Obstacle Course Racing ... Why do obstacle course racing (OCR)?
OCR is a team sport. Grab a few of your mates, get yourselves a coach and see what a bit of combined will power, enthusiasm and just a little dash of crazy can do for your life.
My Spartan journey began as the coach of a group of like minded people who saw an ad and decided it ‘looks like fun’. Physically trained and yet completely unprepared for what lay ahead we arrived at Race 1 in mid winter, freezing cold, to be hit with a creek swim (read ICE BATH) within the first 200m followed by 4 plus hours of trekking through the bush encountering more extended ice baths, barbed wire crawls, heavy carries, balance, jumping and leaping and quite a lot of jogging, running and climbing … and MUD! At the end we were done, and after quick consumption of some water, and a bit of curry to warm the insides, had already begun discussions of when we might do the next one.
This is why OCR is a growing trend in fitness.
Let’s define trend the same way that ACSM Health & Fitness journal does:
“a general development or change in a situation or the way that people are behaving”
This is different to a fad which is “a fashion that is taken up with great enthusiasm for a brief period”
OCR hasn’t made the Top 20 on this list yet, but it does combine 2 of the top 3 - Bodyweight Training and High Intensity Interval Training, and the more you do, the more you want to do. It’s crazy!!
Spartan founder Joe de Sena is so confident of the popularity of this sport that he is pushing to have OCR included in future Olympics.
OCR tests your mettle like no other endurance sport can. The doyens of the sport must work well into the wee hours of the night to ensure that no matter how well trained you are, there will still be an obstacle you weren’t expecting. The one certainty about OCR is that nothing is certain.
Case in point, as I lined up at the start line of the Elite wave of the recent Brisbane Stadium Sprint race with my race strategy prepped, believing I was well trained, and mentally on my game to perform well and finish strong, the Race Director MOVED the start line and added in a 1km sprint BEFORE the race began. More experienced racers were probably prepared for it, but for me on my second elite outing, this unexpected turn was a rude awakening and a massive blow to my mental preparation.
My first elite wave had brought me face to face, literally, with an obstacle called the “Gut Check”, aptly named because most participants have to check that their guts are still in place once they’re done.
Prior to that as an open competitor there was my goal for a burpee free Spartan where I met the introduction of the travelling burpee obstacle … seriously!!
The message is simple, no matter how much you train, plan, or visualise your own expectation of a Spartan experience, someone else is planning the race and you better be able to go with it.
So why do OCR?
Because “the human spirit soars when it is challenged”.
Does life ever throw you unexpected challenges?
OCR equips you with the mental fortitude to look these challenges in the eye and stand strong to take them on.
Have you ever been stuck for a solution to a problem that you just couldn’t solve?
OCR teaches you creative problem solving. It teaches you consequence to action. Taking on problems, be they logistical, academic, physical or emotional and exploring multiple possibilities for a solution requires a resilience that must be trained. OCR training and racing is perfect for this.
Have you ever just wanted to give up?
Resilience can be a part of who we are, and when it’s not, it can be trained. Taking responsibility for the decisions we make and keeping going even when you want to give up is a skill that requires practice. When it’s just you and an 8 foot wall in the bush with a marshall threatening 30 burpees you learn to keep going.
Do you enjoy the celebration of exceeding your own expectations?
It has been said that the problem is not that we set the bar too high and fail, but rather that we set the bar too low and hit it. In Spartan OCR where things are unpredictable someone else sets the bar very high and challenges you to meet it. At the end of the race, which most people will reach, the realisation that you can do more than you thought you could brings joy and elation that dulls the pain of hardwork just long enough to ask the question - what next? and sign up!!
OCR teaches you to celebrate yourself and to celebrate life, and empowers you with the belief that you can.
So OCR is awesome.
Some tips for newbies:
Start small - Sprint distance is best, and if you really are feeling the pressure take the Rookie pass - you can only use it once so enjoy the ride and have a look see so that you can smash it out next time.
Train well - enlist the support of appropriately qualified and experience professionals to guide you through the training process. You will earn the right to take on the obstacles with confidence and minimise the risk of injury.
Train smart - Earning the right to do more is vital. The body adapts to stimulus and gradually gets stronger. Choose an event that is at least 12 - 16 weeks away to allow enough time for the physical adaptations.
Train the whole self - body, mind and soul. OCR is about more than physical conquest - it tests you physically, mentally and emotionally. Good nutrition is key to support the increased workload of training. Sufficient rest is vital to facilitate the adaptations. Mental training that works for you, be it a schedule of movies, instructional videos, meditations or books, is the key to help you build the resources you need to keep your head in the game.
Reward your achievements - small things like an upgraded piece of wearable tech to help you analyse your data or some performance gear when you are feeling like you’ve earned it will set you up to look and feel successful come race day.
Take time to enjoy your success - post event celebrations are a vital piece of the program. The opportunity to debrief with team mates, laugh at yourself and learn from experience makes the whole event so much more than just a race.
OCR … get into it!
