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!

Spartan Race Atlanta 2015...Another Pure Mud-Fest - Race Review

I have to admit, I'm a bit behind on my posting.  I was unexpectedly at the OCR World Championships last week...an absolute eye-opening experience...and now need to get back on schedule.  The Spartan Race Atlanta, like the Savage Race two weeks before, was an absolute mud mess!  Late in the build week, the rains had stopped and the venue was just starting to drain and dry up some.  But of course, Saturday morning came and so did the thunderstorms...again.

Hearing the thunder early Saturday, I decided to sleep in a bit, feeling that the early heats would be postponed and oh....it was raining again, for the second race in a row.  I realize that makes no sense, given that I'm going to be wet and muddy anyway.  But I do like to arrive and leave relatively dry...if not clean.  Sooner than later though, I got my lazy, broken ass up to get to the venue.  Having checked the weather, I saw that there might be a break in the rain mid morning, so my plan was to get off by 10am or so...hopefully missing at least some of the rain.

Arriving at the Durhamtown Resort, the race site, it didn't take long to see the impact of the morning's rain.  Mud!  And where there was no mud, there were puddles...covering more mud.  Joy....  After checking my bag...and praying that we built the bag check racks securely as the ground below was nothing but puddles...I headed to the start corral as quickly as possible.  In just a few minutes we were off and about 20 yards into the race we hit mud.  Slick, red clay that would be the norm for the next 8 or 9 miles.  Another day of slip and slide.

Given the conditions, there was not a whole lot of running going on that day.  For me, that just evened things up since my injuries really kept me from doing much more than a quick walk.  In fact, the only place I can remember not having mud was at the fire jump, where they deliberately put down gravel.  A good thing too as they built themselves a nice size fire to hop over at the end.  Unfortunately, this was only about 30 feet from the finish line.  Surprisingly though, there were a number of places where the mud wasn't slick but was more of a sticky, solid mud.

Most of this sticky mud was on the carries...take pleasure in the little things!  One of the two log carries and the sandbag carry were on what looked like dirt bike race tracks.  So I suppose they use a different mix of soil on those which made for much better footing than expected,  We weren't so fortunate on the long bucket carry though or the first log carry.  Slogging and slipping throughout.  And the atlas carry?  Splashing through puddled grass and mud made me think of pointless punishment in some ancient prison camp....I can't imagine why.

I also did a 'double take' at the second log carry.  Deja-vu hit me and because of a small trail marking mishap, I swore I'd done this already...even though the terrain was a bit different.  My mind was probably rebelling over having to carry another log!  Once again, thanks be given for small gifts.  This log carry and later on, the uphill barbed wire crawl were the same sort of sticky mud on the dirt bike tracks.  Now I'm not saying it was a joy, but by digging your elbows in slightly you could make pretty good time rolling.  And there must have been a lot of newbies on the course that race too.  Very few were doing the roll and there was a lot...I mean a lot...of groaning and slow, slow body dragging that day.  You know you're doing something wrong when an old man rolls by you on the barbed wire!

There were, of course, many of the usual suspects in terms of obstacles.  Various walls to get over, including the 7' and 8' varieties.  Along with the over, under, through wall series.  And as I approached the 8' wall, Taylor Cuevas, one of the build foreman, gave a shout to the crowd from his cart to "get that guy over the wall".  Which I took exception to immediately...mostly because there was no way I could do that wall without help.  Then there were the rig and monkey bars.  Rain and mud were a factor here too...although I still wasn't ready to test my arm on those.

Then there were the cargo and vertical cargo nets...made more challenging from the mud that was on everything.  Including the climbing ropes!  I had tried out the rope climb in the festival area before heading out and felt, despite my shoulder being only about 50-60%, I could 'technique' my way up.  We'll, in spite of the fact that there was no water pit below, the ropes proved to be the new 'rig' that day.  In all the time I watched...before, during and after my race...I don't think I saw more than a handful of people make it up.  There was just no way to get a grip on the rope with all the mud on it.  Iron grip...gloves...handfuls of straw...nothing seemed to work.  Oh well...there's always next time...

All in all, I enjoyed this race and liked the rolling terrain.  Mud levels the playing field for me!  I also enjoyed running into (no pun intended) several racers I had met at the Asheville Super...Brian, Molly and Shana...still out there doing what they do.  Helping others through the course and doing something they never thought they could.  Props to you guys!!  And also seeing Heather the super-photography.  One of the best photographers you'll find out there and certainly the most enthusiastic.  And also seeing my former Spartan crew leaders Steve Oh' and Tracy.  Steve as always, roaming the course in his ATV.  Tracy, in what looked like more than half a hazmat suit...a smart move that day...was doing her thing in the festival area.  I did not envy her this day...but enjoyed running into her again.

Besides the rain, there was another water related issue that day however...the showers stopped!!  Unfortunately, so had the rain and we were covered in mud...and slogging through mud everywhere.  Not sure what the problem was exactly, but there was certainly grumbling and the feeling of "Woodstock" got much stronger looking around at mud covered people sitting in every relatively dry spot within sight.  When the water did come back on...and I'm sure it wasn't off as long as it felt to us...they went to rationing.  Sounds like that would suck, but as I thought about it, they really should institute that as a regular process for the showers.  We all have our plastic bags to carry the wet clothes in and there really is no need (guilty as charged) to clean them off at the showers. So bringing in groups of racers for 2-3 minutes of rinsing is more than enough time to get respectable...if not actually clean.  Just saying....

One more thing...which happened after the race.  In fact it happened at the campsite later that day.  Something that seems to happen more and more in my personal experience.  When I got back to my site, there were a few young guys next door.  When I asked if they minded me rinsing off my race clothes...they were within the potential splash zone...I found out that they had run the race as well.  Three college students from AL...Travis, Jacob and Kyle...two of whom had run this race for the first time.  One thing led to another and before I knew it I was treated to steak, beer, a roaring (think: thank god the woods were still wet) fire and some great company and conversation.  Mostly about obstacle course racing (OCR), different races and college football (very quietly about college football as we were surrounded by GA Bulldog flags and they had just lost!).  Just another example of the impact OCR has...both on and off the course.  A pleasure meeting them and a big thank you for sharing their dinner with me!!

Related Links:

Spartan Race Build - Atlanta 2015 - The Land of Mud…and Ants

My Journey to the Center of the (OCR) World - OCR World Championships 2015

Durhamtown Off Road Resort

Spartan Race at Asheville, NC 2015 - Race Review - Best of the Old and the New

Spartan Race Build - Atlanta 2015 - The Land of Mud…and Ants

Wintergreen, VA was the land of groundhogs…Asheville, NC was the land of giant granite quarry blocks…and apparently Union Point, GA is the land of ants!  Don’t get me wrong, the venue…Durhamtown Plantation Resort, another ATV Park…is a beautiful venue with rolling hills and lots of mud.  But there are ant hills everywhere…and not just at the venue…everywhere you drive you see these ant mounds popping up.  Thinking about it, that might also account for the giant ‘daddy long-leg’ spiders all over my tent this morning.  Since spiders eat ants…right??  Well, you need to pick up the pace a bit guys, because you are losing this battle!

"Half-dome"

I bring up the ants so that racers can be prepared with basic 'ant safety' procedures in case of accidental contact (or intentional I guess if you’re an idiot).  So, in the event that you do face-plant into an ant pile during the course of the race (or at festival after a beer of two), follow these two simple steps.  One…jump up screaming and running in circles.  This will draw attention to you and will bring medical personnel or at least other racers to help.  Except those running for time…of course.  Two…run face first into the nearest  obstacle, or tree if an obstacle is unavailable.  This will render you unconscious and, more importantly, immobile and quiet so the meds and racers can attend to your ant problem unhindered by your panic.

Now, about the build!  For anyone following the weather in this area, there has been torrential rain for about a week before I got to the venue.  Bad news for everyone having to work it before I got there.  Even those of us coming in Wednesday were still greeted by the leftover mud…everywhere.  Just getting into the parking lot was a challenge in off-road driving…forget the volunteer tent.  It was going to be long day!

This particular build day was spent again in the festival area.  I’m not sure what sort of  attendance they’re expecting, but these festival areas just keep getting bigger and bigger.  Great for letting a crowd spread out a bit, not getting that claustrophobic or overcrowded feeling that might cause people to leave prematurely.  But not so great when you have to walk from end to end…seemingly all day.  I can’t be sure, but I believe they arrange for the materials we need to be dropped at the furthest point from where they need to be used.  Never mind the trucks…we’ve got volunteers to move it”.

We moved barricades and fences all over that place!   And I swear, the festival area must be at least 150 yards long…and we walked it endlessly.  We moved and put up barricade banners.  And we even set up the bag check area…again!  I must have ‘Bag Check Installer” on my forehead.  This is the fourth one I’ve set up and each one was different.  Who’d have thought  One thing though, I am now fully qualified to set up bag check on any venue…anywhere…let the phone calls begin!  And with all that barricade and fence moving, grip strength workout for the week (month?!)…done.

Thankfully, we had a nice size group of volunteers!!  As always, meeting and working with the other volunteers/racers is always a highlight.  John, Michael, Kevin…just to name a few.  And there were some newbies there too.  Of course, all the veterans offered their advice on prepping and helpful hints for racing, along with a rundown on the course and obstacles.  I’m not sure why, but those newbies may not be back Saturday….go figure.  And Chanel….after mulling it over, I don’t think you made a bad decision for the course.  In fact, I’m pretty sure you were set up.  They knew you would have to choose the tougher option (after all you are a Spartan!) and even if you hadn’t, they would have anyway.  See all (or most) of you guys on Saturday!

Which brings me to another thing I’ve noticed during my OCR travels.  Spartan Race (SR) volunteer crews are usually larger than most of the other races’ entire build crews!  This came in handy too, because we also ended up moving some tents.  And I don’t mean some 10x10 pop ups…I’m talking about the big ones, the 20x20 big-top monsters!  3” posts you can barely grab…and only one person can get each leg, as you stumble through the mud and dried out ruts to get it in just the right spot.  Then swinging that sledge to re-stake the tent?…that would have been a video worth watching…twice.  Luckily, we did all this late in the afternoon when we were pretty much shot already. 

Last…but definitely not least…I wanted to mention the Spartan crew leaders.  Seeing some of the crew from previous builds was great….Steve Oh’ (and hey, thanks for the sweet tea!), Drew, Taylor.  Wednesday though, I got to work with two different crew leaders.  Tracy Thayer was our initial leader and we worked with her for most of the day.  It takes special people to be able to work someone’s ass off, and still keep things from becoming oppressive.  Tracy is certainly one of those few and we were very fortunate to work with her!

So is Henry, the other crew leader we worked with that day.  Apparently we must have worked together at the Spartan Race demo in Times Square back in 2013.  Also, apparently, Henry is an aspiring stunt driver and feels four wheels is an extravagance and two is more than enough for driving in mud.  Although, to be perfectly clear, his driving with ‘us volunteers’ was utterly safe!

Even though I didn’t make it out to most of the course, from all reports it will be a good one.  The terrain is rolling hills, so it should not be the killer some other SR courses have been lately.  But there is a wild card in there.  Weather reports indicate a good chance of rain Saturday.  Given that…and the fact that the mud has barely dried from the last storm...if it rains, this is going to be another total mud-fest.  Call it Savage Atlanta Fall 2015 II….except it will be even worse, because it will be another three miles of mud and obstacles.  Oh joy…..

See you all there on Saturday!!!

Back To The Basics - Building a Savage Race - Atlanta 2015

I suppose I should have been expecting the unexpected.  But having worked on a half dozen race builds already, it seemed that a Savage Race build would be just another variation on the theme.  Obviously, that was not the case!  Savage Race has been recognized by Inc Magazine as one of the top 500 fastest growing private companies in the U.S.  Savage Race also has a more modest expansion plan than many other race promoters and that is an indication of how they do run this company as a business...with a different focus than you may see elsewhere.

Several things jumped out at me during the build days.  One of the first and most surprising differences from any other race is that Savage builds certain of their largest obstacles to remain on the venue's site permanently!!  Other than fixed venue courses like Shale Hill in VT, Savage is the only major race promoter that does this as far as I'm aware.  Most of these obstacle are wooden too, where the other big promoters have been going to lighter weight metal structures where possible.  As with anything, there are great benefits and great disadvantages of this methodology.

The pros:  Decreased time in building or setting up the obstacles.  Reduced transportation costs...Savage only has one storage trailer to ship to each race venue as of now.  Reduced building and manpower costs as the obstacles do not have to be designed for dis-assembly. 

The cons:  Obstacles must be protected and possibly repaired or restored due to weather.  For new venues, they must completely rebuild each of those permanent obstacles...at a significant cost in time and material.  New venues may not allow these to remain permanently as more races vie for use of a limited resource...meaning practical race course sites.  Limited ability to create truly new/unknown courses since they have to incorporate the fixed obstacle placements.

They also run the risk of 'playing out' a venue...one of the issues that I feel is going to be more prevalent in the future.  Obstacle course racing (OCR) is only 5 years young.  With so many race options, particularly in the Atlanta area, races may suffer from stagnation or racer boredom with the 'same old venue' each year...no matter how nice it is.  Particularly in the case of the Atlanta venue, where they run both a Spring and Fall race.

Savage Race was also notable in the fact that they have a much smaller build crew.  Partially, I'm sure, from the fact that they have permanent obstacles.  They also have all the tents and barricades setup through the rental companies.  Again, saving on both the build crew size and shipping costs between venues.  And from what I gathered, this is a family and friends crew that works all the events.*  However, it's efficient and extremely cost conscious...'glitz' is certainly not on the menu.  It has the feel of what it must be like on many of the smaller OCR promoter builds.  But make no mistake...Savage intends to put on a big-time performance and crew members like Gary, Bo and Sean are intent on that happening!  And should I mention their unique ATV trail marking technique?!  No...probably not...but it was different!!

One similarity, Savage does rely on volunteers to come in during the build week too.  Although, as you might expect, the number needed appears to be much smaller than the larger competitors.  They were however, very appreciative of the volunteers and went out of their way to make sure we knew that.

What was also a bit different was the apparent familiarity of the volunteers when it came to other races.  On my previous builds, most of them seemed to be the hard-core Mudder, Spartan or BattleFrog athlete, with little experience outside those races.  Here at the Savage build it seemed to be just the opposite.  The volunteers I met...Chanel and Mike...were very well versed on the other races.  

That may be another challenge for Savage in the future as well.  I didn't see the racer fanaticism/loyalty here as with the other builds.  And they don't have a Savage Pro team.  Whatever the reason, it is doubtless an intentional part of their business plan.  In the end, the race will be the test.  I was looking forward to that with great anticipation as this is...obviously...my first Savage race.

* An interesting side note...as fate would have it, I got to meet and work with Garfield Griffiths on the Savage kid's course.  Ok, actually I was told I could go home a little early Thursday afternoon but convinced them to let me "see if those guys over there needed any help".  I'd heard that he was working on the kid's course and I wanted to meet him.  Garfield is the course designer for the Obstacle Course Racing World Championship {OCRWC} and happened to see him that morning on Matt B. Davis' Obstacle Racing Media {ORM} podcast...file this under 'small world'.

Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) Adventure 2015....continued....

It's hard to believe that the Summer of OCR ended only a few weeks ago.  Even harder to believe that it was only six weeks long.  Seemed a lot longer!  So many things happened during those weeks and it was a whirlwind of traveling, course building and racing.  As with anything I do, I always try to learn from the experience to make the next time even better...it's an engineer thing I guess...just have to try and improve everything!

The first thing I found was that a race each week was a grueling schedule.  Not just the fact that between traveling to the next event, working the builds and then racing, there was almost no time to write!!  Add on to that injuries...illness...general wear and tear...no recuperation time/rest/training time and I suddenly had a whole new appreciation for professional athletes.  And props to the elite racers who go at this regularly...even doing multiple laps or back to back days of racing.  Obviously I'm still doing something seriously wrong, besides just being old!

Compounding that, most of the places I camped had no Internet service or very limited service.  One didn't even have cell service.  Hence, every week seemed to put me more in the hole with my writing as well as normal communications.  And just staying on top of OCR activity proved to be difficult.

What I did want to continue was the incredible experience of meeting so many different people and having some truly life changing experiences.  Nor did I want to lose the insights and 'schooling' I was getting on what it really takes to put on a worthwhile OCR event.  Anyone can slap a few obstacles together, mark a trail and charge a lot of money to get in.  But it takes special people to make it exciting, challenging...and safe at the same time.  Meeting and working with these people...that is my mission!!

My initial plans had been to head out west for the Spartan Race World Championship, along with the World's Toughest Mudder and several other Spartan races and Tough Mudders.  In the end though, I had to ratchet that back a bit and stay on the east coast.  Nagging injuries, the final stages of 'swamp fever' and unexpectedly (but not surprisingly) having to give up my place all contributed to the decision.  Gives a whole new meaning to the lyrics from that old Janis Joplin song..."freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose".  But I digress...

So, my new plans will be concentrated in the greater Atlanta and Nashville areas for a couple of Spartans, another BattleFrog and my first Savage Race.  With the scheduling of these races I was also able to not only space them out every other week, but because of this generally centralized area, I'm able to stay in a 'normal' house during the off weeks...yeehaa!!  Provided of course that I behave myself....no promises there but I'll do my best.

After these I should be heading back towards Florida again for a few more races...where the weather should be more conductive to OCR'ing than skiing.  Then...well...who knows exactly.  One thing for certain...in the coming weeks and months there will be change...the one constant in this universe!!  That should make for some interesting reading I'm sure....to be continued...

Summer of OCR Review 2015 - Spartan Race, Tough Mudder and BattleFrog

Race schedule

Spartan Race and OCR Back on TV - Here We Go Again....Again...

Being on the obstacle course racing (OCR) circuit the end of this summer (Summer of OCR) and without Internet for much of the time, I seem to have missed this announcement! (PRESS RELEASE: CASTING BEGINS FOR NEW NBC COMPETITION SERIES ‘SPARTAN RACE’).  I did know something was happening since I had received two invitations from one of the show's producers to apply...one after I had already (politely of course) declined.

It's obvious that both NBC Sports and Spartan Race believe that these races can be transformed somehow into good TV.  And no doubt this is an important part of the growth plan for Spartan.  Personally, the only successful TV programming I've seen is the recent BattleFrog College Championship.  NBC Sports recently aired the latest Spartan Races produced in 2015, along with one from 2014.

Again, I have to remind everyone (before the hate mail begins), I love OCR and I'm waiting...and waiting...and waiting...for the time when we can actually watch these races in real time, but the 2015 versions of Spartan races were only marginally more entertaining than the initial TV offering Obstacle Course Racing on TV...well, it's a start!.  Maybe it's me, but the NBC shows completely fail to convey any sense of the excitement of doing an OCR race or even some real drama of the race itself.

While I don't pretend to have the answers, I'm hoping that the producers can come up with something better than what we've been subjected to so far.  Or maybe I've missed the point altogether and what the masses do want are more off-the-course drama and tidbits of the racers thoughts about what was going on during their run.  It seems though that before you care about the behind-the-scenes 'fluff', you have to care about the race and the racers.

Which brings me to the next point.  Are they still trying to build an audience without a following?  (The Present and Future of Obstacle Course Racing...and other secrets of the universe (Part one). Right now, the only people that are likely to be interested in OCR TV are the racers themselves.  Well, that and their families I suppose.  And that's fine...in the sense that you have to start somewhere.  But what about an audience outside that group?

Not everyone that watches NASCAR races a car themselves.  The same can be said for any other professional sport.  The major difference is...you can go watch them in person!  Of course, you can go watch an OCR event too.  But to watch even a relatively small part of any race you need to be in reasonably decent shape and willing to hike around the venue a bit.  Most people aren't really all that into it enough to do that.  Not yet anyway.

However, that leads us to the next seeming 'obstacle' to building a solid fan base.  At most races, spectators are charged just come in to watch!  Ok, now I get that most professional sports do charge to get in.   But they have a product that people want and are willing to pay for.  OCR is still at a point in it's development where it should be doing anything it can to get feet on the ground at the events [note to self: the Olympics don't care about federations and committees...they care about who's going to watch!!].  It also seems that the more people you have at the event, the more merchandise and food sales you'll have...in addition to the basic goal of building some real fan interest.  Although, to be honest, even being on site there is no practical way to watch the race, nor does there seem to be a general desire to watch anyone other than that family member or friend that's racing.

I do realize of course that there may be more practical reasons behind the decision to, in effect, keep the number of spectators low.  Available parking space at events is generally an issue and actual festival space at the venues is, in all likelihood, inadequate to accommodate any significant increase in the number of people.  

It will be very interesting to see how they do end up developing this show.  I'm still hopeful they will concentrate more this time on the actual racing.  Unfortunately, history would indicate that someone, somewhere along the line, wants this to be more reality TV instead.  Well, hope springs eternal...and in the meantime, I'll still go out and enjoy the races themselves!!

What do you think about OCR on TV?

Joe De Sena Speaks Out On the 2015 Killington Race

Whether you like what he says or not....whether you agree with what he says or not...(see 'Spartan Up – Podcast Review (and why Joe De Sena is wrong about grit & resilience' - Solo), I have always found that Joe De Sena always tells it straight.  Even from the very beginning.  When I called him out after my first Spartan Race at Tuxedo in 2011 regarding their statement that 99% of racers finished.  The response (which at the time always came from the top echelon of Spartan) was roughly - hey, if we told people the truth - 67% finished - they wouldn't try it.  True enough, for me certainly, and I would have missed out on one of the greatest things that I have experienced in my life.

Since then, Joe has spoken out (publicly) only on his other projects and has rarely responded as he did here (What We Learned From Killington: A Message From Joe) on a particular race or issue.  So when he does, you know that it's a serious issue and that Spartan race is treating it as such.  

At this stage in their development (hard to believe it's only been five years!), Spartan Race has likely become a victim of it's own success.  There is a limit to how many things you can do at once...or at least how many things you can do well at once.  They are apparently geared, with their crews and obstacle inventory, to put on two races a week at different venues.  And while you can never please everyone, racers have to come to expect certain things at whatever venue they choose and in many minds, that was not delivered at Killington.

You also can not hold on to the past...however recent that past may be.  Killington is not the Spartan World Championship Race any longer.  But people certainly had expectations that they would be treated to a true championship level course and event.  Calling it a Founder's Race and omitting the obstacles that racers have come to expect (and feel they have paid for) just doesn't wash...nor should it!  It was a rare miscalculation on their part and most likely the reason for the quick and deliberate response from Joe.

Will these issues be resolved?  Absolutely.  The question really is, why did most of these happen to begin with.  Spartan Race puts on so many events now, that they have systematized most of the process (and become a bit more corporate as well I suppose...inevitable).  So when relatively basic problems arise, you have to wonder if they stretched themselves a bit too thin, trying to hang on to this once iconic Spartan venue at Killington, at the resulting expense of quality.  Only they know the answer to this at the moment.  But as a company grows, the direct involvement of it's leaders...those with the initial vision...becomes less and less.  A normal growing pain in any business and one that Spartan must address.

The sport of obstacle course racing (OCR) is still evolving....very quickly.  This will be another learning experience for Spartan Race and isn't likely to have a significant, long-term impact in itself.  However, the world of OCR is become more crowded with race competitors.  And racers, while not only having more choices, are becoming more knowledgeable and discriminating about where they spend their money.  Not to mention the growing divide between the racing preferences of elite, journeyman and first-time racers.  Niches that someone will fill!  The world never stays simple for long and OCR is no exception.  Expect 2016 to be another year of change...and for the most part, change is good!

How was your Killington Experience?

Summer of OCR Review 2015 - Spartan Race, Tough Mudder and BattleFrog

For almost two months this summer I traveled the east coast, from Massachusetts to North Carolina.  Volunteering at obstacle course racing (OCR) builds, marshaling races and running the courses at Spartan Race, Tough Mudder and BattleFrog Series.  The stories below are just a sample of my experiences at these races.  The individual stories are seemingly endless and very often inspirational.  I hope you find as much enjoyment reading and sharing these stories as I did.

Summer of OCR....Part 1...?

The People Behind the OCR Events

BattleFrog Race at Barre, MA.....Race Review

Volunteering at Tough Mudder

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

Volunteering at BattleFrog - Pittsburgh, PA

Sometimes Being a Smartass Can Lead to an Extraordinary OCR Experience - BattleFrog at Pittsburgh 2015

Knowing When NOT To Play With Pain

Mud-Stock Long Island…Tough Mudder Comes to Town

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

Long Overdue Return to Spartan Race - Build at Wintergreen Super, VA

Spartan Race – Wintergreen 2015 Difficulty Does Not Disappoint…and yet…

Spartan Race Build at Asheville 2015 - I Finally Get to Build Some S**t

Spartan Race at Asheville, NC 2015 - Race Review - Best of the Old and the New

I'll be heading back out on the road this coming week for races in the greater Atlanta/Nashville areas, then back down to sunny FLA.  I look forward to even more OCR excitement as I experience my first Savage Race along with several more Spartan and BattleFrog events.  Mostly though, I look forward to the people I will meet and the new stories I will hear.  So many stories to tell....I wish I could write about each one!

If you or your team have a story to tell, share it here!

Spartan Race at Asheville, NC 2015 - Race Review - Best of the Old and the New

For those of you who've been following my writing for any length of time, you're well aware of my thoughts concerning the growing difficulty of Spartan Race (SR) events.  So I wanted to jump right out now and say I was thrilled with this course.  Without a doubt, this was one of the best SR courses I've been on...period!  Running through a working quarry on Black Mountain in Asheville, NC, this race had the perfect combination of length and climbing challenge to make you feel the accomplishment of finishing without the brutality that seems so common lately.

This may seem odd to anyone that has read the previous posts about the Wintergreen race or even the Asheville build, coming into the race injured.  And it's even strange to hear myself say it, since I couldn't even actually run the course.  I had to 'force' myself at times but I walked the entire course....and that's really the point.  Finishing a course in  my condition and still feeling good about it...well, that's why I do obstacle course racing (OCR) in the first place!  And it was everything I've come to love (and hate while I'm doing it) about SR (by the way, despite anything else I may say, there was nothing easy about the race in total).

During the build, the course designer told me there was only one long, grueling climb on the course, and it was absolutely true.  All the rest of the climbs were tough but manageable.  Even the log carry, the sandbag carry (dare I admit, after all my ranting, I found both almost too easy), the sled drag and the water obstacles were challenging without being over the top.  Of course the climb over the A-frame cargo net with the view of the quarry below was worth the price of admission.

One of the other things I've always tried to remember, and has proven true time and again on OCR, is that you're never too old to change or learn something new about yourself. Going back to my beginnings in OCR, and probably in life, I tend to take things seriously (put a 'too' in there for anyone that knows me personally).  In my old incarnation, I never felt that people wearing costumes during a race were doing OCR justice.  Having said that, it shouldn't come as a surprise then that I found myself running this course with a guy dressed in a red and black striped shirt and wearing a black derby hat.

A few minutes into the race, I noticed a guy passing me, Sean, that I had worked and become friends with on the obstacle builds during the week.  He was running with a group of his friends (including Bryan...aka B) the derby guy.  Along with Bryan there was Molly and Lisa, and Shana, who may also have joined the group during the race...parts of these races tend to blur together for me.

The focus of this team wasn't as much to push for time, but to make sure all the team got through every obstacle...and also made an effort to get as many other racers that needed help through as well.  I think the realization that nothing I could do that day was going to get me a decent time, and still fearing that I may not be able to finish at all, it allowed me to relax into that same mode of just enjoying the company of my adopted teammates and helping everyone through that I could.  Needless to say, each of these team members had their own story to tell, and it still amazes me how many unique and special stories there are.

Sometimes, even my help was limited by my injuries but this reminded me very much of the BattleFrog race in Pittsburgh, an experience that will always be a treasured memory of what OCR can really be about...maybe the most important thing OCR is really about.  Although limited, I managed to do most everything except the overhead obstacles (using the women's 'weights' though since I only had one good arm).  I did manage the legit male tire flip when the volunteer jokingly challenged me...yeah, there's a bit of type-A in me somewhere.  About six miles in though, I realized I was starting to fade.  So I told my team I was going ahead and would wait at the obstacles as long as I could...but I was in real danger now of not being able to finish and that was unthinkable after all the pain and effort to get this far.

Moving ahead through the log carry, the dunk wall and then posting up at the rope climb for a bit (one armed, legless rope climbs are above my pay grade at the moment).  Still not seeing my team coming, I moved on to the slip wall...contemplating for a while whether to give it a go or not.  After all, this was the type of obstacle that blew out my shoulder to start with.  When suddenly, I saw a group trying to help a woman make that last transition at the top.  I could see though that she needed someone behind her or her feet would slide.  Before I knew it, I was up the rope and planting my foot behind hers just as she fell.  But she got up, made it over and I had that great feeling when you know you made a difference in someones race.

However, since no good deed goes unpunished, I knew my tank was all but empty, so I moved on to yet another surprise...a little Spartan twist at the end.  After the rope climb and slip wall, when it looked as if you had a straight run to the finish, you ran smack into a second barb wire crawl and then a wade through a channel of...well, I don't even want to think about what was in there.  This being until recently a cow pasture and all.  Before I hit that wading channel I finally saw my team coming down past the dunk wall.  So back to the slip wall to meet up again and help several more people over.  At a cost though...at that point I may have spent all the reserves I had left.  I barely made it over the top of the wall that last time.  Exertion I never quite recovered from that afternoon....but that's a whole other post...

In the end, stumbling across the finish line (but managing a photo op with my team of course!) then through the festival, I had nothing but good feelings about the day.  SR wasn't going to abandon me to races I wouldn't enjoy doing.  And I realized just how much I enjoyed racing with a team and offering help to other racers...whether physically or just some encouraging words.  It was a continuation of this new focus for me in OCR.  So now, while still desiring to see what I can do personally on any given course, I have to find a way to run for time and for pleasure....together....without killing myself in the process if possible....

Spartan Race Build at Asheville 2015 - I Finally Get to Build Some S**t

The inaugural Spartan Race (SR) at Asheville, NC was the final venue for my Summer of OCR series.  So regardless of the wear and tear from the last five weeks, the nagging and new injuries, I wanted to make the best of this opportunity.  Not to mention that having lived not too far from here, this race has been on my wish list since they announced the possibility two years ago.

There was another reason I wanted to not only volunteer during the week for this race, but also do it.  That was to be able to compare this to the previous week's Super Spartan at Wintergreen.  One race doesn't make a pattern and to see if there was a consistent attempt to make these courses as brutal as possible, I would have to be on it.  Not that I would have missed it for any reason, but self-preservation and the feeling that it was just plain stupid to risk making a serious injury worse...but that's a whole other story.

But I digress!  This would be my final build of this series...and maybe the last for a while, depending on how my plans played out in the coming weeks.  So, based on the other builds I'd been on, I fully expected to be working on start and finish corrals, festival tents, etc, etc.  The only problem...I wasn't 'picked'!  Meaning the Spartan crews picked everyone else first.  Well...I guess I couldn't exactly be surprised at that.

Then a funny thing happened...a build crew rolled in looking for some help.  Seeing that I was all that was left, this might be my big chance after all.  Being an engineer and former carpenter in another life, and of reasonable size for this sort of work, naturally they looked around for more choices.  Finally, seeing that no other volunteers were showing up, they asked if I was up for some build work!  So, knowing that my shoulder was still not 100% and that my leg injury from Wintergreen would further limit my mobility, I answered immediately..."Hell yeah!"

Like all the other builds I've worked on, I got to work with some great supervisors.  Drew and Steve 'Oh...not to mention some great people like Carl and Sean.  Mostly hired crew as they tend not to use volunteers on the actual build side very often.  So we set off up the mountain and I got my first look at the venue...which happened to be in a working rock quarry too...just one more perk for me.  

One of the things I've noticed on all the builds along the way, and certainly on the Spartan builds, was the way things had changed in just the last two years.  Equipment and parts were now packed in huge plastic containers and dropped at each obstacle location.  And for the Spartan Race at least, obstacles like the Herc-hoist, A-frame cargo net and rig were now made from light-weight metal truss systems, making them safer as well as easier to put up at each new race.

So the morning was spent working on the Herc-hoist, getting a chance to see what goes into these new (to me) construction techniques.  It was like a slice of heaven working on this...did I mention I just love building shit?!...other than the heat and dust and the fact that we had thousands of pounds of metal floating over our heads all morning.  But in the end, we had that obstacle built and I worked with Drew most of the afternoon on getting the bracing and fencing up to finish it off for inspection.

Then finally, we got to move up the mountain a bit to the quarry pit...where they placed the A-frame cargo net.  Poised on the lip of the quarry wall along the road at the top.  Just an absolutely spectacular location with a truly special view of the quarry floor far below.  During the race itself...with the sled drag on the quarry floor...and lines of Spartans everywhere, it reminded me of a scene out of an old movie depicting the building of the pyramids...just awesome!  

Fortunately I was asked back the next day to work with these guys again, because we didn't get the cargo net up the day before and I really wanted that.  Not only to work on it, but to get a chance to climb up there when it was complete...while the build was still in it's pristine state.  And the work on that net gave me my next surprise...just how much time some of these obstacles take to get right...something we as racers don't always appreciate.  It took four of us, working most of the morning just to get all the straps and each carabiner just right.  There guys have infinite patience and pride in what they do!  (and btw, one carabiner managed to stay clipped to my belt that day...but was carried through five miles of the course and returned race day to Steve...at the cargo net of course!)

Finally, that afternoon, I worked with Steve on the rig installation.  Funny how un-intimidating it looks just laying there on the ground. I have to say, working with Steve was one of the most enjoyable experiences of the entire trip.  SR really sees their volunteers as more of an asset on their builds and expects more from them in the course of things.  But while he did have those same high expectations, Steve also had the patience to answer any questions I had to make sure everything went smoothly and safely.

Harness Safety Lesson

Of course during the build, there are always opportunities to talk to some of the other volunteers and staff.  In this case, it was mostly for a few minutes at lunch, where I got to talking to this guy about the race itself...and whether it was a good idea for me to go out Saturday.  At first I thought he was in charge of some part of this organized chaos.  Eventually though, I found out he was Taylor Cuevas...death racer and winner of the 2015 Mexico Death Race.  Asking him whether I should try to race, in my now even more deteriorated condition, was like asking a lion if it's a good day to hunt.  He did agree though to take me down off the mountain with his cart if I couldn't finish.  Looking back later on of course, that was never going to happen....I mean, admitting to anyone, let alone a death racer, that you just couldn't handle it...no, not gonna happen.

At the end of the day I even had an opportunity to ask the man that designed and marked the course itself (was I really looking for someone to talk me out of this??!!).  What he said was that, while he didn't know anything personally about the Wintergreen course, this course in Asheville, while tough, only had one seriously long climb and that I should go for it.  Honestly, I had no idea whether he was being straight with me or joking.  Or whether his idea of not-too-bad would kill me.  So, I still had another 24 hours to make the final call.  This was the last race though and somehow, I don't think there was ever really any doubt....

Spartan Race – Wintergreen 2015 Difficulty Does Not Disappoint…and yet…

This is the first Spartan Race (SR) I’ve run since the Tuxedo 2014 Sprint.  So I was very interested to see what was in store…knowing how challenging the terrain would be and how much SR likes to magnify the difficulty in their races.  And I was not disappointed in this respect.

Having injured my shoulder three weeks previously at a Tough Mudder (TM), I would be "running" for the third week with my arm in a sling.  So right off I knew there would be obstacles I couldn’t do…and shouldn’t attempt!!  (My arm was better than I had any right to expect and I really did want to keep it that way)  Having said that, I also expected the tortuous climbs SR is so well known for, and was not disappointed there either.  There were a number of long, brutal open climbs, as well as a few more technical trail climbs and descents...which for some reason I don't mind as much as the open climbs.  Interestingly, the worst climbs were more toward the middle of the course...unless I've blocked some from memory already...which is absolutely possible!

In addition to the climbs, there were the usual obstacles along the way:  the rope climb, monkey bars (with the new saw-tooth configuration), barbed wire crawl, a pair of cargo net climbs and numerous walls to climb, go under and through...along with a number of other standards like the herc-hoist, sandbag carry and sled drag.  They also had a ring traverse and the dreaded rig...my first time seeing both.  

Then there was the tyro traverse, which I was working hard on trying to figure out a way to do with one arm, since it didn't involve water this race...really wanted to do that one somehow, among a number of others.  But one obstacle I did not have any thoughts of doing (outside the obvious ones) was the log hurdle...which I renamed the crotch-buster.  No matter how much help I had or how I figured it, the only way I could get over that was to either face plant on the edge of those beams or crush some very dear friends of mine....pass.

I was reminded during the long climbs of the Vermont Beast in 2013 and a little of the 2013 Palmerton race, even though that was a "only" a sprint.  And I flashed back to the same question about who they were building these courses for.  Coincidentally, I was also intrigued to see this article by David Hellard on the Inov site, echoing some of the same concerns over the growing course difficulty levels.

Don't get me wrong, I understand the challenge for SR to provide a course that will test the elites and the "journeymen" racer and still provide a course that a first-timer can finish.  In all likelihood though, that may be an impossible thing to do.  At some point, they will have to start making a consistent effort in one direction or the other.  Personally, I do want a course that will test my limits, just not push me past my physical limits the way this one did.  Something I am still paying for physically weeks later.  However, in talking with and reading comments by elite level racers, some of those are saying it was too easy (compared to the prior year), while others looked at the climbs as something they would need to train more on.

This was also another course where cramping seemed to be rampant.  Although this wasn't a course that was particularly longer than some others I've done, it was unique in the sense that there was nothing offered on the course other than water, until the very last water station.  Much too late for most of those people.  I suppose this goes along with the SR toughness mentality, but only if you don't take into account the new or novice racer.  They're just not accustomed to this nor are they prepared for it physically or in their own race preparation plans.

So in the end I'm still not sure how I feel about this course.  And it really centers on what I believe is an unnecessary level of brutality added to a course that was already difficult and challenging.  I am happy to have finished, but I didn't, and still don't, have that sense of accomplishment I had from the Vermont Beast, or any of the other difficult courses I've done.  

It feels more like a sense of surviving an event.  Surviving an event that you don't really want to experience again.  That doesn't make me happy, and I would expect that it shouldn't make SR happy either.  People don't spend their time...and more importantly their money...on experiences that don't leave them with an overall sense of satisfaction.  Then again, my view of OCR has shifted recently to enjoying the racers I come to meet along the way, not just the race...and that was a big win here with these guys!

What was your experience at Wintergreen?

How do you rate the difficulty level of the SR courses?