or hitting the trails doing a ruck in remembrance of those we have lost. It was inspiring to see so many posts from so many people, getting in hard work, while giving tribute to our fallen military family.
Arnel Banawa of OCRTUBE.com continues his summer tour of Europe this week stopping in Zurich, Switzerland for the Rock n Run Cross Challenge. This event started with a boot camp then followed by a 10K run with a mix of obstacles and more functional fitness moves.
OCR forces me to live a healthy lifestyle, or I simply wouldn't be able to compete and do the things I do. It has re-taught me to appreciate my body and value it for what it can do, rather than how it looks. I marvel at the progress I have made and feel proud of how far I have come, and recognize that I am indebted to the OCR community and all who have supported me along the way. I also feel inspired by so many of the people I've met and stories I have heard.
When most people get laid off from a job they love it can be devastating, heartbreaking, and leave a person bitter and cynical. When Allan Ajoy was let go from BattleFrog Series over a month ago the OCR community responded with shock and sadness as he was a much-loved member of the BattleFrog Series team. Ajoy quickly found a new purpose in life in his homeland of Ecuador.
