Top 10 Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) Stories of 2015

This past year was my most active in obstacle course racing (OCR).  In addition to running a number of races in the local Miami area, I was on the road twice for a series of races on the east coast and Atlanta areas with a final short trip to Orlando for the BattleFrog Championship.  Somewhere in there I found time to work as part of the build crew at the Obstacle Course Racing World Championship (OCRWC) in Ohio as well.

This is a list of my favorite articles from my blog for 2015....hope you enjoy them as much as I did sharing them with you!

BattleFrog on TV.....Here We Go Again! - BattleFrog's first attempt at bringing their OCR race brand to television with the first College Championship OCR sprint on ESPN.

OCR...Growing Pains, Competition, Money and Egos - Some early year observations on the how far the industry has come since it's relatively recent begininngs

Lessons Still Not Learned....Why People Don't Really Care What You Think! - The potentially devastating affects of sharing personal opinions on your business pages

My First Tough Mudder - Western, NY 2015 - Race/Challenge Review - Running my first Tough Mudder

Sometimes Being a Smartass Can Lead to an Extraordinary OCR Experience - BattleFrog at Pittsburgh 2015 - An extraordinary experience at this BattleFrog race with some of the people that make OCR so special

You May Be In the Wrong Business if You Think of Your Customers As F**ktards! - Another example of people who don't quite get the destructive power of the Internet on their businesses

Spartan Race Build at Asheville 2015 - I Finally Get to Build Some S**t - The first opportunity this year to get out and build some obstacles!

Spartan Race and OCR Back on TV - Here We Go Again....Again... - Spartan Race announces a casting call for another attempt at getting OCR on television with NBC Sports

Back To The Basics - Building a Savage Race - Atlanta 2015 - My first experience with Savage Race, in Atlanta

My Journey to the Center of the (OCR) World - OCR World Championships 2015 - An international spectacle at the World Championship!

You May Be In the Wrong Business if You Think of Your Customers As F**ktards!

Now, I never went to business school, so maybe the rules for engaging your customers has changed.  Maybe 'in-your-face' is how it's done.  There are undoubtedly companies, or at least CEO's, who think their customers are "fucktards".  My own take on business acumen...and perhaps remaining in business period...is not to let your customers know that.  As I said though, maybe the rules have changed.

This whole question arises from a recent situation in the obstacle course racing (OCR) industry.  I first heard about this through a Facebook group I am a member of...Crazy Mudder Muckers...in the aftermath of the BattleFrog race in Pittsburgh, PA.  Apparently while quite a few (including me) were at this event...where a small number apparently received relatively minor injuries...a much smaller group were at the Mud Factor event...where a greater number of racers allegedly received more serious injuries.

[Although a group member, I don't know any of the racers personally nor have I run as a member of the team.  I also don't know anyone that was at or injured during the event. Nor have I made any investigation into the allegations in the Obstacle Racing Media story, Mud Factor – A disgrace to racing.]

This is not about whether Mud Factor or the marketing and production company eight51.inc were negligent or misleading about the safety of this event or venue.  It's not about whether these companies had the experience or knowledge to put on a safe or even worthwhile event.  Having run over 15 events myself, I and most of the other racers realize this can be a dangerous sport.  Made all the more dangerous however, when those trusted with the safety of the racers and spectators betray this trust.


No, this is about how to deal with the public...particularly your own customers...in this age of the Internet and Facebook (FB).  When I wrote this post in July, Lessons Still Not Learned....Why People Don't Really Care What You Think!, one of the main themes was to be careful about what you post...anywhere!  They have a way of never, ever, ever going quietly into the night.  And if people really get the idea that you don't care about them...that you really think of them as "fucktards" or "meatheads" or even the more affectionately playful term of "goobers"...well, it's time to think of a new way to make a living, because this one is likely cooked.

The other thing that wasn't mentioned in the original post, that is probably just as important, is know who the hell you're dealing with!  This particular FB group is large, active, vocal and extremely knowledgeable about OCR.  They are also part of the core of the OCR community with ties throughout.  Probably not the best people to piss off unnecessarily...certainly from a business standpoint.  Disney had a great way of putting it...'The customer isn't always right...but they're always your customer."  And if you're going to try and look clever anyway, take a note from the movie 'Now You See Me' and make sure you're the smartest one in the room...or in this case, on the page. 

At this point, I seriously doubt we've heard the last of it.  The OCR community is a very large one these days.  At the heart though is a core of serious racers, and serious groups, who have been doing these races for years now.  And part of the purpose of these groups is to expand participation and share race and training experiences.  If a race promoter has any thoughts of becoming a legitimate, national competitor they need these groups on their side.  And vice-versa, once you lose them, word will spread and filling venues or even selling enough entries to break even will be all but impossible.

I know many people will be watching to see how this will play out...for many reasons.  I'm certainly interested on the business side, as well as the OCR end, to see how Mud Factor and eight51.inc handle this and future PR issues...they are sure to come.  Early on in Spartan Race history and in Tough Mudder and BattleFrog as well, negativity has arisen.  How they each handled those times told a lot about the companies and individuals, and had a lot to do with why those companies are still around today.


There is another old saying that I may be paraphrasing a bit...

Adversity doesn't build character, it reveals it!!

Enough said.......

Please share your own experiences here with me regarding any similar race/event issues!