Nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in North Georgia, this race offers natural scenery that will take your breath away. That is, if you have any to spare after negotiating the killer hills, briskly cold water of the streams and ponds to negotiate, and some seriously fun and challenging obstacles.
The Fitathlon Challenge recently brought their 5k fitness based race to Massachusetts. The event focuses on cardiovascular endurance and incorporates it in many of their obstacles. As a playful jab at the other OCR's, they promote their race as having "no mud, water, fire or electrocution - just sweat."
This was my very first venture into the land of longer distances. I am going for my Trifecta with Spartan this year. I am doing it while I can, and while I still feel capable. I have done 7 Spartan Sprints with 2 more on tap for this year. What do I think about the Super versus the Sprint?
The performance socks market is expanding because let’s face it, you might train for years to have the body of Adonis coated in bronze but a quarter-sized bleeding blister on your foot could put you on the DNF list. There are many different options available out there with varying blends of fibers and styles, each touting their own merits, but it comes down to figuring out for yourself which pair of socks works best for you in specific situations.
When I was 18 months old, I was accidentally shot by a .22 caliber round. When I was 12 years old, my father and I almost drowned in the Gulf of Mexico (he was resuscitated on the beach). When I was 16, I was involved in a head on collision at 50 mph and walked away from the wreckage with just a scratch on my knee.
I just got home from Unleashed Obstacle Fitness & Functional Training Center. I am sweaty, dirty and even bloody. My EVERYTHING hurts; in a good way. The plan was to drive two hours from central Connecticut to Unleashed in Rhode Island and spend a couple hours improving my obstacle skills. The reality is that I am now an Unleashed fanatic after spending nearly 8 hours there today.
Spartan Race continues to innovate the world of obstacle course racing. Known for their Sprint, Super and Beast distance options, they recently unveiled their new "Olympic distance" of 1.5 miles in their preliminary steps to qualify as an Olympic sport in the future. The Spartan Race Invitational was recently held at the Reebok Headquarters in Canton, MA.
Lets start off by saying that I did not want to like these shoes, but after giving them a shot they are my “go to” shoes now! The last 2 -3 yrs I got used to wearing minimalist shoes so anything slightly heavy was a “NO” for me. At 9.1 oz per shoe & over 1lb these would typically be too heavy for me. My first impression when putting these shoes on the first time was how comfortable they felt. I loved the way the Internal slip-on construction fits the foot like a sock without causing excessive pressure, the stretch air mesh tongue is one of the most comfortable I have tried in any shoe. It makes me want to use them without socks.
BoldrDash holds an annual event on a beach, and this was it. It was fun, but challenging, though not too hard for a newcomer to obstacle course racing. In places, the obstacles allowed you to select a harder or easier challenge, such as the ten foot walls. You had your typical ten foot wall, then on the side was a wooden ladder climb for the majority of us.
I’m continually inspired by combat vets like Noah Galloway, Todd Love, Earl Granville and Edward Lychik doing obstacle races despite injuries that would hold back lesser men. When I think about that, I stop feeling sorry for myself and push harder toward my goals. I don’t have a story like theirs. Mine is probably more like most Americans, until I decided to change the ending. Two events drove the plot: First, my marriage falling apart, then volunteering at an obstacle course race.
