Savage Race Atlanta - Fall 2015 - Slogging Thru Mud!! - Race Review

Rain...rain...and more rain.  That's all it did from the last time I was on the course Thursday evening until I returned.  When I left, it was a dry, dusty, practically completed obstacle course.  When I arrived back Saturday morning, it was still raining and if there was anything still dry, it was kept well hidden.  But there was a Savage Race course waiting to be tested...and I couldn't wait!  Let it be known now though...this was going to be a mud run of epic proportions!!

Knowing how the weather was supposed to go, I actually agonized over whether trying to run this race was going to work out well.  Not that I was worried about getting wet...I mean, it's a mud run after all...duh!  But I was tent camping as usual and I just wasn't sure about the logistics of 'getting wet'.  I wasn't sure about being able to keep my dry change of clothes dry until the end of the race.  In the back of my mind though, I don't think there was ever really a doubt.  I was there to run (and write about!) my first Savage Race...and nothing was going to stop that.

The Savage Race did not disappoint!!  I found the 5-1/2 mile rolling terrain and well spaced obstacles to be another perfect course for me.  Enough of a challenge to know you'd been pushed, but not so much that you worried about injury or excessive wear and tear.  Although again, because of my shoulder injury, I was forced to pass on several of the overhead obstacles, there was still plenty to make sure you worked for that medal.  And today, with rain still coming down at the start, this course was the muddiest I'd seen yet and everything...everything...was tougher in that mud.  Every climb and every descent became nothing less than a slick mud slip-and-slide.

Of course they had their iconic obstacles, Colossus, Wheel World and Sawtooth...none of which I could do...after all, it was Everest at Tough Mudder that did in my arm just weeks before.  And that was disappointing, because I was looking forward to testing myself on those, particularly Sawtooth...although I did climb Colossus to do the slide...I mean, of course!  There were also a number of barbed wire crawls...challenging in themselves but again, made even tougher in the boggy mud.  

There was also an obstacle I hadn't seen before, the Teeter Tuber...a 20' tube, 24' across and balanced in the middle.  You had to crawl through, pulling yourself up with a rope until it tipped over and you slide out.  So...so...so much tougher with the inside and rope completely glazed over with mud.  Luckily, I had forgotten to put my gloves on for the rope...that was one hard, and fun, obstacle.  

Then they had a number of walls to jump, as well as a mud pit with an inverted wall at each end...interesting combo!  Their versions of the block drag and 'log' carry.  Challenging but not overly brutal.  They also threw in an inverted, transverse wall which was another intimidating obstacle...like climbing underneath a rock overhang.  Needless to say I would be dead or hanging from the lifeline if that were real!

What did surprise me a bit were the number of obstacles either involving water or where falling into water was the penalty.  Davey Jones Locker was the most spectacular, a 15' high jump into the deep pool below.  More than a few people were very intimidated on this one.  The Nutt Smasher (balance beam), Wheel World, Pipe Dreams and Sawtooth were all attempted over water.  Besides the dunk walls, they also had the Savage version of an ice bath...never one of my favorites personally.  Possibly the most feared obstacle on the course, believe it or not...if you listened to the comments of racers!

With all those water obstacles, Savage Race clearly made safety a crucial issue and their efforts clearly showed at Davey Jones, the water jump.  The obstacle was well manned with safety personnel and it was quite obvious that they the entire crew was trained to properly control and coordinate the racers jumping in.  Nice change from some of the more haphazard safety issues that can occur at races.

Another area I was pleasantly surprised at...the photos.  Not only were there plenty of photos available, but unlike most other races they were much easier to find.  There's nothing quite as frustrating for racers than to wait days for the photos to come out, spend hours weeding through them, just to find out that they somehow missed you at that obstacle.  I've said it before, someone is going to make a mint if they come up with a perfect way for racers to find photos!  But the Savage Race photo search is the best I've used so far.

I'm not sure when my schedule will allow me to do another Savage Race, but I am already looking forward to it!  Maybe next time though, it will be a little drier, so the only mud we have to deal with is where they make it.  But then again, getting muddy is just one of the perks...

Related posts:

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

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

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 – 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?

 

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!

 

Mud-Stock Long Island…Tough Mudder Comes to Town

In this age of the Internet, it seems unlikely that a venue would not look into a company before agreeing to allow them to use their site for an obstacle course race (OCR).  However, it seems that (for the second straight week actually) at least someone on the venue side apparently didn’t quite know what they were getting into.

The Old Bethpage Restoration Village on Long Island, NY was the site for the first Long Island Tough Mudder (TM).  I kept getting this feeling of what it must have been like to the folks of Woodstock, NY back in 1969 when they were inundated with hundreds of thousands of people.  Obviously Tough Mudder wasn’t attracting anywhere near that many, but there were definitely signs that the locals were not even expecting the thousands of racers and spectators that were sure to come.

During the build week, the Restoration Museum…located in the heart of the festival build area…was open!  Employees dressed in their era costumes showed up in the morning for ‘work as usual’.  Except most of the parking was cordoned off and what was left was all but filled.  Later that morning, people showed up…many with kids in tow…coming to see the Museum and Restoration buildings.  Dodging work carts and lift equipment, and often wandering into the TM base camp.  Not really a safe place for a two year old.  In fact not really safe for anyone not focused on the work going on all around them.

Then there were the demonstrators that showed up early in the week to protest the use of the facility for this event.  They were concerned about the ‘hundreds’ of people that would potentially be 'running amok' among their beautiful restored buildings, gardens and fields.

Hundreds??!…..hundreds per heat maybe…try thousands.  Again, none of these people really had any notion what was about to be unleashed on Old Bethpage!  On the other hand, they also had no notion of who the racers are either.  OCR is not a poor man’s sport.  For most of the bigger name events, costs will run in the neighborhood of $150 and up, once you factor in a full price race entry, parking, travel…never mind food, drink and race gear!

When I explained this to one of the County people at the race Saturday, I think it opened his mind to the fact that they probably didn’t need all the ‘guards’ posted at ever building and garden along the route.  No one was interested in shaking loose a doorknob to carry home (apparently a major concern) or trampling their fields.  They were there to run the course and spend the rest of their time in the festival area.  Eating, drinking and reliving the day's triumphs…and maybe some not-so-triumphant moments.

What the locals also don’t know is that, from my own experience anyway, promoters like Tough Mudder, Spartan Race and BattleFrog are very concerned about how they leave a venue.  They take great care to put things back the way they found them…race wear and tear not withstanding.  And if the event has been successful, they would want to be welcomed back in the future.  You don’t do that by burning your bridges....and the smart/professional promoters know that.

In more rural settings, where other similar type events go on regularly, I expect it will be business as usual.  For the more urban, and particularly suburban, settings I would expect to see these OCR events continue to attempt expansion.  Long Island is a great example of an under (read: non) served OCR community where you always have to travel for any event (trust me on this one....I lived there during my first few years of OCR life).

Yet there are tens of thousands of active racers on the Island and as many potential racers who would race, but not if it means 3-4 hours of travel.  On the other side, while there is lucrative money to be made by the venues, local (and mostly unwarranted) fears of being overrun by racers may scare them into passing on the race promoters' offers.  Most likely though, as more positive experiences come to pass, we will likely see more of these suburban venues hosting races.  Which means more OCR races...access for even more OCR racers...and increased local revenues.  A win-win-win....not a bad thing at all!

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

To paraphrase an old Jim Croce song:

You don't tug on Superman's cape

You don't spit into the wind

You don't pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger

And you don't mess around with Pain

So, I've never been particularly good at NOT doing any of these things.  The Pain here, aka Dewayne Montgomery, is Coach Pain...the exceptional motivator for BattleFrog Series and one of my personal favorites at the OCR (obstacle course racing) start lines. Bear in mind then, if you're messing with the man who's the Voice of BattleFrog, a Navy Seal inspired OCR race, be prepared to pay the price for your insolence.

Let me go back briefly to the beginning.  At the Tough Mudder in Western, NY, I injured my shoulder.  Now the smart thing to do would have been to settle for a couple of great days volunteering, a morning of Elite Marshaling and move on.  But I had heard from one of the volunteers during the week about the mines...and I really wanted/needed to see the course as well.  Well, I did mention my capacity for 'smartness' earlier, didn't I?

After a bit of last minute waffling after the volunteering, I was set on getting out there....arm sling and all...just to do what I could and enjoy a beautiful afternoon.  But when I got to the starting corral, people were just heading out 1, 2 or 3 at a time...apparently the volunteer wave was already gone.  When my volunteer leader asked the Coach and Beard whether I should just go, Coach said basically, sure...just go out whenever you're ready.

That's where it all began [editor's note - start your video recording now].  Naturally, like anyone would, I walked up to Coach and said "What...just go start?  No send off....no motivational speech...just go ahead?"  Not a moment's hesitation, he looked me right in the eye and said "Come with me!"  He flipped his head-mic down and we headed for the starting line. It's all fun and games until you realize you just poked a tiger....and you're on the wrong side of the cage.  It had that feeling of being caught in a rip current at the beach...but no way to swim sideways to relative safety.  This was obviously not going to end well...for me.

Once we got there, he had the music start and proceeded to call "everyone within the sound of my voice" to come to the start line right now.  The starting corral was notoriously empty...except for moi (which is French for 'oh s**t' I think).  But the speech he made, off the cuff, was so great it's a shame that no one did get it on video.  I know it was partly to teach me not to play with fire...lol...but he used it as a way to motivate the people that had gathered...just like he does at every starting gate. 

After a few minutes, he gave the go ahead and I was on the course, having the privilege of a personal start speech from one of the best in the business.  But the speech wasn't just a sendoff, it was a challenge to those people around to join me and help me get through the tough parts of this course.  And before I was out of the first mud hole, there was Nick, standing up on the next mound to give me a hand.  So, with my new found course guardian, we took on this grueling venue...and this one was everything I expected from BattleFrog and the terrain here at Mines and Meadows.  

The first sign that I may have chewed off a little too much was an almost vertical rope-assisted climb up a dirt trail.  Fortunately it was actually easier than it had looked from a distance, although one-handed technique was a bit challenging.  After that we settled into a long, slow slog through frequent knee deep mud bogs and long rambling trails and flowing creeks.  Even helping a racer with their wreck bag carry on a particularly sticky section of mud.  Somewhere along the way though, I realized I was finally experiencing what I've read and heard about so often in OCR.  The feeling when you are doing a race as a team.  Staying together...working together...making sure everyone gets through...and enjoying the hell out of an already great race experience.

Then, as we worked our way in and out of one of those creeks, two more people came up on us...traveling back from the finish.  At first I thought they were going the wrong way, but it turned out that Dayton and Dana had decided to come as well.  I guess to give Nick a hand dragging my carcass back to the festival area when the time came.  Now we really had a team going!  Without a doubt, this was the greatest OCR experience I've ever had.  For the rest of the course we walked and talked...mostly about OCR and running, go figure!  And also about each other.  I learned about things like hashing, which is apparently a drinking club with a running problem.  And about trail treasure..which we surprisingly came upon on this course...although we did have to return it to BattleFrog after all.

In the end though, our team traversed the rest of the course.  Including more mud, the mine (spectacular...and cold!), the Normandy jacks and a mud slicked, three tier near vertical climb that I would never have made through (safely) without my course angels.  We (ok...my 'team') even worked with another couple still on the course at that vertical climb and we traveled with them through the Normandy jacks too.  

I also chose to tackle the vertical wall climbs...which I'd been staring out from my tent and plotting against for days.  Not to mention the final delta ladder...which again, I had been contemplating all week on how to mount...not to mention whether I should.  Pretty certain I would have passed on all of those alone.

So now, for the incredible, first-time experience of team OCR racing, I want to offer my heart-felt thanks to my new OCR friends...Nick, Dana and Dayton!!!  And my thanks to Coach Paine...without whom, none of this would have happened!  Like most things, you can know a thing intellectually, but you can't really understand it until you experience it for yourself.  Someday I look forward to another round together and we can share more of our recent conquests!!  

I also want to give a shout-out and a thank you to Tina and Lyle and Noah and his wife.  On my walk back to the campsite after the race, I passed by their campsites next to the venue.  One thing led to another and before I knew it I was enjoying the best meal I'd had on the road for the three weeks I was out.  Not to mention some more OCR and ATV stories.  Not to mention some about Pennsylvania coal mining.  Tina is OCR while Noah is an avid ATV rider. Big, big thank you to all and just another example of the spirit of OCR and the outdoor community!!

Do you race with a team?

Tell me about your experiences in OCR? 

Volunteering at BattleFrog - Pittsburgh, PA

People sure do love their race!  That seems to be the theme that runs through the different venues and races I've volunteered at so far.  Sometimes it's because that's the race you started with.  Sometimes it's a unique aspect of a particular venue.  That was the case with BattleFrog in Pittsburgh for one of the couples I worked with on Wednesday...and led to a possibly not so brilliant decision on my part to do the course, even with my bad shoulder from volunteering at the Tough Mudder at Andover, NY.

More on that later.  I've always been someone that can't help being impressed by little things.  No matter that I see them over and over.  So it comes as no surprise that I can't get over how an empty field can be transformed in just a few days into a Renaissance-worthy festival grounds.  I really have to give credit too to the people who can see the potential in these areas when they're apparently nothing more than an undersized and odd shaped spit of open land.

There are two things that have struck me at the first two venues.  One is the enthusiasm of the crews.  Not just the volunteers...they generally don't know enough yet to be anything but a ball of let's-do-this.  No, the build and festival crews themselves obviously enjoy what they do and enjoy working with the volunteers as well.

The second thing I've seen, surprised me only by the way it appears to be so ingrained and heartfelt across the board.  At every turn, the volunteers were thanked for their service.  Now I know, these races simply couldn't happen without the volunteers...at least not in the current method of operation.  Not so much on the build but certainly on race day.  Something all the races must deal with...successfully...on a weekly basis to find the right balance for what they give vs what they get.  Obviously both BattleFrog and Tough Mudder understand this inherently and take any opportunity to thank them. [One aspect I have become aware of doing these, is that BattleFrog doesn't offer timing chips to volunteers when they run.  I'm not sure if this affects their ability to recruit, but without a chip and the legitimacy of a recognized race time, what you get is not a free race, but a free 'challenge'...more like the Tough Mudder]

As always too, there were the new friends I met during the course of the volunteer days.  Race day as well.....but that's a whole 'nother story to tell.  It's also amazing how much mischief new OCR (obstacle course racing) buddies can get each other into without even trying.  But that's a whole 'nother story...not to tell!  Isn't that right Matt?

So, back to that aspect of the venue that I was told about earlier.  I'm always curious what people's favorite races are.  In this case, the couple I was with said this particular course was their favorite.  The reason being that it went through an actual mine and you could even swim part of it during the race.  Well...that pretty much sealed it for me right there.  An engineer that can resist his first trip into a mine...for any reason...has yet to be born.  Bad shoulder or not!  That decision would lead to my first true experience with what I've been hearing about for years now but hadn't experienced first hand.  And that will be my next post....until then!!

Have you volunteered for a race or pre-race build?

Tell me about your experience!

 

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

This was my first Tough Mudder (TM).  One of the main reasons for this Summer of OCR in fact.  When I first started OCR (obstacle course racing) the length of the TM course was intimidating for me...not being in particularly great shape and a bit on the aged side.  After running 11 races though, I felt that it was time to see what all the fuss was about...so I did!

Tough Mudder - Western NY certainly delivered on it's name.  It was tough!   And it was muddy!  I mean, with the weather as dry as it was, they must have shipped in mud from somewhere...but that stuff was everywhere.  Right from the first mud crawl (where I immediately, and unknowingly, lost my bib).  From that point on it seemed we were in mud every few minutes (later on I heard that this venue is known as the muddiest course on the TM circuit).

As expected, on any long course, there's going to be a lot of running...or in my case, a lot of jogging and as-fast-as-I-can walking.  But the obstacles were spaced out pretty well so you didn't feel like you'd gone off course somewhere on a 5-mile trail run.  They even found some ways on this rolling, but not hilly, terrain to get in a few real mind-numbing climbs towards the end.  One of the surprises for me were the types of obstacles as well.  

When I first wrote about Tough Mudder vs Spartan Race I knew a major difference between the two was the fact that TM was not a timed event.  A challenge...not a race. Even though I also knew that TM stressed teamwork and cooperation, it wasn't until I was out on the course that I saw how they encouraged it through the obstacles themselves.  

Some of the obstacles are obviously for the individual, but others were all but impossible without the aid of your team.  The log carry...the wounded warrior carry...and especially the iconic Everest.  You really had no choice but to work together.  What was a little unexpected though, was the challenging and entertaining individual obstacles,  The Funky Monkey and whatever that leap to the swinging T-bar bell-ringing thing was called.  That was deceivingly difficult...and a lot of fun!

Not surprisingly, whenever you have tougher obstacles, you have lines!  The bane of OCR.  Even though I don't even remotely challenge for time, I'm always conscious of how I do vs other races and venues.  So when the lines started I was concerned about how it would affect my time.  Then realized...there was no time!  Then the real revelation...did it really matter?!

I started thinking (and there was plenty of time at these bottlenecks for thinking and talking) that the official times weren't all that important.  Don't get me wrong, I still prefer the idea of a race when it comes to the elite and even for the rest of us to compare our progress in the sport.  But the fact is, I know more or less how long I took and I know roughly how long I was in lines.  So, do the math, in essence I knew how well I performed.  I also knew where I still needed work.  TM has also come up with their own way of encouraging repeat runners.  Just like earning belts in karate, you earn different level/color headbands as you do more TM's.  You also become a member of the Mudder Legion.  And if you think that's no big deal...you haven't been at a Tough Mudder.

So, even though I would do another Tough Mudder any time...and should be on Long Island 8/15...I do prefer to have a timed event.  Something BattleFrog might take a lesson from.  Their events are timed, but when you get a free race for volunteering, you don't get a chip (and therefore, not only don't you get a time, you don't even get credit for having run that event).  So in the end, you're actually getting a free BattleFrog 'challenge'....not a free 'race".  This idea of a challenge as opposed to a race also leaves you nowhere to go as a sport.  Getting to that next level is something that the other race promoters are racking their brains about as we speak.

[ps - As a side note, with just the electric shock obstacle to go, I managed to do something not very friendly to my shoulder on the Everest obstacle in this race.  Knowing that Electro Shock is a right-of-passage for the TM (and Arctic Enema I suppose), with some help I managed to get things back in the right place to finish.  After all that, I really wanted my headband...although this will have a serious affect on the following weeks of racing no doubt!]

[pps - Photos?...although I found a couple, I think I had a better chance of finding one with Bigfoot landing his UFO than finding the rest of mine.  An ongoing problem throughout OCR!  Since the first obstacle ripped off my bib and covered my arms (which were marked) with mud I was pretty much out of luck unless I have a spare day or two to weed through them.  I can think of a few things that might help, but whoever solves this one will be well rewarded!]

What have your experiences been with Tough Mudder?

Do you prefer the challenge or the race format?

I'd like to hear what you think!