Obstacle Race Magazine Issue 19 by Obstacle Race Magazine

ISSUE #19 FEB/MAR’17 £5.95

RE ND ADVENTU LE RACING A C A ST B O R NO.1 FO

OCRA UK CHAMPIONSHIP SPECIAL How did the championship go?

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CONTRIBUTORS Dave Peters (You’re Doing What At The Weekend), Coach Michael (To Lose A Band), Aaron Pt Lane (Getting Back On Track), Gemma Spackman (Nothing Can Beat A Good Core), Lizzie Smith (To Inspire), Nicola Callison (Mactuff Review), James Ruckley /Paul Hatward (Champion Material), Alexandra Duesbury (Judgement Day Team Race Review), Sam Henden (Brain Training For Ocr)

PHOTOGRAPHY Epic Action Imagery front cover, Nuclear Races Photography Team flash back.

Every effort is made to ensure that the advertising and editorial content in Obstacle Race Magazine is supplied from reliable and reputable sources and is contributed with integrity and accuracy. However no warranties or claims can be made against Obstacle Race Magazine in respect of the contents OR the views of individuals who do not necessarily represent the views of the Magazine, Spuddy Media Ltd or the Publisher

The period of hibernation is over and it’s time for us to all stretch our legs and get back out on the trails to burn off those extra winter calories. It’s been a chilly start to the year, with a couple of races even getting a healthy dose of snow and ice. With Tough Guy being most people's first race of the year the main topic of discussion on the forums is cold water acclimatisation and neoprene. In this issue we focus on the Obstacle Course Racing Association UK Championships, with an insightful review of the race and also a fantastic interview with the male UK Champion Tristan Steed. We are also introducing the brand new Adventure Racing section in this issue of ORM. This section is designed to keep the magazine evolving whilst exploring the options that are out there for all the adventure seekers amongst you. We feel adventure racing goes hand in hand with OCR as it a natural progression to move on to such events as mountain marathon or triathlons. In each issue we’ll highlight and explore a new part of adventure racing in this section, with a healthy dose of events to choose from too. I really hope you enjoy this issue and here’s to a fantastic 2017.

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Contents 8

FEATURES

REVIEW

YOU’RE DOING WHAT AT THE WEEKEND?

Dave Peters shares with us some more of his wise OCR words.

GETTING BACK ON TRACK

New Year, new you? It’s time to get back on track.

FATS ARENT ALWAYS BAD

Fats don’t always have to be the enemy.

CHAMPION MATERIAL

HIIT WORKOUTS TO BLAST FAT

An insight into how the second UK Championships went.

Melt fat away as easily as 1, 2, 3.

NUCLEAR REACTION

BRAIN TRAINING FOR OCR

Find out more about the exciting new Nuclear Experience days.

Learn how to be a winner in the mental game of OCR.

JUDGEMENT DAY TEAM EVENT

WATER.. HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU BE DRINKING

TESTING

Find out how to give your body the water it needs.

MACTUFF

RUNFLEX

This TUFF Scottish event tests people in harsh winter conditions .

An OCR company with the passion of the industry at heart.

NOTHING CAN BEAT A GOOD CORE

Learn how to build a core that will give you a solid foundation to work from.

THE RISE AND FALL OF OCR

Is the industry starting to form cracks?

The new Garmin Fenix 5, will it take over from the hugely successful Fenix 3?

TO LOSE A BAND

When two bands can mean so much, here’s how to make sure you keep hold of them.

6 Obstacle Race Magazine

Fun, laughter and best of all it was shared on the OCR course with friends.

A WATCH FOR YOUR AVENTURES

SHOES 2017

The stand out shoes from the top two brands around Obstacle Racing.

PROFILES

REGULARS

FLASH BACK We share with you all of our favourite moments caught on camera over the last few years.

HEALTH HACKS The little pieces of kit and nutrition that can make a huge difference to your racing and training.

TO INSPIRE

MUDTREST WALL

Putting a person in the spotlight that will inspire you to push harder and race faster.

The pages of the magazine that let you share your muddy adventures.

THE UK CHAMPION

RECIPES PAGES

We find a little more out about the UK Champion in this light hearted interview.

Cook up the perfect fuel for your racing and training with the ORM recipes pages.

INDUSTRY NEWS

ADVENTURE

Delivering you the news from all corners of the industry.

LETTERS PAGE Share with us your stories and adventures on the letters page.

EVENTS LISTING All the events coming up over the next few months.

BOOTCAMP LISTING A 2014 Nuclear Races Rush runner conquering her fears.

Listing of some of the best places to train for your next race challenge. NEW LOCATIONS ADDED FOR 2017.

BUCKET LIST ADVENTURE CHALLENGES Everything you need to know to be able to take on your next big adventure race.

Healthy recipes to fuel your racing and training

Obstacle Race Magazine 7

FEATURE : YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE DOING WHAT AT THE WEEKEND?

YOU'RE DOING

WHAT AT THE

WEEKEND? WRITTEN BY Dave Peters, Lead Coach of Rumble Racing OCR

8 Obstacle Race Magazine

FEATURE : YOU’RE DOING WHAT AT THE WEEKEND?

I KNOW WHILE I SIT HERE AND WRITE THIS ARTICLE I AM NOT ALONE IN THESE THOUGHTS. IT’S SO OFTEN THE CASE THAT I AM ASKED ABOUT MY WEEKENDS PLANS AND WHEN I TELL THEM, I GET THE SAME RESPONSE… ”WHAT?! FORGET THAT!” Some responses make me laugh, some make me cringe. Some are just hilarious and some are so far out there that I actually wish they were true! I thought I would compile these and create the ultimate OCR warrior just for a little bit of fun!

Obstacle Race Magazine 9

FEATURE : YOU’RE INSPIRATION DOING IS... WHAT AT THE WEEKEND?

RESPONSE NUMBER 1: MUM Mum’s response is always the same. “I’m very proud of you darling but please be careful”. It’s always a safety thing with mum. In her mind we all climb 50ft walls with no harnesses, enter arctic waters and traverse cliff faces and jungle canopies. It sounds pretty awesome doesn’t it so I don’t mind letting her believe that’s what I do ;-) Everything I explain to mum translates in her mind with hazard signs and warning tape. Every known disease is a risk and the safety equipment she deems necessary would restrict you like a tortoise in a shell. If mum's response had to make up part of the OCR warrior it would definitely be the head. A face hardened by sea salt and covered in war paint but she would make you wear a safety helmet with chin strap!

your infatuation with getting muddy and running around in and out of water every weekend, but then they probably would if they stopped hiding behind the curtains all the time! If these neighbours made up a part of the OCR warrior they would have to be the accessories. One would only see you wearing completely muddy clothing and all the washing powder you would need to get it clean (not realising how while we may clean our clothes the stains are like medals to most of us) and the other would see us as a batman type figure and load us up with every accessory under the sun. GPS Watch, Super grip trainers, night vision goggles, team flag, chest plate armour and the best accessories of all…huge guns…AKA biceps the size of Wales.

RESPONSE NUMBER 4: OVERLY ENTHUSIASTIC FRIEND Similar to the neighbour there are 2 kinds.

1) Those that have no idea what it is but want to show

an interest and so go the complete opposite way, or

2) Those that LOVE OCR themselves and so want to know every detail of the race, who was there, who won the race, what funny things happened etc.

RESPONSE NUMBER 3: YOUR WIFE/HUSBAND

Both of these guys show the passion that you show for very different reasons. These guys have got your back! They support what you do, they're proud of you, they encourage you and they may even run with you! These guys are your team and in the world of our OCR warrior they are the team colours. The uniform and even the tattoos.

This is a funny one. I have witnessed several different responses with these and while all different they have one reoccurring theme. Have fun! Don’t get me wrong they are all from a different viewpoint, let me explain.

1) “Have Fun”. This is the genuine, have fun honey.

RESPONSE NUMBER 2: THE NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOUR This one is hilarious because we all have those 2 different neighbours. First you have the friendly cool one who loves what you do only wishing that their own partner would let them get stuck in and dive into the mud. This neighbour stands in awe at you. “Oh man that sounds awesome”. This neighbour puts you on a pedestal treating you as a God. “I would love to be able to do that” and “You must be so fit to do that” are common phrases. Then you have the other neighbour. He doesn’t usually speak much and only normally appears from behind the curtains. “They're off to one of those weird mud things again” or “He’s covered in mud again, no doubt been rolling in the mud with complete strangers!” This neighbour doesn’t quite understand

So there we have it. A series of very different, some mad and some brilliant responses that we all probably hear quite often. Making up an OCR Warrior we have a gnarly face surrounded in bubble wrap, safety helmet and chin strap. Two python arms, all the gadgets and gizmos along with industrial size washing powder on a batman utility belt, a huge heart, team colours and shoes that are so sensible they would be completely

10 Obstacle Race Magazine

They want us to enjoy ourselves making sure that we come home in a great mood ready to either take the rubbish out, cook the dinner or pamper our partners.

2) “Have fun, I know I will”. This is the sarcastic version.

This is the either jealous mud loving partner who has to stay at home with kids/work/similar who wishes they could be anywhere else but without you having fun in the mud.

3) “Have fun, don’t come home too early”. This is the

quite common version of have fun because I know I am going to love the peace and quiet, pamper spa day or shopping plans they have while you’re out! My personal favourite.

If these guys made up part of our OCR warrior it would be the heart. One way or another tugging at the heart strings, sending us well wishes, missing us and encouraging us to stay and go on for longer.

useless for OCR. That said if this was what I had to wear in order to still be able to take part in OCR, I absolutely would. Yes, I might get injured Mum, I try not too! Yes I see why some people think it is a little weird or kid like, but I am just a big kid. Yes, I do have fun while I’m at OCR races especially when the rest of the Rumble Racing team are with me. Yes my friends support me

RESPONSE NUMBER 5: THE BOSS “You are doing WHAT at the weekend?!” “You know you have to deliver that presentation up in Manchester on Monday don’t you?” This response is a classic work before play response! This person does not give the slightest piece of time for your weekend antics, brands them odd and child’s play while only caring as to whether you will be fit for work the next day! They constantly remind you that your sick pay is not a full wage packet and that any time you miss will need to be made up. They just don’t understand! This is why in the OCR warrior there is only one thing they could represent, sensible shoes.

through some of my greatest achievements such as championship races and tough challenges such as Winter Nuts 4 laps and yes, I understand that my sick pay is rubbish and I may have to travel up the country to deliver a boring presentation on Monday. I wouldn’t change it for the world! So yeah, I’m doing THAT at the weekend.

FEATURE : TOP 5 DIET HACKS

5 TOP

DIET HACKS

Whether you over-indulged this Christmas or want some fresh tips to switch up your fitness routine, these super effective fat busting hacks will set you off on the right foot in 2017.

HIIT TRAINING

INCREASE YOUR PROTEIN INTAKE

EAT MORE OFTEN!

Short, sharp and effective - High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a time-efficient way to work out that improves aerobic fitness and boosts metabolism. An effective form of HIIT is TABATA training where you perform 20 seconds of hard work followed by 10 seconds of rest for 8 rounds (4 minutes in total). Push ups, squats, burpees and mountain climbers are all great examples of simple Tabata exercises and are brilliant if you want to improve endurance and speed.

Protein has a thermic effect greater than other macronutrients. On average, it takes 25% of the calories for every gram of protein to breakdown and digest compared to 5% when it comes to carbohydrates and just 2% in the case of fats. Include protein with each meal and snack to elevate the thermic effect of food. A post workout protein shake, handful of nuts, Greek yogurt with granola, pumpkin seeds and goji berries are all great examples.

The process of digesting food (especially protein based foods) requires energy. So, if you go for long periods of time without the consumption of calories your body will slow down your metabolic rate in a way to reserve energy as a survival strategy. Keep your metabolism firing on all cylinders by consuming 4-6 meals per day and keeping up an active, healthy lifestyle. For speed, convenience a quality and healthy nutritional protein based shake can taken before or after your workout to help this along.

BUILD MUSCLE MASS

HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE!

Muscle cells are more metabolic compared to fat cells. Building muscle mass and reducing body fat may have a positive impact on your Resting Energy Expenditure, an estimate of your bodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energy requirements at rest. The additional bonus is that a single bout of resistance training needed to create the increase in muscle mass may also keep your metabolism boosted as much as 48 hours after you have finished your last press up or squat! All the motivation you need to get moving!

Drinking lots of water has so many positive health benefits for the body. It helps to maintain the body's fluid balance, transport nutrients in the body, aid the digestion of food and so on - the list continues! Aim for 2-3 litres per day and during exercise, if you really must have flavour then opt for a calorie-free electrolyte drink.

12 Obstacle Race Magazine

OFTEN THE SIMPLEST THINGS CAN BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE. DONT OVERLOOK THE BASICS.

FEATURE : TOP 5 DIET HACKS

Obstacle Race Magazine 13

FEATURE : GETTING BACK ON TRACK

GETING YOU

BACK ON

TRACK Written by: Aaron PT Lane Photography by: Carrie Austin

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FEATURE : GETTING BACK ON TRACK

So, our New Year’s resolutions have been set for a while now ready for the new season of racing ahead; now comes the need to get fit again and prepare ourselves for all we put our bodies through out on the course. So, I’ve put this article on how to get stronger and fitter, working on the full body to have you ready to get up those hills and pull yourself over those walls, with some of my favourite exercises you can’t go wrong. SANDBAG BEAR CRAWL DRAGS Using a sandbag, place the sandbag on the ground and set up on your hands and knees with the sandbag behind your feet. Your hands should be under your shoulders and your knees should be under your hips. Then flex your feet and lift up onto your hands and toes. From your hands and feet, reach one hand back through your legs to grab the sandbag. As you reach back, sit your butt back toward your heels. Then push off the balls of your feet and drive your hips forward to pull the sandbag up under your body and through overhead.

As you pull the sandbag through, extend your hips and squeeze your glutes to help you power the pull. You don’t want to pull the sandbag through using only your arm. Your hips should power the pull so that you can pull the sandbag up to your head or a little beyond. Once you’ve pulled the sandbag, perform a Bear Crawl up past the bag and then sit your butt back again and reach through with the other hand. Pull the sandbag up and through.

Obstacle Race Magazine 15

FEATURE : GETTING BACK ON TRACK

AS ALWAYS WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE’RE WARMING UP BEFORE WE UNDER GO ANY EXERCISES TO PREVENT ANY INJURY. I FIND OBJECTS WORK WELL WITH WARMING UP, MY FAVOURITE BEING A PVC TUBE. TURKISH GET UPS Move the bell so the arm is perpendicular to the floor, either using one hand or both. Lock out the elbow, and pull the loaded shoulder into its socket.Bend the knee on the side of the body that's holding the kettlebell.Place the opposite arm on the floor approximately 45 degrees from the body. Take a deep breath and hold it. Drive from the foot on the working side, roll up onto your elbow, and exhale. Once you're stable at the elbow, roll up onto your hand. Don't skip step three and go straight to the hand! Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips off the ground high enough to be able to move your outstretched leg under your body. You'll support yourself on one arm, the heel of the straight leg, and the surface of your flat foot, like a tripod. Keep your arm extended totally vertically. When the weights get heavy, you'll know why.

KETTLEBELL SWINGS Stand over the kettlebell with feet hip-width apart, chest up, shoulders back and down. The ‘bell should be in line with the middle of your feet. Choose a kettlebell that allows you to swing with perfect technique while still challenging you. Consider starting and practicing with a ‘bell much lighter than what you’ll eventually use to work out so that you can practice your form. Squatting down, grip the kettlebell with palms facing you and thumbs wrapped loosely around the handle. Stand tall, still gripping the 'bell. Keep your arms long and loose while retracting your shoulders blades and engaging your core. Soften the knees, shift your bodyweight into your heels and lower your rear end back and down toward the wall behind you. At this point you should be ready to swing—into action. Driving through your heel, explode through the hips to send that weight swinging upward from your quads. We’re aiming for chest height, with the arms extended. Achieving this finish position requires you to snap your hips through, contracting your core while squeezing your butt cheeks. As the kettlebell begins to descend, let the weight do the work as you ready your body for the next rep. Shift your weight back into your heels while hinging at the hips and loading both the hamstrings and glutes. Receive the weight allowing the kettlebell to ride back between your legs. As it makes the transition from backward to forward, drive through the heel and hips to keep this party going.

16 Obstacle Race Magazine

Take your straight leg and pull or sweep it under your body, placing it next to and behind the hand on the floor. You'll end up in a position that makes your legs appear to be 90 degrees from each other. One knee will be pointing straight ahead, and the other should point directly at the hand on the floor.

Keep your neck rotated upward, looking up at the kettlebell in your hand. Drive from your back foot, through your hips, and into your front foot, standing up from the lunge. Keep looking forward! While still looking forward, step back into the lunge so that your knee is on the floor. Fold into your hips and place your hand just in front of the knee on the floor. Stick your leg straight out in front of you and put your butt on the floor Roll down to your elbow, and then down onto your shoulders and back.

FEATURE : GETTING BACK ON TRACK

LATERAL SQUAT WALK WITH A RESISTANCE BAND

SHOULDER PASSTHROUGHS

Attach a resistance band to each ankle or above the knee, I personally prefer above the knee for added resistance

Start off with the tube in front of your body with your hands in an overhand grip at shoulder width. Keep your arms straight and extended with a loose grip.

Stand with your feet a little more than shoulder-width apart. Now if you are not using a loop band you may need to shorten the band to get the right resistance. Get into a squat position, knees at roughly a 45-degree angle, and walk sideways. Take 5 to 10 steps to the left, then right, keeping your knees bent and maintaining resistance on the band throughout. Repeat. Once mastered going sideways throw in a few forwards and backwards with nice little baby steps feel the burn through the whole of your quad and your hamstring

Raise the tube in front of your body and lift overhead. Once overhead bring back the shoulder blades and pull behind your back. From behind the back, keep your arm straight and extended with a loose grip and pass back through to your starting point

Repeat this movement up to 10 times

SANDBAG FRONT SQUAT Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart holding a sandbag across your upper chest. Taking care to not arch your back, push your hips back and bend your knees to lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Drive your heels into the floor to push yourself explosively back up to the start position.

OVERHEAD SQUATS Grip the tube with a nice wide grip above the head Push your shoulders and the tube as high as you can, making sure that the tube stays perfectly aligned with your heels and maintain a tight core throughout the movement Pull your hips back and down while keeping your weight on your heels Pull the bar back deliberately as you squat to keep it directly over your heels DO NOT let the bar move forward of or behind your heels at any point of the movement. Make sure your hips reach a point below the top of your knee (below parallel) Keeping your weight on your heels, stand to full extension

Repeat the movement 10 to 15 times

Obstacle Race Magazine 17

FEATURE : GETTING BACK ON TRACK

RESISTANCE BAND PRESS UPS Attach the band around both your wrist and apply yourself into the press up position. Place your hands wide enough to feel the resistance through your arms and shoulders. Once you've found the resistance you desire begin to lower yourself to the floor, trying to keep your elbows pointing backwards and in line with the side of your torso. After 5 reps begin to widen the stance and go again as time goes on you will be able to have both hands in different positions by playing with narrow and wide grips.

EXAMPLE CIRCUIT

Exercise

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Kettle swing

Lateral squat walk

100

Bear crawl drag

Turkish get up

Front squat

Press up

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Obstacle Race Magazine 19

REVIEW : CHAMPION MATERIAL

CHAMPION

MATERIAL CO WRITTEN BY: JAMES RUCKLEY & PAUL HAYWARD

20 Obstacle Race Magazine

REVIEW : CHAMPION MATERIAL

The Obstacle Course Racing (“OCR”) Championship caused outcry across social media a few, due to one obstacle the rig of all rigs. People were beaten by its complexity, the pure technicality of the obstacle, but who's fault is it that they were beaten by it? As always, sadly, the OCR community demand that their life is made easier and with a “0% completion rate for the females” being the highlight and the focus of anger throughout the community, an argument that simply needs to be shelved, by individuals who need to stop blaming everyone else and up their game. Myself included. This is a championship race and you have no right to assume you’re good enough just because you qualified. It’s designed to challenge, separate and break the best racers so don’t demand changes in events, demand changes within yourself. Have some accountability for your training, your racing and your build up to this race. Sadly, I fell within this category as I was not good enough, I need to improve and I have no-one to blame but myself.

You can take my words of wisdom and train, or ignore them and be likely to fail again next year. That is down to you, but this race humbled me. The UK OCR Championship was a difficult day at the office for me personally, for my sponsors and my team. Having previously taken the title of 20-29 age group champ in 2015 against limited competition Mudstacle had made me their top pick for the title again this year. I’m not one to feel pressured or emotional, so this badge wore lightly on my chest as with Nuclear Races hosting the OCR Championship in 2015 and the team behind Judgment Day providing the course it was going to be a very different race. I took a moment to settle myself, but not long enough. A leap of faith was needed to start and somehow, I survived it. I reached the foot hold,

Obstacle Race Magazine 21

REVIEW : CHAMPION MATERIAL

and leaned for the traverse bar, wrapped the rope and was soon hanging off the rings but I had nothing. For all my experience, my qualifying times, my great kit - I dropped off the rings in a lacklustre fashion, looked to the sky and swore. I was fuming with myself then, and I am now. I can still remember the feeling of nothingness in my arms and throughout my body; I felt empty but worse still my mind raged at how easily I’d given in. I lined back up with my fellow racers, all failures and with an uncommon look in my eye, frustration. Some 5 attempts later I gave up my band, lifted my skins top over my face and walked on, hopping the wall and ascending the rope with relative ease. I tried to hide beneath my clothing as I took what to me is a walk of shame. Crossing the line, I refused a medal and headed

22 Obstacle Race Magazine

off to my car, after congratulating Dave. I was cross, I was angry and I was fuming - but how did I deal with it? Did I go on Facebook to complain? I immediately headed to Norwegian air’s website and booked flights to Sweden for later in the week. A new training facility had been on my radar for a while and a catalyst within me had just been found. This experience had wiped me of my arrogance, I promised myself at that moment that I am not failing a rig again, and Sweden has some of the most brutal rigs to learn from. Even this was not enough for me though, or at least did not calm

me down, and that evening I got in touch with Foz Sug who helped me design and order a home rig package complete with all my failures form the day. As I reflect now with the power to analyse footage of my various attempts at the rig it’s easy for me to criticise my approach and technique. Normally rigs are located in the event village allowing analysis of routes before the event begins. I’ll decide which rings, holds and bars to use and which ones to avoid, but I had no plan and rushed in this time without a route. This approach left me trying to make too many

I CAN STILL REMEMBER THE FEELING OF NOTHINGNESS IN MY ARMS...

REVIEW : CHAMPION MATERIAL

decisions while hanging, burning energy and stressing my hands. I tried to use too much of my ability to swing and create momentum and my tired arms simply could hold my weight any longer. Overall, and looking back, I don’t think there can be too many complaints from the OCR community about the event, and any talk of the rig being too hard should be rubbished and individuals partaking in it should be embarrassed with themselves. Yes, no women finished the rig, but the UK’s female scene is lacking in its technical obstacle ability in

comparison to other nationalities and this was a sharp reminder. By all means disagree with me, but go away and check out @Linda.Digby and @Sofiebeckvall on Instagram and then tell me our female racers are world class at obstacles. These ladies are experts at obstacles and really set a standard we should be aspiring too, they challenge themselves daily to improve and never demand a reduction in quality. That rig wasn’t too hard, it just exposed us, males and females (myself included) of how bad we are compared to athletes around the world. We do

...THAT WE NEED TO BE BETTER, TRAIN SMARTER AND ADDRESS OUR WEAKNESSES.

have a OCR World Champion in Jon and someone biting at his heels in Connor, but this rig wouldn’t have stopped them and these two apart - it humbled a lot of people on this day. For this Dean and Mark should be congratulated, not berated and made out to be the enemy. If anything, we have shown how arrogant we are by suggesting the course was at fault, the standards were unrealistic or even unachievable. I have been lucky enough to race throughout the world and in Sweden, Africa and America this rig would have been seen as easily accomplishable by their athletes. It simply showed, as a Championship race should do, that we need to be better, train smarter and address our weaknesses. Not resort to complaining and suggesting that the Championship is the issue.

Obstacle Race Magazine 23

REVIEW : CHAMPION MATERIAL

The OCR Championship may not have given me a trophy, but I walked away so much more than a shiny piece of metal would have given me. Determination, passion and an eagerness for a perfection that I’ll never achieve, and that’s the most dangerous trait to have for any competitor’s rivals.

The views expressed in this article are not the views of Obstacle Course Race magazine, their editorial team or their contributors

JAMES RUCKLEY Pos: 63 Race No: 414 Cat: 18-24 Cat. Pos: 4 2nd Cat: 1 Band Gender: 62 Gen. Pos: 62 Team: MIT Time: 02:03:14:200

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You can follow James Ruckley on Instagram @james.ruckley on twitter @JRuckley With thanks to Paul Hayward for contribution.

FEATURE : FATS AREN'T ALWAYS BAD

FATS AREN'T ALWAYS

BAD

Thanks to poor science, notorious propaganda and the mere stigma of the word itself, fat has been vilified for decades. That stops here and now.

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FEATURE : FATS AREN'T ALWAYS BAD

If you think about it, there’s kind of a nice symmetry to it. Too much body fat is bad — it contributes not only to a jiggly physique but also to a whole slew of really nasty chronic illnesses. And where could that excess body fat come from besides eating large amounts of fatty foods? That right there has essentially been the basis of the worlds nutritional policy for decades. Symmetry aside, it’s not strictly true. Want proof? Look at France. Boasting brie and any number of amazing buttery pastries (think: croissants, palmiers and éclairs) and sauces (velouté, hollandaise, bechamel, we’re looking at you), the French diet consists of a lot of fat, particularly saturated fat, and yet the French population has among the lowest rate of heart disease of any industrialized country in the world. It’s not just association, either. There was a lot of poorly

executed science decades ago, the results of which fuelled ideas like the concept that dietary fat intake raises cholesterol levels, and cholesterol causes heart disease. It’s not as simple as that, and scientists are still trying to unwind all the influences of diet and disease, but one thing is clear: Eating more fat, as long as it’s the right kinds, is not detrimental to health. In fact, it’s required for optimal health.

The term “fat” encompasses several different types — some unhealthy, others healthy and the overall majority, essential. In the body, fats serve both structural (they’re responsible for the stiffness of cell membranes) and metabolic (fueling the heart, among other organs) functions. And while a fat is a fat, there are three main types — saturated, unsaturated and trans — that vary in chemical

structure and benefit. For example, while synthetic forms of trans fats like those found in processed foods are unanimously regarded as unhealthy, natural trans fats, which are only slightly different structurally, have been shown to affect the body in dramatically different and incredibly beneficial ways. Studies have shown that consumption of industrial trans fats can negatively impact cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease, cancer and obesity; the risk of these very same diseases can be reduced by consuming natural trans fats. One natural trans fat, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), has even been shown in clinical studies to reduce fat stores, particularly in the abdomen, and can be taken as a supplement. A fat that burns fat — now that’s irony. Trans fats certainly aren’t alone when it comes to discrimination. Perhaps it’s their solid consistency that made scientists assume saturated

fats contribute to clogging arteries, but despite clear evidence that many beneficial and essential types of saturated fats exist, there remains an overall negative perception plaguing mainstream media and nutritional policy. Saturated fats are characteristically solid at room temperature because their chemical structure allows each fatty acid to pack tightly against another. While unhealthy

saturated fats do exist (in grain-fed meats for example), they cannot be unjustly lumped into the same category as those found in coconut oil and grass-fed animal products. Saturated fat has several critical roles within the body — it’s largely responsible for tissue integrity, comprising roughly half of cell membrane structure, and it augments immune function, suppresses inflammation,

facilitates communication between cells and is critical to hormone production. As if that’s not enough, saturated fat is a critical building block for brain cells and is otherwise required for proper nervous system function. Meanwhile, unsaturated fat tends to benefit from a more benign outlook but it too has less-healthy varieties (which promote inflammation) and others

YOUR BODY ON FAT

FEATURE : FATS AREN'T ALWAYS BAD

that are known to exert healthy, anti-inflammatory properties. There are two main types of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids, omega-6 (inflammatory fats) and omega-3s (anti-inflammatory fats). While both types are essential, meaning the body doesn’t produce them on its own and must get them from the diet, omega-6 fats are ubiquitous in everyday foods and most Americans could afford to consume less of them. On the other hand, fish-oil supplementation remains advisable because most people consuming a Western diet get insufficient omega-3 fats. When considering your consumption of these fats, ratio is everything. Maintaining an appropriate balance of omega-6s to omega-3s is critical because the machinery involved in metabolizing each is shared; consequently, an excess of one type can interfere with the metabolism of the other type. Your target ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 should be about 2:1 to 3:1. Anything above 4:1 is considered problematic. Alarmingly, the ratio of the average American diet has been reported to reach as high as 15:1. Another class of unsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats, differ from polyunsaturated fats in that they only contain a single point of unsaturation, or one double bond. Because double bonds are more susceptible to oxidation, monounsaturated fats (which have fewer double bonds than polyunsaturated fats) are more stable and less likely to oxidize. (Oxidation of fats is kind of analogous to rusting of metal; it’s detrimental to your cells.) For this reason and because they’ve been shown to improve cholesterol levels and even increase insulin sensitivity, thereby reducing the risk of diabetes, monounsaturated fats — think olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocado — are almost unanimously touted as healthier fats that everyone should consume.

ADDING FATS TO YOUR MENU Fat is the most calorie dense of the three macronutrients, packing 9 calories per gram compared with 4 calories per gram for carbohydrates and protein. And because nothing in nutrition is ever simple, experts have been arguing for decades over the ideal ratio of these three macronutrients when it comes to optimizing performance, weight management and overall health. The magic appears to depend on what type of sport you pursue, because explosive activity is best done with some carbohydrates to burn, whereas those who engage primarily in endurance activity can rely almost exclusively on fats. Of course, OCR complicates all

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this by including both types of racing/training. do not have autoimmune issues and can tolerate dairy, However, it is certainly true that carbs are easiest you would likely benefit from consuming high-quality for the body to burn, and if blood sugar is high, excess whole-fat products like butter, yogurt and cheese fat will be stored; when it’s low, stored body fat will be from grass-fed cattle. burned for energy. One of the most remarkable advantages to eating Fortunately, there are some basic guidelines grass-fed meat is the unsaturated fatty-acid profile we can impart. The most basic is to absolutely and they offer. Cattle fed grass reportedly produce beef resolutely avoid synthetic trans fats, derived from with an omega-6:omega-3 fatty-acid profile of 2:1 to hydrogenated vegetable oils and found in processed 3:1, compared to 15:1 to 20:1 for grain-fattened beef. foods. They were developed by food scientists looking You can almost think of swapping grain-fed beef to keep baked goods shelf stable for longer, and they for grass-fed beef as being similar to converting a work wonders — but not on your arteries. The Food conventional hamburger into an omega-3-rich wild and Drug Administration recently found that partially Alaskan Salmon fillet. A study published in 2011 in the hydrogenated oils are not “Generally Regarded As British Journal of Nutrition showed that individuals who Safe” and has given food manufacturers three years to ate a grass-fed red-meat diet for four weeks improved remove them from their products. In the meantime, their plasma ratios of essential fatty acids from 9:1 to make sure you read ingredients labels and be aware 6:1, compared with those on a diet of red meat from that “partially hydrogenated” means that product is animals fed concentrate, whose ratios worsened from guaranteed to 8:1 to 13:1. contain industrial Wild fatty fish and pastured eggs WILD FATTY FISH AND trans fats. And are also top sources of omega-3 fats. PASTURED EGGS ARE ALSO TOP A study from Penn State’s Dairy Cattle keep in mind, companies are Research and Education Center SOURCES OF OMEGA-3 FATS. allowed to list reported that eggs from pastured anything less hens had twice as much long-chain than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving as 0 grams of omega-3 fats, two-and-a-half times more total trans fat on the Nutrition Facts label. Though that omega-3 fats, and less than half the ratio of omegamight seem like a trivial amount, if you eat multiple 6:omega-3 fats compared to eggs from caged hens. servings of these foods — exactly what they’ve been And while flaxseed and chia seeds do offer omega-3 fats strategically designed to make you do — the amount in the form of alpha-linolenic acid, the body does a poor you’re ingesting adds up. job converting this to docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and Unlike synthetic Frankenfats, naturally occurring eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), the forms it most benefits trans fats are formed in the stomachs of ruminant from and which are readily available in fish oil. animals (like cows). During digestion of grasses, the Another common source of fats is vegetable animal’s gut bacteria convert the polyunsaturated fats and seed oils. However, pick wisely; many of these — in grass to rumenic and vaccenic acid. Rumenic acid, including sunflower, corn, soybean and cottonseed — or CLA, can be obtained from eating grass-fed meat boast dreadfully high concentrations of omega-6 fats and dairy products that contain about three to five and should be avoided entirely. times the amount of CLA found in grain-fed animal Because of their biochemical structure, these products. Grass-fed animal products also contain types of unsaturated fats are unstable when heated healthy saturated fats. If you’re looking to increase your and should not be used for cooking. Monounsaturated intake of beneficial fats, remember to choose cuts of fats — and saturated fats to an even greater extent — meat with higher ratios of fat — i.e., trade your sirloin are more suitable for use in cooking because of their for a rib-eye. more stable biochemical structures. Healthy sources Whole-fat dairy from grass-fed animals is another of monounsaturated fats include olives and olive oil, great source of saturated fat and CLA. Analyses avocados and avocado oil, and macadamia nuts and have shown that cheeses from grass-fed cows were macadamia-nut oil. The healthiest source of plantsignificantly higher in total CLA content compared derived saturated fat appears to be coconut, which is with conventional and even organic cheese. The a one-stop shop that provides oil for cooking, milk for healthiest part of dairy is likely the fat and the fatdrinking and mixing into recipes, and “meat” for eating. soluble vitamins A, D and K2 it offers. Therefore, if you

FEATURE : HIT WORKOUTS TO BLAST FAT

HIIT WORKSOUTS

TO BLAST FAT High-intensity interval training (HIIT), also called high-intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) or sprint interval training (SIT), is a form of interval training, a cardiovascular exercise strategy alternating short periods of intense anaerobic exercise with less intense recovery periods.

seeking at all. But what if we told you that eating more and incorporating HIIT training is that answer. Yes you read that right eating MORE, more of the good stuff that is. So it’s a win win, you’ll have the energy and nutrients to repair your body and the energy to give your workouts your all. Make sure your meals consist of a healthy portion of protein, a mixture of vegetables with a sprinkling of the white stuff(potatoes, pasta & bread). Follow those rough guidelines and don’t skip meals and you’ll be on to a winner. So here are your HIIT guides to add into your weekly routines, follow these and give them your all and the results will follow .

If you’re looking to strip away fat and make a difference to what you see in the mirror then HITT training is the answer. You’ve heard the saying that abs are made in the kitchen, this is true and without a clean diet 99% of people will struggle to get the results they want. But too many people strip their diet back so far that their body just goes into survival/starvation mode, as it thinks you’re hitting hard times. This leads to fat storage and not the results you’re

WORKOUT ONE • • • •

20 Minutes 45 Seconds of all out work for each exercise 15 Seconds rest between each exercise. Get a drink in between each round then go again, for 3 rounds in total

BURPEES, AIR SQUATS, BUTT KICKS, SIT- UPS, LUNGES

WORKOUT TWO • • • •

20 Minutes 45 Seconds of all out work for each exercise 15 Seconds rest between each exercise Get a drink in between each round then go again, for 3 rounds in total

PUSH –UPS, JUMPING JACKS, HIGH KNEES, TRICEP DIPS, SIT-UPS

WORKOUT THREE(OUTDOOR) ROUGHLY 15 MINUTES EACH • Park bench workout • 1 Minute jog, 30 second sprint • 20 Single leg step ups • 20 Squat jumps • 20 Tricep dips • 15 Push ups • 10 Star jumps • 20 High knees • CONTINUE UNTIL THE 15 MINUTES ARE UP

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FEATURE : BRAIN TRAINING FOR OCR

BRAIN TRAINING

SLEEP STRATEGY

Get yourself away from the Gunman WRITTEN BY

SAM HENDEN

FEATURE : BRAIN TRAINING FOR OCR

VISUALISATION In the last Brain Training article for ORM, we talked about threat and how to best overcome it. Today we’re going to cover how you can better manage threat in order to be at your optimal performance for race day.

MEDITATE

Following on from the last time we delved into the conversation of all things brain, it’s time for some practical tips to help you! Getting your brain to work with you come race day. The brain plays a major role in everything we do and every environment we find ourselves in. We can all relate to what our brain does or doesn't do come race day. We’ve all been there. The day we get up on the right side of the bed and things just seem to fall into place, in other words it's easy. However similarly we have all had the day where everything seems to be conspiring against us. We wake up on the wrong side of the bed, stumble to the kettle, stub our toe, get shampoo in our eye, dribble toothpaste down our front, our hair isn't doing what

we want, breakfast isn't right, we are late, everything is against us. This same is true on the race days when everything falls into place & you can do nothing wrong. You run a PERSONAL BEST TIME, you feel awesome, the stars are aligned (you could take on the world today). So why then a week later do you feel heavy, unsure and less capable? We cannot run the race we wanted, everything just feels hard, far away from being the world beater we were the week before. Our times are down, but we have had a decent week of training and eating good food but we can’t perform. Its only 2 weeks between races I can’t have lost any fitness, so what’s going on?BRAIN!

What happens on race day has so little to do with your body and so much more to do with your brain. How would you like to better understand your brain? The brain is looking for clarity on what you are doing, it wants a clear and simple understanding. From a simple brain science perspective give the brain some prediction and an appropriate response it feels safe and we are free to run our magic, however that’s not always so easy. Here is my personal 5 Step Pre-Race Ritual for optimising your mind- body connection:

FOR OCR

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FEATURE : BRAIN TRAINING FOR OCR

1. SLEEP It may seem obvious that sleep is beneficial. Even without fully grasping what sleep does for us, we know that going without sleep for too long makes us feel terrible, and that getting a good night's sleep can make us feel ready to take on the world. Scientists have gone to great lengths to fully understand sleep's benefits. In studies of humans and other animals, they have discovered that sleep plays a critical role in immune function, metabolism, memory, learning, and other vital functions.

2. MEDITATE With all the scientific evidence coming out in the past several years, meditation is becoming something that can’t be overlooked. As anyone who’s ever played a sport knows, the biggest opponent is always inside. Meditation gives you ways to come to terms with this opponent. It doesn’t matter what sport you play; any athlete can benefit from the positive benefits of meditation. Meditation research on athletic performance is still very much in its infancy. However, meditation has been shown to help in other areas that could relate to athletic performance. Every professional coach in the world should be looking at the thousands of studies that have shown the effectiveness of meditation. Phil Jackson, one of the all-time winning coaches in the NBA, has been using meditation for years with his players — he won 11 NBA championships. Here are a few reasons why every athlete should consider the practice Some of my huge benefits of meditation include: It helps you focus. Your focus will determine how you race. When you’re at the start line and you’re not focused,

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Sleep boosts your mental health. Hit the hay early for your mental well-being. It helps make your memory sharper. Talk about a relaxing way to fight an ageing brain. Research suggests that proper amounts of sleep can help your brain stay sharper and boosts your power of recall. Getting those Zzzs... puts you in a better mood. You’ve probably heard of feeling “hangry” - the emotional rage that happens when you’re hungry - but what about “slangry?” A September 2015 small study found that a lack of sleep can make it hard for you to regulate your emotions. Even fairly neutral stress triggers you would otherwise manage without anger

who knows how the race will go? Why not train your mind to focus? Meditation has been shown to increase states of focus within the brain. Every athlete, no matter what sport they are playing, could work on bettering their focus. It helps you cope with pain. High endurance sports do a number to your body. Meditation helps people cope with pain. It helps you deal with fear. Fears can hijack our minds from the present moment; this can lead to so many errors in sports. Meditation can help calm the fear centre of the brain known as the amygdala even when you’re not meditating. This information alone can help you come race day. It reduces our mind from ruminating. Ever have an awful race, miss the rig, felt slow? Fail hard? We all do. Sometimes it becomes hard to bounce back; we run obsessive thoughts through our mind. Meditation will reduce rumination; mediation will essentially help us reset are mind to focus on the present. It makes you resilient. The greatest athletes in the world are the most resilient; Everyone knows you have to fail over

may feel more intense without enough sleep. More Zzzs = a happier mood. It aids in decision making and it helps you focus on your everyday tasks. It will allow you to get stuff done. Sleep physically clears your mind. You take out the trash in your house, now let sleep take out the trash in your mind. Neurological science shows that your brain “clears” itself of “trash,” or bad toxins that accumulate over time when you sleep. Perhaps that’s why you feel so much better when you wake up from a good night’s rest. Ready to increase your (sleep) number, yet?

and over again until you succeed. Meditation helps you detach yourself from the negative thoughts that keep you from achieving your goals and reduce your stress. It helps to stabilise emotions. Countless studies have shown that people with more mindful traits are better able to stabilise their emotions and have better control over their moods. The competitive nature of all athletes causes them to have to deal with a roller coaster of different emotions. Why not embrace meditation and uses mindfulness throughout the race? It helps us to see our blind spots. Athletes train over and over again to perfect their craft. It’s one of the reasons why coaches exist; they are able to help you to see your blind spots. Our blinds sports cause us not to perform well, and meditation will you help recognise our blind spots. By recognising these blind spots, we can work on becoming better. Meditation could be that extra edge that helps you race awesome or helps you go the extra mile when you think you can’t. Why not incorporate it into your training regime? It just might make you a better athlete.

FEATURE : BRAIN TRAINING FOR OCR

3. VISUALISATION Visualisation is one of the primary technologies used in sports psychology. I’m a big believer in the phrase, “What happens out there is a result of what happens in here”. In simple terms, this means your performance is often the result of what’s happening inside your head, or more specifically the movies and soundtracks playing inside your head. Run the patterns you have seen many times before and your brain knows what to do. Tip 1 – Practice makes perfect Tip 2 – Visualise what you want One of the most powerful effects of good visualisation is that it programs the subconscious brain. You want to think of the subconscious brain as a self-guiding missile. When a self-guiding missile is fired, it starts moving towards its programmed target. As it moves towards its target it assesses its coordinates in relation to the target, and makes mini adjustments to correct its path. Our subconscious brain works in the

4. STRATEGY A method or plan chosen to bring about a desired future, such as achievement of a goal or solution to a problem. The art and science of planning and marshalling resources for their most efficient and effective use. The term is derived from the Greek word for generalship or leading an army. This is sense of giving your brain prediction and response as spoke about in my previous article, simply put the brain thrives from safety gaining prediction and response is the ultimate way to provide the brain with safety. Some useful and practical strategies I

same way. It identifies our coordinates and naturally moves us towards our target. The problem with most people is that they program their subconscious mind with negative coordinates. The visualise images of failure, they replay mistakes, they think about negative scenarios that might happen, and picture the negative consequences that may arise. Unfortunately, the subconscious mind doesn’t judge. It doesn’t say “those coordinates are negative so I’ll just ignore them”. In that way, it’s very similar to the GPS system in your car. The GPS doesn’t judge, it simply takes you to the programmed destination. The theatre of your mind is the one place where you can ensure success. You can execute skills flawlessly, you can dominate your competition, and you can ensure victory. By visualising success, you program your subconscious to move towards success. Tip 3 – Follow a system The nature of the mind is that it wanders. With practice, you will develop better

have used are having an outcome in mind before you start. Know what it will take to get you to your desired outcome.

• •

Apply This to Your Life • Practice strategy development by thinking about your own, personal circumstances (this can be great for race day). Complete the analyses below to think about your personal way forward. Here are some key questions to consider: • What are your personal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities or threats,

• • •

control of your visualisation, but you can really give yourself a leg up by following to a system. That way, if you fall down at any point of system, you can just pick up where you left off. The super simple visualisation system below also provides the perfect progression, essentially making sure you ease into your visualisation, and progressively build up to a potent finale. I’ve included a step in the system that allows you to link your visualisation to the physical world, essentially helping to bridge the gap between performing at your peak in your mind, and performing at your peak in the real world. 1. 2. 3. 4.

Physically relax Mentally relax. Connect to your ideal learning state. Visualise yourself performing at your absolute peak in the most real scenario for you. 5. Follow the system

and what are your "core competencies"? What are you capable of achieving if you put your mind to it? What are the "big picture" trends in your environment? How can you monitor or adapt to these external factors? Who are the people who are important to your success? What options do you have? Which of these should you consider?

Failing to prepare is preparing to fail, so follow these fool proof steps to avoid falling down.

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FEATURE : BRAIN TRAINING FOR OCR

5. GET YOURSELF AWAY FROM THE GUNMAN (AVOID THREAT)

•

We all know what are most threatening situations are, by understanding ourselves we can avoid these situations. In an ideal world, we can avoid those situations but if you can’t avoid them altogether at least remove yourself from the situation and get away from the gunman (threat). My best advice for this to start the journey of getting to know yourself even better. Is threat effecting you? What is threat? • The reduced ability to predict the future • Inability to create an appropriate response to the environment • Increased prediction without increased response This is where as coaches we help you reduce threat and give the ability to thrive in each environment of your life. What are the main causes of threat I hear you ask? • Something happening too fast • Something happening too slow • Unclear intent The 6 primary environments I work with clients are • Inner self: What you think, feel, hear, smell, see, visualise, inner dialogue read, what’s going on internally etc. • Outer self: Physical appearance including hair, teeth, skin, nails, body composition, posture etc. The naked self, you without your clothes on.

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•

Projected self: Clothing, possessions, jewellery, tokens, tattoos, etc. How you want to be seen in the world! We change this in different environments Home space: Everything in every room. Is your home set up in the best way for your success? Work Space: Everything you can influence. You may not be able to change everything at work but there is a huge part you can influence ‘Outer’ Space: Everything else

How does the environment shape our action?

ACTIONS CREATE RESULTS

- -

The outside world is completely unpredictable it is the best example of lacking prediction and response. We cannot control the outside world trying to do that is like pathological P&R its P&R gone mad. However, by understanding our values and exactly who we want to be in this world we can hugely influence it and ourselves. A little practical example... shit happens in your day, your boss dumps a load of crap on your desk 2 minutes before you go home. We have no control over that but by understanding ourselves and our values in the way we want to live our lives we regain huge influence over each situation and can use our values as a measure for our behaviour and stay responsive over reactive. Simply put we cannot control what happens but we can influence who we are when it happens. Making values one of the best ways to create prediction and response in a world that has very little.

- -

- - - - -

Our senses scan the environment They ask am I safe? and Identify any threat that may or may not be present This then sets the hedonic tone Hedonic tone is the degree of pleasantness or unpleasantness associated with a given subject, state, or circumstance. It is also known as positive or negative setting. Equaling am I safe? Or is this an environment that puts me on edge??? Am I being judged? This is usually emotionally (acceptance, connection and care) If you are safe it raises hedonic tone puts you in a good mood and all is well or it lowers the hedonic tone and puts you into a higher state of alert. Now for the fast bit Hedonic tone affects feelings Feelings affect thoughts Thought affects internal dialogue Internal dialogue affects your actions

REGULARS : FLASHBACK

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REGULARS : FLASHBACK

FLASHBACK This ones are real blast from the past that fills our hearts with joy and insparation. In this photo you can see three marshals (Nuclear angels) talking to a runner at 2014 Nuclear Races Rush event. They spoke to her for some time persuading her of the benefits of going down the slide and conquering her fears. The runner pictured is Rebecca Spencer a former head teacher who was embarking on her first OCR that day. She did in fact take the marshals advice and ever since then sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been hooked.

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FEATURE : WATER.. HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU BE DRINKING?

WATER...

Did you know that losing as little as 2% of your fluid in sweat can decrease your performance by 25%, studies have shown.

Therefore, it is imperative that you replace your losses by sweat correctly. Especially as the temperature starts to rise again, and endurance events become more common place, we need to nail our hydration. When the body becomes dehydrated, it starts to work hard to retain fluids lost through sweating by firstly decreasing urinary output. Dehydration also affects the cardiovascular system, resulting in a decrease in blood pressure and also an increase in your pulse. As a normal gauge, the average person should drink roughly eight large glasses of water a day as a minimum, this is without even taking in to consideration the amount you may have lost through exercise. Although this figure can be argued, and is seen as a little out dated, it's still good to have a target to aim for each day. It’s a great rule to start you out. Then, for every cup of coffee you drink, or caffeinated beverage, you should drink an extra glass of water to counteract it's diuretic

effects too. If you do intensively work out, you should also drink another glass per 30 minutes of exercise. We know it sounds like an awful lot of water, Like we said, it is just a rough gauge. But it's something to start out with. Once you learn your own body, you can go on from there, and tweak these amounts. Almost half of runners underestimate the fluid losses from sweat alone. How do you know if you’re dehydrated? The problem is, by the time you feel thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. If you ignore this first sign, and continue on you’re hurting yourself more than you can imagine. Ask yourself this.... how many people do you know who have had to DNF due to simple dehydration or cramping due to dehydration? Or even hypothermia as its effects on the body can be accelerated by dehydration. Most of these DNFs could have been avoided. Anyone can fall into this trap. The massive contributing factor to this can be a person overestimating their

fitness and thinking they’ll be able to get though without hydration. Water doesn’t care how fit or strong or young you are so...make sure you hydrate. If it’s a long event and you feel you'll need it then take a hydration pack along that you know you can race in. These come in all shapes and sizes now so you'll be able to find one that suits your needs. To put the effort in to preparing for an event for weeks or even months, then ignore something as simple as hydration, is crazy. Can you drink too much water? Yes. This is called hyponatremia, when levels of sodium in the body are so diluted that the cells begin to swell. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, headache, confusion and fatigue. This can escalate in to seizures and even a coma. This can be fatal, but it’s extremely hard to get to this point. Again, it’s all just a case of you listening to your body. Don't overdue it!!

So, the main takeaway is this....race as you train. If you train with water then you'll probably need it during your race as it's what your body knows. Train hard, tweak your water levels until you feel you have it right. Something as simple as water could make the difference between a fantastic race vs a DNF, or even worse. Don't let yourself fall into that trap!

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FEATURE : WATER.. HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU BE DRINKING?

HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU BE DRINKING?

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FEATURE : RUNFLEX

RUNFLEX

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FEATURE : RUNFLEX

Most people dream of having a job that ties in with their passion, to make a hobby into a way to earn revenue. This dream situation usually enables them to spend more time at the hobby they love. One such person to make this in to a reality is Mark Larkworthy one of the founders of RunFlex, a bespoke clothing design company specialising in making team kits and race wear that certainly stands out in the crowd. If you’ve attended any number of races then you’ll have likely come across an item of their clothing that they’ve designed. Originally founded to give teams and race directors the ability to have 100% unique kit that oozes the personality of the team but at a price that wont break the bank. Fully sublimated design allows for their imagination to go wild without the hassle of having to wash carefully like you have with ordinary thermal or screen print clothing. Hello Mark, thank you for making the time to talk to us. Now tell us what the process people have to go through when they first approach you to design a piece of clothing for them? Always a pleasure chatting with you guys, thanks for taking the time to speak to little ole RunFlex. Initially all new clients go through the gaffer. He discusses garment types, order sizes and most importantly costs and discounts with them. He also collects logo’s etc that I’ll need to get started and finds out any other important elements like preferred colours and slogans etc. After this I usually get involved and start asking all types of annoying questions before going to work on designs. How do you find the inspiration to help you to design each individual teams kit from? This can sometimes be quite difficult. I tend to get quite artsy fartsy and a bit of a drama queen about my designs. Usually the client has given me a rough idea of what they want whether it be just to tie into their logo or a full theme. Now and again I just get to run with my imagination. Unlike bigger companies we just have me to produce the designs so sometimes there can be a little wait before the design comes to me. I like to try and mentally visualise a certain garment before going to work on the computer. I don’t work in the traditional trained methods of artworking as I’ve basically trained myself with the help of YouTube although having a design degree is a bit of an advantage none of

my education involved computers or clothing so it’s been a learn as we go kind of deal. Anywho, I digress… Once I have a garment pretty clear in my mind I hit the computer. Usually trawling the internet for reference, now and again I go back to basics and just start drawing with good old pencil and paper before scanning and digitizing my work. Does it sound like I actually know what I’m talking about? Once I have one garment designed we usually send a 3D mock up to the client for approval. There are usually a few tweaks or adjustments to be made and once the client is happy I start creating the rest of the range. From start to finish we like to keep the client involved in case of adjustments and although it can take a while with changes and going back and forth we’d rather the client be entirely happy with the design

babies. It almost feels like I’m part of the team or club. Some designs come from happy accidents, the first Wrongens tech tops we’re an accidental amalgamation of two styles I was trying to work on at once. Frustration moved me to shove them together and the final design was born. Some others stand out to me for different reasons. Being brought up in the Military made designing kit for BAOCR, The RAF OCR Team and RN & RM an absolute honour. The cherry on the cake for these was being allowed to present my father and father in law their own RAF OCR Tech Tee’s as both served in the RAF, with permission of the RAF team of course. Another that stands out is a design we did for the lunatic Peter Marshall and his Combat Stress Charity work. He produced some commissioned artwork and a quote that was to go on the garment and let us loose with the rest. My latest favourite range is the new 2017 MUDCRO kit. It’s what I think I’ll be wearing a lot of in 2017

How does it feel seeing so many people out on the OCR circuit wearing your designs? It’s the strangest thing. I can still remember the first time I saw someone wearing one of our pieces. I felt like a little kid at Christmas. I’m sure I must have look like a proper nutcase. Ok, more of a nutcase than usual! Not being the best people person I tend to mumble something to the person wearing our kit as they run past me. I’m sure I just come across as a bumbling fool but it’s still the biggest rush to see our kit on strangers. I mostly see the stuff on my computer screen so when it’s right there in real life it’s a real buzz. Then I tend to stare a bit and try to make sure it all sits right on the garment. I think it drives the wife nuts at times.

What’s next for RunFlex, do you have anything in the pipeline and where do you see it going in the next two years?

What sort of kit can people have your/their designs put on to ? Pretty much anything. Our only real restrictions come down to the fabrics needed to use for sublimation print. Some garments by their nature wouldn’t lend themselves to sublimation print but I leave all of the tech stuff to the gaffer. He spent the best part of a year researching fabrics, stitching, garment paneling and half a million other things before we even got to making our first garments. He’s the one who knows all of the intricate details. As anyone who knows me knows, I’m just the one who makes things pretty. Do you have a favourite that’s stands out for you out of all the designs you’ve created? When I’m working on them they’re all my

More Team kit, more club kit and more new garments. We have a few designs already in progress for a number of clubs and a couple of hush hush secret projects that may or may not come to fruition. Realistically I think we’d like to eventually be in a position to pay ourselves at some point. Don’t get me wrong. We get the fancy kit and cheeky races which is more than I could hope for but it’s been a long hard and sometimes frustrating slog. I leave the gaffer to deal with pretty much everything apart from the design work and we both seem to be somewhat control freaks. At the moment it’s long hard days for both of us as orders and interest pick up. For me it’s not so bad as I have the creative outlet. The gaffer gets to look at numbers. I know which I’d rather be doing. Something most people don’t realize is that RunFlex is just 2 guys in their spare rooms 100 miles apart working on things whenever they have time outside of their regular jobs. We work 18-20 hour days mostly although we do take the occasional day off. Or at least I do. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that!!! So hopefully in two years we’ll be full time at RunFlex in a proper office and everything. For now we’re stoked people like our kit. So, if anyone thinks their team could do with that RunFlex sparkle this year feel free to message us or catch us at an event.

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WHAT RUNFLEX DO YOU CAN CHECK THEM OUT AT: /runflexUK/

/RunFlexUK

/runflexco.uk

runflex.co.uk

info@runflex.co.uk

Obstacle Race Magazine 41

REVIEW : NUCLEAR REACTION

NUCLEAR REACTION With a Nuclear reaction you’d expect a Blast, then a Rush, quickly followed by a blackout, then comes the Fallout and on to oblivion. But what happens when all these chain of events are put into place? An Nuclear adventure that’s what. Nuclear races are already known to be industry leaders when it comes to putting on top quality obstacle races. For example during their Nuclear Blackout event they use a huge Nuclear bunker during the race to add to the excitement and atmosphere, now that’s something you don’t get to run through every day. Although Nuclear Races already have an event to suit most peoples tastes they still want to continue to evolve to give everyone something that they want. This is where the brand new Nuclear Experience Days come in. Aimed at people who love adventure and have a thirst for new challenges while having truly

42 Obstacle Race Magazine

unique and memorable experiences. These can be booked as corporate days, team building days, stag & hen parties, hirthday parties and not to forget the experience days themselves.

WE SENT OUR REVIEWER FAY KELLY TO THE FIRST 24-HOUR NUCLEAR EXPERIENCE EVENT TO SEE WHAT THEY HAD UP THEIR SLEEVES. What really stood out for you about the experience for you ? It was completely different to what I expect from the event to be fair. It's based around working as a team and you got to know lots of the people around you. You were given a number on arrival, those numbers were also in a bag and picked out as the team leaders. Those team leaders then chose their team out of the bag. We were taught map reading and then sent off to grab logs marked on a map. We had to grab what we could

to be able to collect these logs. The logs that were the furthest away were worth more points. It was a great bonding experience. We then used the wood we’d collected to light a fire that we’d been taught to light ourselves. People were awarded tokens throughout the day for outstanding behaviour and team work. We then got to race around a sprint course full of obstacles, this was a great way for someone just to have a taste of what the Nuclear side of the event has to offer. Then it was time for some much needed rest. We were guided down into a huge nuclear bunker that was all set up as if people had just upped and left. It was really interesting to walk around the massive subterranean building, it made you feel it really was ready to go if there was an attack. I would recommend that anyone who fancies doing something a little different whether it be with their family, mates or work colleagues check these out. To find out more about future experience days go to: www.nuclearexperiencedays.co.uk

REVIEW : NUCLEAR REACTION

NUCLEAR OBSTACLE RUN EVENTS Nuclear Rush – 13th 14th May Nuclear Blast – 16th September Nuclear Blackout – 16th September Nuclear Fallout – 11th November More information at:

WWW.NUCLEAR-RACES.CO.UK

Obstacle Race Magazine 43

PROFILES : TO INSPIRE

TO INSPIRE Written by: LIZZIE SMITH

MUD, GUTS AND ME FROM OCR FUNDRAISER TO OCR ATHLETE IN ONE YEAR…

At the beginning of 2016, I decided to set myself a fundraising challenge… to complete a 10k Super Hero themed run every month throughout the year and take part in over 7 OCR events… little did I know that this would lead me to take part in Ninja Warrior UK, raise over £1,400 for a charity and qualify to represent the UK Elite Women at the European OCR Championships in 2017. It all begin with my first ever OCR in 2015, I took part in the Airfield Anarchy 10 mile and 15-mile event. Although extremely challenging after spraining my Cruciate Ligament, I pushed through to complete both courses. Thankfully

44 Obstacle Race Magazine

due to being a Physiotherapist I can treat any injuries sustained in OCR… bonus!!! From that moment, I knew OCR would become a major part of my life. I said to my personal trainer Aaron Lane, whose training with tyres article featured in Obstacle Race Magazine a few months ago, that my dream was to compete as an Elite in OCR. So, the true OCR training began…. tyres, kettlebells, monkey bars and countless amounts of burpees plus so much more. Even with all the support and enthusiasm

from my trainer, …. I never thought my dream would be possible. Why did I doubt this? I was diagnosed with a form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease called Crohn’s Disease at age 14. This means my body attacks my intestinal tract causing inflammation of the lining of the bowel… Yes, my body officially hates itself. There is no cure for the disease and it is a condition you have to live with throughout your life (which is mostly spent on the toilet!). Symptoms range from abdominal pain, severe diarrhoea, joint pain and fatigue. To manage the symptoms, I have had numerous amounts of strong

WHY DID I DOUBT THIS?

PROFILE : TO INSPIRE

DONATE AT: WWW.JUSTGIVING.COM/FUNDRAISING/EG-SMITH1 medications, prolonged periods of time on liquid feed and major abdominal surgery at age 24 to remove a section of my diseased bowel… (at least life is never boring) …I currently receive 8 weekly IV infusion treatments to suppress my immune system as a last resort to more surgery…. This wasn’t going to stop me raising awareness and money for a charity close to my heart and completing over 7 OCR events. This included The Major Series (twice) Zeus, Airfield Anarchy- where I completed the 5k,10k and 10

Mile, Survival of the Fittest and Pain + Suffering 10 mile++. The hardest by name and by nature was The Suffering Race! I was so happy to finish the race and was proud of my effort… an effort that ended up allowing me to qualify to represent the UK at the European OCR Championships in 2017, as an Elite…my dream had come true. I couldn’t believe it. I am now part of OCR KIT UK Race Team and have a sponsorship deal with KT TAPE UK…. And hoping to qualify to represent the UK at the World OCR Championship in 2017… Finally, the icing on the cake, I took part in the

I WAS SO HAPPY TO FINISH THE RACE AND WAS PROUD OF MY EFFORT…

audition process for Ninja Warrior UK, I applied never ever dreaming that I would get an audition and then I got accepted for the show. To take part in the hardest obstacle course on TV- I was so pleased to have made it to the 4th Obstacle until I mistimed the swing on to the cargo net and splashed epically into the water below. Warped Wall… I am coming for you next year!!! I hope that by reading this it inspires and empowers people that no matter what, whether you are injured, have an illness or just an OCR addict… obstacles no matter what they are, they don’t have to stop you, if you run into a wall, don’t give up, figure out how to climb it, get around it, go through it and conquer. OCR doesn’t discriminate.

Obstacle Race Magazine 45

FEATURE : NOTING CAN BEAT A GOOD CORE

NOTHING

CAN BEAT A

GOOD CORE Written by: Gemma Spackman head coach at Fundamental Sports and Fitness

During the winter months when the race calendar is a bit quieter, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a great time to focus on your core. Your core is key to injury prevention, improving your posture and of course will really give you the edge to conquering the more challenging obstacles. There are a variety of muscles in your body used to make up your core, from your hips all the way to your shoulders and the muscles that run the entire length of

your torso. They all play an important role in stabilising your spine and pelvis. Therefore, it is not only during competitive exercise and training your core is used, think about controlling it during everyday actions like walking, bending over and climbing the stairs. When you contract all these muscles together it creates a solid base and you can then produce powerful, strong and controlled movements. So, imagine the next time you need to jump over a vertical wall or carry tyres think about contracting all the muscles in your body to produce one powerful action. When you train, the exercises you perform are most effective when your torso works as an entire unit.

ABDOMINAL BRACING Reps 12-15

Sets 3

Rest 30 secs

Lay on your back with your knees bent, tilt your pelvis forwards/up to make sure you back is flat on the floor, pull in from your tummy button. Gradually increase the hold, squeeze and slowly release again.

46 Obstacle Race Magazine

What I mean by this is you are contracting the front and back of your body together at the same time. You then must exercise across the joints to stabilise the spine. Abdominal bracing is a good start (think about sucking your tummy button and pressing back), the trick is to make sure you breathe through the exercise as well. The exercises Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve put together in this session for you will work your core at different levels. Next time you are in the gym, remember your core is more than just having good abs and a six pack.Keep thinking about engaging and bracing your muscles even when you squat and deadlift as you are using multiple joints and muscles in one movement.

FEATURE : NOTING CAN BEAT A GOOD CORE

SPIDERMAN PLANK Reps 45secs

Sets 3

Hold a regular plank on your forearms and toes keeping a straight line between your shoulders, hips and feet. Brace your stomach. Alternate legs and bring your leg and knee round the side of your body, keeping your hips level (imagine youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re Spiderman climbing up a wall).

RUSSIAN TWIST Reps 12-15

Sets 3

Sit on the floor with your knees bent and lean back. Brace your stomach, the more you lean back the harder it will be. Hold a weight at your chest and slowly rotate side to side. For the extra challenge lift your feet off the floor - control your balance as you twist.

Obstacle Race Magazine 47

FEATURE : NOTING CAN BEAT A GOOD CORE

BIRD DOG Reps 12-15

Sets 3

Rest 60 secs

Get on to all fours on the floor. Have your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips. Keep your back flat by making sure your hips and shoulders are level, push all you weight down into the floor. Slowly raise alternate arm and leg, making sure your hips and shoulders donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t move. The tips for this exercise it to take it slowly and be controlled, imagine you have a tray of champagne glass on your back and you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t spill any of them.

SWISS BALL PLANK Reps 12-15

Sets 3

Put your forearms on the Swiss Ball and raise up onto your toes. Make sure you have a straight line from your shoulders, hips and toes, and your chest is raised up off the ball. Using a Swiss Ball adds instability to the regular plank and will really work your bracing ability to keep yourself stable.

48 Obstacle Race Magazine

FEATURE : NOTING CAN BEAT A GOOD CORE

SWISS BALL TWIST Reps 45secs

Sets 3

Lay down with your shoulders on the Swiss Ball and your feet on the floor. Squeeze your glutes to keep your hips level and tummy flat. Put your arms straight up in the air with your hands together, rotate from your middle twisting your body so you end up with one shoulder off the ball facing either left or right and repeat on the other side.

SWISS BALL ROLL OUT Reps 12-15

Sets 3

Rest 60 secs

On your knees with your fists on the Swiss Ball, slowly push forwards. As the ball moves forwards you will move from your knees to extend forwards. You need to brace your middle and keep your back straight, the more you move forwards the harder it will become. Once you have fully extended slowly pull back to the start position.

Contact: Gemma Spackman Email: gemma@fundamentalsportsandfitness.co.uk Website: www.fundamentalsportsandfitness.co.uk

Obstacle Race Magazine 49

FEATURE : SUPPLEMENT THE PERFECT RACE

50 Obstacle Race Magazine

FEATURE : SUPPLEMENT THE PERFECT RACE

Obstacle Race Magazine 51

ADVENTURE

IN SEARCH OF ADVENTURE To kick off the first installment of the new ORM Adventure section we’ve brought together a selection of the world best adventure races. Although these races would take time and focus to take part in none of them are out of reach.

WWW.SURVIVAL.RUN

SURVIVAL RUN NICARAGUA • •

March 11, 2017 Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua

SURVIVAL RUN NICARAGUA is an 80km+ Ultra Distance Survival Race on the volcanic jungles of Isla de Ometepe in Nicaragua. The objective of this race is to strip you of all comforts and to put you in true survival mode. The obstacles/challenges are natural and based on the daily survival of the traditional local culture of Nicaragua.

SURVIVAL RUN CANADA

SURVIVAL RUN AUSTRALIA

• •

August 25, 2017 Squamish, British Columbia, Canada

SURVIVAL RUN CANADA is an 100km+ Ultra Distance Survival Race on the granitic flanks of the Howe Sound fjord, in British Columbia, an hour north of Vancouver. This race will push you in ways you have probably never been challenged and take you to some of the most spectacular terrain that any race accesses. The obstacles/challenges are natural and based on the history and current adventure pursuits of the area. The race starts and finishes in the adventure sports hub of Squamish.

SURVIVAL RUN AUSTRALIA is not for those who question their own ability. It is a rugged 50km+ Ultra Distance Survival Race. The challenges are inspired by the daily survival of early Australians. We expect to see the world's best obstacle racers, sky runners, adventure racers, trail runners, survivalists and military personnel to go head to head in a battle of mental, physical and emotional endurance.

REDBULL NEPTUNE STEPS

meters so as you can imagine you are fighting a pretty fierce current at some of the locks. Redbull always pull out all the stops to make the day one to remember. The first obstacle is actually getting signed up as the entries usually sell out within a few hours.

• •

March 18, 2017 Glasgow, Scotland

Set on a stretch of canal that has 8 locks in a 450 stretch. You swim to each lock and scale each one in a different way. These include cargo nets, rope ladders and climbing walls to name a few. The water height change over the course is 105

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November 25, 2017 Sydney, Australia

WWW.REDBULL.COM

ADVENTURE

TRANSVULCANIA • •

May 13, 2017 Faro de Fuencaliente, La Palma

The race of races of Transvulcania. The route begins at Faro de Fuencaliente until the finish line, located in Plaza de España – Los Llanos de Aridane. With any doubt, Transvulcania is one of the toughest trail running races in the world,with a distance of 74.33 kilometers and 4,350 meters of positive cumulative gain and 4,057 meters of negative cumulative gain. From its start line,located at sea level, the course climbs to Roque de los Muchachos (2421 m.), the highest point on the Island, then descends to Tazacorte and ends in Los Llanos de Aridane where the finish line is something amazing where you’re surrounded by lots of people and a massive fan fare.

WWW.TRANSVULCANIA.INFO

FAN DANCE(SUMMER) •

JULY 1 DAY & NIGHT + 2 DAY, 2017

The Fan Dance is a gruelling 24km non-navigational race over two sides of Pen Y Fan, the highest mountain in the Brecon Beacons. This infamous route has long been a part of SAS (Special Air Service) and SBS (Special Boat Service) Selection and is considered the yardstick of a candidate's potential to perform well on Test Week and ultimately pass the Special Forces Selection programme. Starting at the iconic old red phone box the race goes straight up to the summit checkpoint of Pen Y Fan and, after descending "Jacob's Ladder", continues along an undulating stone vehicle track (the "Roman Road") to the second checkpoint which also serves as a tea stop and turnaround point. Then, taking the route in reverse, racers climb back up "The Fan" via Jacob's ladder and pass through the summit checkpoint a second time before legging their way back down to the finish at the old red phone box. 1st July Fan Dance -1st July Fan Dance Exercise High Moon night march -2nd July Fan Dance • Two Fan Dances over a weekend= Double Tap • Fan Dance and High Moon = Fan Dance Black Edition • Two Fan Dances and High Moon in middle = Fan Dance Trident

WWW.THEFANDANCERACE.COM

SLATEMAN TRIATHLON • •

May 20 – 21 May, 2017 Snowdonia National Park, Wales

Set in the beautiful but unforgiving Snowdonia National park. Although it’s distances of 1000 meter swim, 51 kilometer cycle and 11km run don’t seem much, its known for being one of the toughest triathlons on the circuit. When you take in to account where it takes place and the massive elevation the course is spread across you’ll then understand why it’s such a huge challenge. Although it is such a brutal challenge it doesn’t stop it selling out every year.

WWW.SNOWDONIASLATEMAN.COM

MAN VS LAKES •

JULY 15, 2017

This 26.2 is like nothing you will have ever experienced. You enter the Lake District by crossing the quicksands of Morecambe Bay, before heading North through mountainous country on a route that is described as being like riding a rollercoaster. This brings you to the foot of Englands most famous lake. But you wont be in for a steady jog around the shore line on this one, what follows is a shore to shore crossing of Windermere. You then proceeed to climb higher into the hills and through the forests. You’ll face a vertical kilometer and a floating assault course along the way. Certainly not for the faint of heart .

MAN VS MOUNTAIN SUPERHUMAN GAMES •

JUNE 3, 2017

•

SEPTEMBER 2, 2017

A hybrid event that crosses the best of Crossfit and OCR. Same sex pairs compete together across 6 x 20 minute multi fitness challenges accessible to athletes of all backgrounds and disciplines. Challenges will range from tyre flips and burpees to rowing and running to deadlifts and atlas stones to a 400m assault course. Pairs will complete as many rounds/reps as they can within 20 minutes.

If you’ve ever found yourself wondering what it would be like to make reaching the summit of Snowdon harder, well you’re a nutter. But if you do fall into that category then you’ll love Man Vs Mountain. The course starts in the stunning grounds of Caernarfon Castle and makes its way up to the summit of Snowdon. Easy, we hear you say. Well not exactly your hit body punishing obstacles and also a vertical kilometre that’s enough to make grown men cry. Covering a distance of 22 miles and 5055ft of assent its not one to take on lightly.

WWW.SUPERHUMANEVENTS.COM

WWW.RATRACE.COM

WWW.BEYONDTHEULTIMATE.CO.UK

ICE ULTRA – BEYOND THE ULTIMATE • •

FEB, 2018 Lapland, Sweden

230KM of self supported racing on foot taking you straight through the Arctic circle. You'll be running through Europe’s last remaining wilderness. The Arctic is a place that few of us will ever go let alone get to run at. You'll be battling cold so raw and real that it will burn your skin and freeze your eyes if you let it. Finishing this race is truly a matter of life or death and will test your will to its limits.

JUNGLE ULTRA – BEYOND THE ULTIMATE • •

JUNE, 2018 Amazon Rainforest

230KM Self supported foot race through the primal Amazon rainforests. Beginning at the Andes and making its way to the Amazon – Peruvian Rainforest. Covering tough jungle trails at best and unforgiving dense forest for most of it. You’ll be battling temperatures of 40c and humidity levels nearing 100%, making sweat useless in maintaining your bodies core temperature. You’ll be carrying your own hammock, sleeping bag, food and supplies for the ENTIRE race, being forced to replenish your much needed 2.5 litres minimum of water along the way.

DESERT ULTRA – BEYOND THE ULTIMATE • •

NOV, 2018 Namib Desert

With a 250km course set in the dry heat of the Namib Desert, the Desert Ultra provides a phenomenal challenge to those who are willing to take it. Beginning close to the magnificent Spitskoppe Mountains, you will experience the hostile nature of the Desert as you travel 98km during the first two stages alone. As the race progresses you will travel through stretching grasslands, push your leg muscles as you face relentless rolling sand dunes and cross the Ugab River, an underground river flowing above the surface only a few days a year, all to the majestic background of a volcano and mountain ranges. With temperatures reaching 35°C it isn't just the distance and sand dunes that you will have to compete with to finish the Desert Ultra! As a self-sufficient race you will be responsible for carrying all of your kit and equipment for the entire race, which includes a sleeping bag, food, safety equipment and a minimum of 2.5 litres, available to re-fill at various checkpoints and water stations along the route. Carrying equipment in the heat of the desert is tough and will require a high standard of mental and physical endurance if you are to succeed in this race!

Obstacle Race Magazine 53

KIT TESTING : A WATCH FOR YOUR ADVENTURES

A WATCH

FOR YOUR ADVENTURES

INTRODUCING THE GARMIN FĒNIX 5S, FĒNIX 5 AND FĒNIX 5X After the huge success of the Garmin Fenix 1,2 and 3+HR, with the 3 being the one that was pretty much perfect for any adventure racers needs. Who would have thought they could top that success but with their latest offerings it seems like the perfect just turned in to the beyond perfect. Garmin have just announced their next edition to their multisport watch range with the fēnix 5, 5S and fēnix 5X. Yep you read that correctly THREE new watches. These watches are designed with athletes and adventurers of ALL sizes in mind. If there was one thing that got fed back a lot about the Fenix 3 it was that it was a little bulky for smaller wrists, so Garmin have introduced the fēnix 5S, which is lighter, sleeker and smaller than previous models – perfect for the smaller wrists without sacrificing any of the multisport functionality. The next in line is the fēnix 5X which

54 Obstacle Race Magazine

boasts preloaded wrist-based mapping. Then there’s the compact fēnix 5, like other fēnix watches in the series so far, it is feature-packed for training and many sports, ready to take on any challenge with its new athletic design. All of the fēnix 5 models are still designed with 24/7 wear -ability in mind with new extended battery life for daily activity tracking. Users can even more easily switch between stylish leather and metal accessory bands to sporty silicone in seconds and without tools, thanks to the new QuickFitTM bands. All of the new fēnix 5 models come preloaded with multisport features for running, cycling, swimming, skiing and more. In addition to the wide variety of sports profiles, all three fēnix 5 models have daily activity tracking, so users can wear their fēnix as a daily timepiece and a rugged training tool. Built-in navigation

features include a barometric altimeter, 3-axis compass and gyroscope. In addition to the multiport and training features, the fēnix 5, 5S and 5X boast a variety of smart connected features. When paired with a compatible smartphone, users can get call, text and email smart notifications right on their wrist. All fēnix 5 models are compatible with Connect IQ so users can customise their watch with apps, widgets, data fields and watch faces. To take watch faces one step further, fēnix 5 watches are compatible with the Face It app, so users can set their favourite photo as their watch face.

ROUND UP:

In brief it’s a watch you can put through hell and I'll come out of the mud smiling as much as you do. Although it’s a big investment it's one that youll never regret.

KIT TESTING : A WATCH FOR YOUR ADVENTURES

HEART RATE TRAINING TO GET THE MOST FROM YOUR WATCH A heart rate monitor can help to ensure that you don’t work too hard – or take it too easy! – in training sessions. Depending on the session, your target heart rate will be anywhere between 60 and 95% of your maximum. To know your target heart rate though, you’ll need to know your maximum. If you’re very overweight or a complete beginner, it’s best to use the very approximate formula of 214-(0.8 x age) for men and 209-(0.9 x age) for women to estimate your maximum. Unfortunately for 5-10 per cent of the

population this figure can be wrong by up to 24 beats per minute. It’s much better to find your maximum through running. Do this by warming up, then running as fast as you can evenly for three minutes (ideally on a treadmill), then resting with two or three minutes gentle running, then repeating your three minute maximal run. During your second run you should get a higher maximum heart rate than with any other method – though use your heart rate monitor to take readings throughout it, as your heart rate may peak before the end.

FĒNIX 5 AND 5S RRP: £499.99

WHAT HEART RATE TO TRAIN AT

• 60-70% Long, slow runs – up to

65% the body is teaching itself to burn fat as fuel (useful for marathons). Anything from 1-3hrs.

There are three broad training zones:

FĒNIX 5 SAPPHIRE RRP: £589.99

WITH METAL BAND SELECTION

RRP: £729.99

FĒNIX 5S SAPPHIRE

RRP: £589.99

WITH GREY SUEDE BAND

RRP: £599.99

FĒNIX 5X SAPPHIRE RRP: £629.99

• 60-75% – easy • 75-85% – moderate • 85-95% – hard But… don’t fall foul to a common misconception: these aren’t percentages of your overall maximum heart rate – they’re percentages based on your working heart rate. It makes a big practical difference to a regular runner. It’s easy to do, but it takes more explanation than most gyms want to deal with.

HOW TO FIND YOUR TRAINING ZONES 1. Find your maximum heart rate (see above e.g 206 2. Find your resting heart rate (laying still, soon after you wake up. Ideally take an average over a few days) e.g 56 3. Subtract the resting rate from the maximum. This figure is your working heart rate. e.g 20656=150 4. Take whatever percentage of your working heart rate that you’re aiming for (e.g 60% for an easy run e.g 150x0.60=90), and add it to your resting heart rate e.g 90+56=146. The final figure is your personal target heart rate.

SAMPLE SESSIONS

TO LEARN MORE GO TO: WWW.GARMIN.COM/FENIX

• 60% Recovery run – dead slow. It

may feel biomechanically odd at first, but it’s important. 30-40 minutes.

• 70-85% Fartlek – speedplay

(moderate-paced runs with random fast bursts). 30-60 minutes.

• 85-90% Approx 5K-10K pace -

Sample sessions: 6 x 800m peaking at 90% in each rep; 5 x 2000m peaking at 85% in each rep.

• 95% Peak heart rate at 400m rep pace (not full-out race pace). Sample session: 12 x 400m with 200m jog recoveries, making sure recovery heart rate drops to at least 70%.

NB: you can’t usefully use a heart rate monitor to pace intervals below 1000m – rather, the figures above 85% are a guide to what you can expect to reach at the end of each repetition.

IF THE TARGET PACE SEEMS WAY TOO SLOW… 1. You may not be using an accurate maximum heart rate (if you’ve estimated it). Add 12 beats your theoretical maximum and try the calculations again.

or... 2. You may be using percentages of your maximum heart rate rather than your working heart rate (see above).

Obstacle Race Magazine 55

REGULARS : HEALTH HACKS

HEAL H HACKS PROTEIN NOODLES by OOMI NOODLES oomi have produced a noodle that contains 75% less carbohydrates than your average noodle, but also manages to pack a serious protein punch, with nearly 13g of high quality protein per serving. These noodles are a winner for everyone living an active and healthy lifestyle. The low carbohydrate levels of oomi are great news for waistlines, whilst their superior protein source, sustainably sourced white fish, provides important nutrition that helps keep hunger at bay and enables your body to recover faster, whether from a tough kettlebell session or a sportive cycle ride, so you can move on to your next challenge.

RRP: £2.09 (2X 115GRAM)  AVAILABLE FROM: OOMINOODLES.COM (TESCOS & OCADO)

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56 Obstacle Race Magazine

REGULARS : HEALTH HACKS

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buddies and teammates join, you can see their schedules and plan accordingly. You can keep your own information for each event, both note form and actual race data that you enter. And, you will be able to enter your own events and any events to the database that we have missed. Search for OCR Buddy and start planning your obstacle course race calendar.

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REVIEW : JUDGEMENT DAY

JUDGEMENT DAY

TEAM EVENT REVIEWED BY: ALEX DUESBURY PHOTOGRAPHY BY: MYBIBNUMBER

58 Obstacle Race Magazine

REVIEW : JUDGEMENT DAY

POEM T BEFORE TWAS THE NIGH

… JUDGEMENT DAY

book And all through Face s stirring wa t en um Not an arg ook sh s Not an athlete wa e with care placed into the lak en be d ha rns The unico re the be ms would soon In hope that the tea beds, stled, snug in their Team ORM were ne ir heads the in ed nc da s carrie Whilst visions of log JD in red, d… Mudstacle in yellow, at Pippingford ahea yRobes for the day Dr ir the d cke pa t Had jus elite en, no mention of Not a chip to be se es of “cheat!” cri no s, ltie na pe No fast lanes, no d fun day of teamwork an Approaching was a tion to be won… ca alifi qu no l, da No prizes but a me

with a clatter , #ORMAlexa arose urs of the morning And in the dark ho ter not fat cision to be fit and Questioning her de dark the d an ld co the in Packing her car R lark… to re-think this OC She was beginning

REVIEW : JUDGEMENT DAY

60 Obstacle Race Magazine

REVIEW : JUDGEMENT DAY

Most people who know me will be aware that I have attributed to the fact that so many are so passionate an excellent track record for entering things that I know about the sport, where it is, and in what direction it very little about. Most, in various running communities, needs to move in in order to progress. The lack of embrace this spontaneity, whilst the majority would standardisation of courses only impacts upon this probably label it stupidity. I have to admit, of late, my further – every race is different, every race director race choices and “blag it” approach has resulted in some is different, every race has different obstacles, rules, extremely challenging “fun days out”. My scarce research marshals, weather, and its human nature to compare. beyond looking at the medals, lack of experience with Not every race will be perfect, and Judgement Day Judgement Day, my limited interest in running outside themselves had recently faced backlash following the in the cold (those of you who run at Christmas are far UK championships. But, it is this diversity amongst better people than me) and my usual “yeah go on then, courses that also paves the way for new additions sign me up” approach, meant that fall outside of that I quite honestly had no idea the typical OCR race what was in store. For all I knew, ... THIS DIVERSITY AMONGST blueprint, and it is COURSES THAT ALSO PAVES THE my teammate #ORMBecky this very community, could have entered me into the “OCR family” WAY FOR NEW ADDITIONS THAT the Unknown. To be perfectly which, at times, FALL OUTSIDE OF THE TYPICAL honest, having finally switched appears anything OCR RACE BLUEPRINT off for the festivities, the but, that same weekend before Christmas I collection of people was questioning my early start for the sake of a race. But, who so frequently disagree on social media, who with the opportunity to run alongside one of my team became the core, the heart and the soul of this “race”, mates, and having had a friend even organise a car share summarising the concept of teamwork. pretty much on my doorstep for the 4-hour drive to I had expected that there would be some teams Pippingford, I had no excuse. who took the race seriously, and I did wonder whether Car sharing can be somewhat awkward when you my own team would be flying around the course with don’t know the others, but from the minute I met my little regard for fun, but I was pleasantly surprised. new car buddies, both from my area but people who I’d Upon entering the event village, the atmosphere never met, it was hilarious and so much fun. We laughed was excellent. With a huge fire pit, ropes for climbing, non-stop there and back, mainly at Rob’s expense, and Judgement Day backdrop walls, music, MC’s, plenty credit must be given to both of them for putting up with of alcohol and lots of people dressed up in weird and me. I’m a chatterbox at the best of times, but having wonderful festive (and a lot of completely un-festive) drank a lot of coffee and eaten a copious quantity of fancy dress, it was a lovely, relaxed atmosphere and felt sweets, both of them really deserved another medal more like a finish than a start. Myself and #ORMBecky for managing to transport me to and from Pippingford were running with members of Team Rocket, and with a (small) smile on their faces and without having to so #ORMRocket collected our map and mandatory resort to abandoning me at a service station or putting objects to be carried around the course – a sandbag and me in the car boot. a tyre, with the addition of a log after the first obstacle. Somewhere along the way, I managed to ascertain Amongst the thick mist encasing Pippingford Park, that indeed, this was not a race, but a challenge, as the countdown reached 1, the teams scattered in involving map reading, self-navigation and…some different directions, runners heading to opposite ends other stuff – still vague, as neither Emma nor Rob with most teams all having decided a different point on had taken the time to look either. Despite knowing their 10-obstacle checklist that they would focus upon that it was a team challenge, a partnership between first. I struck gold with my team – all of them strong Judgement Day and British Military Fitness, I still had enough to run uphill with our heavy sandbag, keeping my reservations. After all, this is the OCR community. the pace up on what was an extremely cold day! As is prevalent in any sport with any element of Regardless of this, we couldn’t escape a compulsory competition, and more so amongst our small water crossing for all team members, but soon warmed community, disagreements arise. It’s hard to ignore up thanks to some of the…unique…obstacles! the tirade of negativity which so frequently seems Amongst some regular favourites – rope to envelop OCR, but quite often I believe this can be climbs, Irish tables and walls for both the team

and the obstacles, the atmosphere of the race was undoubtedly heightened by Judgement Day’s “obstacle” innovation. As a community, it seems we are often encouraging our race directors to be inventive, but I must say, Nuclear can keep their Helix on this occasion…the award goes to JD’s Christmas hut for me. Heading into the hut that I recognised from the photos of the Unknown fairly early on in the challenge meant that I was still a little unsure at this point what exactly was in store. Selecting a number, and being handed a piece of paper with song lyrics corresponding to the number… the hut filled with the opening notes of Band Aid’s “Do they know it’s Christmas?” and the JD staff looked on with amusement as we made a (poor) attempt to tunefully recite the song without completely butchering it. It certainly provided staff, marshals and participants a good laugh, and hearing other teams’ songs echoing from the hut put us all in the festive spirit! A close second for me was the BMF coaching session. As we did team sprints, lines of tricep dips on each other’s knees, a team plank in a long line, overhead log squats and inverted wall press-ups…it was surprisingly difficult and even harder not to collapse into fits of laughter! Our “PT” Liza was brilliant – and still strict! We were glad of the warm up approaching the next obstacle, a lake crossing, which Tim from Team Rocket volunteered to do. In a net in the middle of the lake was a pile of pink unicorns - which seemed to be the golden prize for the day as teams proudly clutched their dirty, mostly deflated, pink unicorn inflatables. I had nothing but sympathy for Tim, and the other team volunteers who took on the lake swim, as it was bitterly cold! We posed for a photo, warmed Tim up and carried our unicorn to the end with satisfaction, when it was donated to me, and now sits proudly in my home. Our final obstacle was the hoist, followed by the slack line. The usual OCR suspects, but as always, great fun. Even more challenging was completing them with the log, tyre, sandbag, unicorn and map, but as a team, and as did the other teams, we completed it with a little co-operation, laughter and crossed the finish line to be presented with our huge, heavy, festive medals, a colourful reminder of the day. And yet, it was the final element of the day, separate to the race, which encapsulated the spirit of the Judgement Day team challenge for me: as the day darkened, a mass snowball fight initiated by giant inov-8 wearing penguins out broke in Pippingford Park, narrated by MC Young Henry…

Obstacle Race Magazine 61

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Obstacle Race Magazine 63

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Obstacle Race Magazine 65

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* No cash alternatives. Spuddy Media and Obstacle Race Magazine will not be held responsible for any losses incurred due to any subscription offer events being cancelled. 300 Platinum subscriptions are available on a first come, first served basis. Wrag, beanie, vest and gym bag designs may differ from those displayed. By purchasing a subscription, you agree to your name and email address being shared with the companies who are included in these packages. Your details will not be shared with any third parties. Subscription will start with Issue 19 at the end of January 2017. Subscription package prices are subject to change. *excludes elite waves.

REVIEW : MACTUFF

MACTUFF REVIEWED BY NICOLA CALLISON PHOTOGRAPHY: ANDREW LAMBIE / DEREK WHITTINGHAM / GEORGE ROSIE

68 Obstacle Race Magazine

REVIEW : MACTUFF

Obstacle Race Magazine 69

REVIEW : MACTUFF

The 2017 OCR season went off with a bang, quite literally, with fireworks on the start line of MacTuff on 8th January. This was merely the second year for the Scottish race which had attracted entrants from all over the UK and Europe, including the current Irish Champion and a selection of the elite Belgian race team. Attracting international athletes is practically unheard of in Scotland, with only a handful of smaller ‘up and coming races’ and the odd big brand race, it’s not usually a location that the majority will travel to. MacTuff has managed to do this for a second year running, leaving racers more than satisfied with that post-race buzz we all crave! Arriving at the race, there was ample free parking available for all racers and spectators on tarmac (which is something of a luxury at most races!) and less than five minutes’ walk to the event village. Upon getting to the building where registration was held there was, however, a long queue outside- as the race has a mass start with no staggered waves it did mean queuing was inevitable with racers arriving around the same time to register. The queue went relatively quickly and we were given our goody bags and timing chips and directed to where the free bag drop, key drop and indoor changing was. This area was placed right next to the start line and was in a permanent building with heaters placed around

70 Obstacle Race Magazine

the room - a nice bonus when doing a winter OCR as try your luck with the dozen or so American footballers there is nothing worse than finishing a race cold, wet eagerly awaiting a take-down opportunity. There was and having to walk any length to reach a bag drop or an option to run past them if racers were not keen on changing area! doing this. After this encounter the running continued Before the start of the race there was a great into the trails alongside the race track, again, with little atmosphere that is ever present at Scottish OCR’s obstacles to break up the running. The event staff with volunteers making sure everyone was ready had listened to the feedback from their first race and and knew where they were going. purposely kept the first couple After chatting and lots of New THE FIRST 2KM WERE RUN of kilometres obstacle-free Year catch-ups, racers were called an attempt to break up the MOSTLY ON THE RACING in to the start line - this was placed pack and prevent bottleTRACK AND WITHOUT on the track of Knockhill Racing necking early on. ANY BIG OBSTACLES. Circuit. Once everyone was in Soon enough the place there was a quick warmup uninterrupted running was taken by Scott Brown of SBF Fitness which didn’t drag over, and racers were faced with a sandbag carry that on and got us ready to race. There was a slight delay seemed to be never ending. Up and down muddy hills, to the start and racers were left standing for around over a shipping container, through the rocky stream, 10 more minutes but this was quickly forgotten about under a cargo net and finally up and down more muddy when the iconic pipe band face off began in true hills! It was extremely energy zapping and set the scene Scottish style. As the pipers approached the start for what was to follow… pulling a car. A full sized race line facing the racers, fireworks and blue smoke flares car. There were four cars for racers to choose from and were set off. It is one of the only races that gives you they had to be pulled over a specified line, coming out goose bumps at the start and gets you fired up for the of the brutal sandbag carry and being faced with this race ahead! challenge was a special kind of evil! After the car pull The first 2km were run mostly on the racing track there were a few smaller obstacles (compared to what and without any big obstacles. The first obstacle was to had been thrown in so far!) such as rope climb, cage

REVIEW : MACTUFF

traverse and some boggy trails just in case your legs treats!) even on a cold and windy day which gave you were still feeling alright. the much needed mid-race morale boost. The first experience of queuing for an obstacle By this point in the course racers expected to see was at the weaver, which continued to worsen after water stations but there had been a problem with most of the front runners had passed through. This transporting the water onto the course after the race was frustrating for runners but there has only been one had started which left many participants gasping for appearance of a weaver obstacle in a Scottish race, a drink - maybe for something stronger than water! therefore a lot of runners did not There was no one more disappointed know how to approach it which than the event organisers in hearing … LOTS AND LOTS OF lengthened the queues further. this and something that won’t happen HILLS, MUD, MARSH Into the woods (more leg breaking again on a 14km course. AND BOGS boggy trails!) where the sternum After the section full of obstacles checker and spiders web obstacles was out of the way it was a lengthy run followed by the unique highland reel - a wooden reel through marshland to attack the already exhausted with climbing holds to get up and over the reel starting legs. The use of terrain was praised widely by everyone from a ditch of water - one of those ‘harder than it that took part; “MacTuff makes the best use of the looks’ obstacles. Out from the woods came an obstacle natural terrain… lots and lots of hills, mud, marsh and heavy section of monkey bars, ninja bars, a rope bogs”. climb wall and around a dozen switchbacks which also One of the final obstacles was a spine chilling 75 included a tyre carry. metre swim across a deep quarry that stood in the As MacTuff had been given status as a World’s and middle of the track grounds. There was no way to European qualifier race there were marshals stationed prepare for the freezing January temperature of the on each compulsory obstacle whereby they would water, with one experienced racer saying “the swim has record a time penalty against your name if you failed to be the coldest water I have ever been in, I forgot how said obstacle. All of the marshals on the course were full to breathe out!” There were two divers and at least 3 of energy and encouragement (and armed with sweet marshals at either end of the quarry, with the option to

put on a life vest which reassured participants and most importantly put safety first. After a shock to the system racers didn’t have much time to get their muscles working again as the last few hurdles of MacTuff consisted of steep hills, a rope swing and climbing tractor tyres stacked three high (which does prove somewhat problematic when you can’t feel your limbs!). The race finished with a short run along the main racetrack, ending in the event village. From an overall view of the course the general feeling from everyone who took part can be summed up perfectly with this; “MacTuff was full of passion… every single obstacle had a bit of the MacTuff team in it… the passion the MacTuff team have for OCR both as organisers and taking part is what makes this event. The course was tough but achievable and excellent value for money”. Anyone looking for a real challenge which is a breath of fresh air from the technically packed races that are quickly becoming the norm in OCR and want to experience a gritty, raw and spirited race then MacTuff is the perfect choice, and one which participants this year won’t forget in a hurry. MacTuff should definitely be the first event you take on in 2018.

Obstacle Race Magazine 71

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RECIPES

LET’S GET

COOKING

Powered by MOUNTAIN FUEL Balanced Nutrition for all your activities www.mountainfuel.co.uk . These are delicious recipes in their own right and perfect fuels to take to your events.

EASY COOK

CORNED BEEF

The perfect winter warmer you can put in the oven and spend a Saturday afternoon training and it’ll be ready when you get back. Grab a tin of corned beef and vegetable and you’re half way there. It doesn't get much easier than that! What I like to do now is to put the corned beef in the oven at 150C because it is a controlled temperature. Sometimes (even with gas stoves) it’s hard to monitor the temperature correctly and can easily lead to undercooking cooking. This is also what makes the slow cooker a perfect cooking vessel for an easy corned beef recipe. If you do decide to use a slow cooker then just set it on high for about 4 hours and it should be a cracking meal for four of you. So here it is… You will need: • 2 tins of corned beef • 1 cup of white wine • 3 cups of chicken stock • 3 sprigs of thyme • 4 sprigs of parsley • 1 small head of cabbage • 2 carrots • 8 small potatoes • Tinned sweetcorn • Egg Method: Turn your oven on to 1500C. Take the corned beef out of the package. Place in a large heavy bottomed pot or the slow cooker and cover with the liquids. Check to see if the beef is seasoned, if not then don’t forget a little salt and a generous grind pepper. Add in the fresh herbs. Slice the cabbage, cut the carrots in a large dice size and either quarter or half the potatoes depending on the size. Add in all the vegetables. Place in the oven for 3 hours or slow cooker for 4 hours. If using the oven then once it's been cooking for 3-4 hours you’ll need to take it out of the over and give it a good stir, do this while its still nice and hot. The beef should fall apart and vegetables should be nice and soft. Crack an egg over the top in an oven proof dish and cook for a further 5 minutes to make it a protein packed recovery meal.

74 Obstacle Race Magazine

3-4H

Cooking time with 15mins prep

RECIPES

SERVES

GROUND

BEEF

MEATBALLS

Cooking time and 15mins prep

When you think of really good beef meatballs, most people think of classic Italian meatballs! Even better is spaghetti and meatballs. The perfect meal to recharge after a heavy week of work and training, ready for a weekend of racing.

You will need: Meatballs

• tablespoon olive oil • 2 small onions

Marinara Sauce: Start on this while the meatballs are still cooking.

• 2 pounds of ground beef

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 1/4 cup of finely minced onion (held back from

• basil or 1 cup packed

Heat a large sauce pan or oven pot on a medium heat.

• Salt & Pepper

Dice the remaining onion and add into the pot with the olive oil.

the marinara sauce) • 2 slices of white bread, crust removed • 1/4 bread crumbs

Method:

• 1/3 - 1/2 cup whole milk

Turn the oven on to 2300C.

• 2 eggs

Season with a pinch of salt. Sauté for a few minutes, until they soften.

Take the bread and cut it up. Place in a bowl with the bread crumbs and cover with the milk and wait until it's all absorbed.

Mince the garlic and add into the pot with the onions. Sauté for about a minute.

• 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese • 1/4 cup chopped parsley • 2 tablespoon chopped oregano • 1 teaspoon red chili flakes • 1 teaspoon garlic powder • Salt & Pepper Marinara Sauce • 2 cans of crushed tomatoes

Make the meatballs by combining all of the listed under meatballs. Make the meatball shapes by forming 1 1/2 inch balls and packing nice and tight. You should get about 18 of them. Lay out on a roasting pan, baking sheet or whatever you have that it fits in. Place in the oven for about 15-20minutes.

Add in the crushed tomatoes, a couple pinches of salt, the basil and red chili flakes. Simmer for 15 mins. At this point, the meatballs should be done or at least be resting. Place them in the marinara sauce and simmer for 30 minutes. This allows the meatballs to flavour the sauce and also finish cooking all the way through.

Obstacle Race Magazine 75

REGULARS : INDUSTRY NEWS

THE

NEWS Y R T S U D IN

All the news that you need to know from the Obstacle Course Racin

g industry

UNITED STATES OBSTACLE COURSE RACING CHAMPIONSHIPS

USOCRC

Labor Day 2017 will be known for a little different set of activities for obstacle racers this year as they’ll be tackling obstacles in Mountain Home, Texas. Adventurey, LLC, better known as the company who put on the OCR World Championships, announced that it will be setting up a United States only Championships. The United States Obstacle Course Racing Championships (USOCRC) will be held September 2 & 3 at Y.O. Ranch Headquarters in Texas. The 2-day event will include a short course and a long course race, consisting of the best obstacles from racing series across the

76 Obstacle Race Magazine

What does it mean for the sport?

race signals a very important and concerted effort of US OCR companies to grow the sport – not just their individual businesses. Adrian Bijanada, CEO of Adventurey, had this to say about how this race came into being. ....................................

course). But the most influential element of this event is one that many will not even realise. This

“The inspiration for the USOCRC came from the willingness of many organisations to come together for this special event. That type of collaborative environment can be rare in this community in the US, but also presents a tremendous opportunity both for race organisations and athletes.”

United States including Bonefrog Challenge, Savage Race, and many others. Similar to the OCRWC there will be qualifying criteria for both a Pro and Age Group Division. It means that competitive racers in the United States have an additional marquee event for their calendar. It means that more racers will get a high quality race experience like the OCRWC (minus the international flavour, of

REGULARS : INDUSTRY NEWS

TOUGH MUDDER

ANNOUNCE TIMED WAVES Tough Mudder have made a bold move by adding a new timed wave to select venues in the USA. This has obviously thrown up lots of questions and opinions in the OCR community here in the UK and also abroad. They have called the select events Tougher mudder, described as: A competitive event format taking place on the same weekends as Tough Mudders and Tough Mudder Halfs. The timed waves will be ran before the first start wave at all selected events. Course time tracking for all wave racers and also prize money will be given to the top 3 positions .

The Tougher Mudder events are currently scheduled for these US locations: New Orleans / Los Angeles / Arizona / Kentucky. Tough Mudder HQ has also indicated that they may add additional Tougher Mudder start waves at events throughout North America and internationally. Tougher Mudder has no competitive team categories, but as always, Tougher Mudder participants are highly encouraged to run with friends, family, and fellow Mudders as a friendly competition. All runners are expected to uphold Tough Mudder values during the race – including

helping their fellow Mudders to complete the course and practicing good sportsmanship. All Tougher Mudder participants will receive an exclusive Tougher Mudder t-shirt, Tough Mudder headband, and discounts to Toughest Mudder events. Top three individual men and women will receive prize money. Tougher Mudder will be part of the existing Tough Mudder course and obstacles, but will include an additional set of course challenges, specifically created for Tougher Mudder participants.

BORN SURVIVOR

ANNOUNCE NEW ELITE SQUADRON If you're a racer looking for a new competitive challenge then the new Born Survivor Elite Squadron wave could be just the ticket for you. Brand new for 2017, Born Survivor are introducing an extra wave at the very start of the day for those people who just don't like to be on the podium. Dates are Manchester, May

13th and Lake District, September 9th with both waves starting at 9.45. The standard price of entering these waves is set at £89. For this you get to race the 10 km course with 149 other racers looking for a place on the podium. They’ll be trophies for the top three male and female racers and also vouchers from Born Survivors

sponsors Sub Sports. Welcome to the Born Survivor Elite Squadron Wave sponsored by SubSports. Entries are sold on a first come first serve basis so be quick. More information can be found at :

www.born-survivor.com/events/ elite-squadron

FIRST DIRTY DOZEN NOW ROCKSOLID RACE The industry in the UK has lost two very well established races in a matter of months. RockSolid Race and Dirty Dozen races both closing down their operations has been a pretty big shock to the OCR core community. Both very much loved brands with loyal followings. But if they were loved so much why did they fail, we hear you asking. Well like with any business

it’s a numbers game and if they don’t add up then it’s time to call it a day. Both races put on big show events with large scale builds going into their obstacles on the course. This meant a large outlay on labour before the race even began to think about profits etc. With the calendars now being full to the brim with events it’s only a matter of

time before there just aren’t enough runners to go around, and this is what unfortunately seems to be happening at the moment with the industry reaching saturation point. It’ll be a tough year for a lot of races this year, but if they can weather the storm then we feel 2018 will be a whole different story.

Obstacle Race Magazine 77

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World’s Toughest Mudder 2016 featured a surprise proposal, as athlete Raiden Kaneda proposed to his girlfriend and pit crew for this race, fellow OCR competitor Lina Lineros. As Lina said, “I had NO idea. I tried to backtrack the course so I could finish the race with him but couldn't find him so we finally met back at the pit area. He then said he had to go "talk to someone" and to come with. As I started to ask questions he said we were going to the medical tent and since he was hiding his right hand I quickly started thinking "oh f*€%, he is hurt and he doesn't want me to see it"... next thing I know we are back at the starting line, he is saying all sorts of pretty things and down on one knee. Yes, I cried (shocker) and at the end he asked if I wanted to see the ring and I shook my head no lol idk why lol!

Thanks for your letters and photos, we always look forward to hearing what our OCR fans are up to. We’re just sorry there isn’t room to include them all. If you would like to be in with a chance of winning then please send 100 words and a picture of you in action to:

letters@obstacleracemagazine.com

OCR Community

Hey ORM gang Back on New Year's Eve we held attended the annual Fitbeing outdoor bootcamp at Eynsham Hall in West Oxfordshire. The weather was kind (ish) as thirty of us gathered up tyres and headed to the warm up area. A nice combination of tyre flipping and pushing, mixed in with press ups and sit ups got the blood pumping. We then moved on to the main event, a purpose built assault course for those who love a bit of OCR. In groups we set off through the spiders web and straight into mud and the stream. Next came some very slippy monkey bars, in to a 5 foot bunker and then over a 7 ft wall. Team work was needed at this point and project human pyramid came in to play. Following a stint scrambling under some tyres, the pond approached. Decisions decisions. You could

78 Obstacle Race Magazine

either slide along the traverse line or get in the water and go under the double barrels, better known as the Dunker. Having chosen the latter, bits of me were beginning to contract, so off I sped, over a tyre wall, another 5ft wall, the 7ft inverted wall and back to start again. Loads of obstacles mixed with not too much running and an amazing OCR atmosphere. The money raised was for READY charity who help disabled kids have fun and stay fit through sport and healthy recreational activities. I'm pleased to say we've raised over £500 to date. Thanks to Toby for organising the morning and great to see so many people support the event. Saturday morning bootcamp's will continue to run throughout 2017. Cheers Simon Hoskins

YOUR LETTERS

WINNER OF

£50

BIO-SYNERGY VOUCHER

HI ORM No mud, this one’s personal. Ocr racing has been my sport of choice since I completed my first race in 2012. Mud, sweat, tears and addiction to the sport. I felt such pride. Such a sense of accomplishment finishing my first race. This was short lived though. For the same day my daughter had completed her first Junior race, she was 7. The pride I hold for her doing that race may need a little explaining. It’s not a normal parent’s well done pride. It was the celebration that we as a family and her as a child had turned a massive corner. Jay-dee my daughter has brittle asthma. She is prone to sudden

attacks which can materialise from literally nowhere and usually ended up with a 3 to 5 day stay in hospital. She suffered 13 attacks between the age s of 18 months and 5 years old. She is a fighter. A champion. So my biggest challenge involves no mud. There will still be sweat and tears. I am running the London marathon in aid of asthma uk. I have a just giving page set up for donations and sponsorship. I also have a Facebook page dedicated to my campaign. The reason. The training. The campaign. And hopefully from the friends in the OCR community messages of support. That’s what I need. I have the motivation. I see her every day.

Now from you in the community, mudd king or mudd queen or teams or even just those starting out. Words of encouragement and helpful tips would greatly received. If of course you do want to donate that can also be found on the page. • • •

On average three people a day die from asthma attacks 1 in 11 children suffer with asthma Asthma is the most common long term illness.

See you soon Adrian Pitt

Hi ORM, So the big question is how do you pick your events and the charity you run them for? By now a lot of the OCR community know me as Mental Matt the fancy dress guy, as I did 57 obstacle course races in 2016 in a huge range of outfits. Ive ran in everything from a Cowboys outfit right through to a wedding dress, all to raise awareness of my fundraising. Here’s the part a lot of you don’t know, here goes, I was raped. The charity that help me deal with it went bust. This is why I ask you how do you pick your charity. It’s always stuck with me that I couldn’t help them more, like they helped me. Now I always make a point of trying to help the smaller charities because without being able to talk to people like I was able to with that charity, I wouldn’t be where I am now. And I certainly don't think I’d be able to talk about my rape so openly with people. This is why I pick the smaller charities, like for example this year ill be running for Zoe’s Place in Coventry. I’m setting out to do as many Spartan trifectas as I can in one season whilst dressed as the mentalbear, a teddy bear outfit. These challenges will take me all around Europe. If you see me please wish me luck. See you soon Mentalbear (formally known as Mentalmatt)

Obstacle Race Magazine 79

FEATURE : THE RISE AND FALL OF OCR

THE RISE & FALL OF OCR

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FEATURE : THE RISE AND FALL OF OCR

If you’re just coming into the sport of Obstacle Course Racing, you’ve probably joined it as its lowest ebb. 2016 saw the end of a number of races, some of them high profile, and 2017 has started off exactly the same. A low level of positivity has grasped the industry as the emphasis on competitiveness increases and the fun aspect gets pushed to the back. We broke the news online on 12th January that Rock Solid Race had gone into liquidation. An event that welcomed thousands of runners down to Exeter every March, and to Silverstone every Autumn. An event that designed and built high quality and innovative obstacles and multi distance courses. An event with a superb kids race. A quality event that had everything going for it….so where did it all go wrong? Dirty Dozen Races, Adrenaline Rush, Wild Vision Run, Go Hard Events, Night Games…have all fallen by the wayside due to the business model just not working. The majority of people we speak to came into

OCR after going to a Tough Mudder event. The largest in participation, and a high quality event that leaves you thirsty for more. The trouble is, they make it look far too easy and lots of business savvy people have got their calculators out: 3,000 people at £60 a time = Happy Days! The real side of OCR isn’t like that, and probably too many people have started organising events and just concentrated on marketing to you, the core community. Not enough money has been spent on marketing, nurturing the local community, local leisure centres, running clubs etc., so the entry numbers just get spread out amongst the different runs on that day. Races don’t get the amount of runners they need, so discount codes come out in desperation to boost the numbers at the last minute, and this is where the problem lies. Putting on an obstacle course race isn’t cheap, and every event has a break-even point where a certain number of tickets need to be sold to cover the costs. With last minute discount codes becoming the norm, people are holding off entering, hoping for a bargain, leaving the race in limbo, and the Race Director with surplus costs to pick up.

What needs to change? A regulatory body is needed to help grow the sport

and market it as a whole to the masses. New people need to come into OCR to make it survive, as we see people come and go and move on to new activities and challenges. There will always be a hardcore 250-500 people in the community, but it’s just not enough to satisfy all of the events we have. More will fall in 2017, there’s no doubt about that, and with big names like Rock Solid and Dirty Dozen resigned to the scrapheap, no event can take your custom for granted, and we can’t take for granted that any event will still be here in another 12 months. What we can be positive about is that you’re still sitting here reading this. You want to see the industry improve as it’s your sport, it’s your hobby that your work colleagues don’t get – and it’s your chest that you pump out when you get into work on a Monday morning with your battle scars to show off. There are loads of superb events out there, big and small, and we need you to keep spreading the word and trying to persuade friends and family to join in…. just the once… and then they’re in. How long have you been involved in OCR and what changes have you seen since your first event? Email us at LETTERS@OBSTACLERACEMAGAZINE.COM

Obstacle Race Magazine 81

PROFILES : THE UK CHAMPION

THE UK CHAMPION

THE 2016 OCRA UK CHAMPION IS, TRISTAN STEED.

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PROFILE : THE UK CHAMPION

Those words made every bit of blood, sweat and tears, that had been fought through for the last two years since Tristan first set foot on the OCR circuit, worthwhile. Starting his journey and being thrown into the limelight on the Nuts Challenge course in 2015, Tristan has gone on to racked up more podiums than any athlete could wish for in their whole career never mind over the course of a couple of years. Before finding OCR Tristan has been an accomplished Boxer, Climber, Triathlete and Marathon Runner. He gets about a bit. Tristan is a Soldier by day meaning his level of fitness is kept on point at all times. He’s a member of the elite OCR team Muddy kit and also a member of the British Army Obstacle Course Racing Team. Not only did Tristan take home the win as the first male at the OCRA UK championships but he was also part of the overall winning team for the British Army. We caught up with Tristan in a rare bit of down time to find out more about him and what makes him such a fantastic obstacle course racer. Hello Tristan and thank you for taking the time to speak to us. What was it that first attracted you to the sport OCR? My first OCR was Nuclear oblivion when I was unknown. The thing that attracted me was the marathon distance would count towards my lifetime goal of getting into the 100 Marathon Club. I thought it would be interesting to try an OCR race. I ended up coming second which earned me an invitation to the Wild Forest Jam. I came second to Ross Brackley in that which was the beginning of a wonderful rivalry and many more OCR races. translates too general dogs body. How much crossover do you feel there is between OCR and your day job, Do you feel that one complements the other? My job massively compliments OCR. In my day job there is usually 2 or 3 mandatory training sessions per week. I get take part in Army competitions most weeks which will be

anything from cross country to climbing. I have flexibility in my job and the ability to train during my working hours. The main thing is facilities, I am lucky enough to have access to gyms and pools which means I can train in my personal time too. When toeing the start line what do you hope you’ll experience while out on the course. Do you prefer obstacle heavy, technical obstacles or maybe run heavy courses? Definitely obstacle heavy. Nuclear hits the mark for me, they can add so much in, even the small obstacles that get in the way and break up long runs add to the experience. I do enjoy Spartans too, the consistency of the obstacles and the community are both big wins. Ultimately its obstacle running not fell running. What race would you suggest to someone coming in to OCR and wanting to dip their toe in before going all out doing something like four laps of the Nuts challenge course? One lap of the Nuts Challenge course?! On a more serious note… The London Spartan Sprint is a good place to start. You won’t need any specialist equipment such as new shoes to get involved and it’s a 5k course so good for a new runner. Also Mud 7 is an experience, you get to play on all the main races’ show pieces and it’s less of a hardcore competition more a fun community event. What invaluable pieces of advice would you share with people about what kit to wear for a race? On top is weather dependant, maybe under layers, the most important thing is that it is quick drying. It needs to be close fitted so you don’t get caught up in barbed wire or trees. On bottom leggings or shorts, again close fitting. I wear calf length socks for the main reason that it protects your skin when wearing shorts on things like rope traverses. Investing in a decent pair of shoes makes a difference especially when wet and muddy. I’m a precision-fit Innovates man. I wore the X-talon 225s for the UK Championships.

Also if you can, a dry robe is a good investment. You will soon find yourself jealous of everyone else when they’re warm and dry after a race and you’re not. I use mine for everything, any events, and the occasional picnic blanket. How would you suggest that someone should train to be the best that they can be on the course? Find your weak point in a race. If you’re getting all the burpees for failing obstacles then train those specific obstacles. Go to workshops, go to OCR gyms. Peer learning is all part of being in the OCR community so things like the ORM training day days a perfect for upping your skills and making new friends. If you technical aspect is good, 90% of OCR is running so make sure you’re a proficient runner. Do you train differently depending on the challenges you’ll face on the course? The honest answer is that I train for different events every other month so I am always ready for the challenges of an OCR. The main advice I can give here is train for the distance. If you’re doing 5k then train for the speed, if your doing marathon length then its endurance, which will have a knock on effect on how you handle obstacles. Don't forget about hills! What targets have you set yourself for your 2017 season of OCR? My priority at the moment is marathon training as I’ll be competing for the Army in the London Marathon. Once that’s in the bag, and the sun comes out again, I would like to do more international Spartans, I had a really great time in Taranto last year. I’ll definitely be doing the European Spartan Championship in Andorra. My targets are trifecta collecting and winning a few more blocks, hopefully one day I’ll have enough to build a house! Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us Tristan and good luck with the coming race season.

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KIT TESTING : SHOES 2017

SHOES

2017 The shoes that will support you through your coming season of Obstacle Course Races. We’ve listed a shoe for all occasions from the two biggest brands around the OCR market.

SALOMON SPEEDCROSS 4 www.salomon.com/uk

£99.99

Weighing in at 310grams. They now have a reduced drop to 10mm compared to the previous Speedcross 3s which had a 12mm heel to toe drop. 30 mm cushioning at the heel, making them perfect for pretty much all terrain. A hugely popular choice, and with a 24 month warranty you know they're built to last.

VERDICT

A favorite within the OCR community for people who need more support, cushioning and a little more of a heel to toe drop.

SALOMON SLAB WINGS 8 www.salomon.com/uk

£145

Weighing in at 275grams these are a light weight Salomon option for all those speed loving racers. The grip isn’t quite as aggressive as the Speedcross 3-4 but a fantastic shoe for drier races or for course that you know will be run heavy. A heel to toe drop of 9mm. Boasting 27 mm cushioning at the heel they are perfect for heel strikers.

VERDICT

A great choice for drier terrain and racing or training during the Summer months. A more breathable option compared to the Speedcross 4 with a real lightweight feel.

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7.5/10

SALOMON SPEED TRAK www.salomon.com/uk

8.5/10

£90

The new and improved version of the successful Fellraiser. Although it looks very similar there are huge differences especially in materials used. Weighing in at 240grams these are a very light weight Salomon option. The grip is very aggressive and perfect for extremely muddy race. A heel to toe drop of 6mm making them a very stable shoe to race in.

VERDICT

A great choice for race days with extreme mud. Also good for people who need a little more room in the toe box.

7.5/10

KIT TESTING : SHOES 2017

INOV-8 X-TALON 225 www.inov-8.com

SALOMON SPEEDCROSS 4 INOV-8 X-TALON 212 www.salomon.com/uk www.inov-8.com

£99.99 £95

The X-TALON 212 has been the number one choice for OCR athletes wanting a light/fast shoe for the last 4 years. It gives you the confidence to run fast over soft or extreme terrain with its flexible, lightweight design. A heel to toe drop of 6mm. 8mm sticky rubber lugs designed to bite into any mud. Weighing just 212grams.

VERDICT

They have always been a great choice for all racers who don’t need any extra arch support or an overly cushioned shoe. Great choice for pretty much all race conditions.

£100

The X-TALON 225 is set to take over from the 212, especially for racers looking for a closer fit. Perfect for those who miss the Xtalon 190 series, as the 225 only comes in a precision fit option. Just like the 212 the 225 gives you the confidence to run fast over soft or extreme terrain with its flexible, lightweight design, giving you that racing in slippers feeling.

www.inov-8.com

£145

Designed primarily with the OCR market in mind the Xtalon 200’s have evolved a lot over the last two years. The materials have been made more robust while still maintaining the quick draining abilities of the shoe. Perfect for taking on any Obstacle Course challenges at high speed, offering all the protection your foot needs. These give you the confidence to run fast over soft or extreme terrain, taking any mud a course can throw at it in its stride. Extremely durable materials used to

www.inov-8.com

A great choice for any racers who misses the X=talon 190’s light weight and foot hugging feeling. For racers who don’t need any extra arch support or any excess cushioning. Best for soft ground race conditions.

8.5/10

give them a long lifespan. A heel to toe drop of 3mm, you get a very close to the ground stable feeling from them. Fantastic 8mm sticky rubber lugs designed to bite into any mud and grip and obstacles. Weighing just 200grams they are super light weight even when wet and covered in lashings of OCR mud.

VERDICT

A great choice for any racer no matter what your level of ability. For racers who don’t need any extra arch support or any excess cushioning. Best for traditional obstacle course race conditions that involve plenty of mud and water.

9.5/10

£135

A shoe for when you have heavy loads to carry over unpredictable terrain. Designed with Fastpacking in mind, they are perfect for events such as Man Vs Mountain or The Fan Dance. Boasting a waterproof GTX layer to protect your feet from those moist mornings on the way up Snowdon. A heel to toe drop of 8mm. TRI-C Sticky rubber gives you traction over wet and slippery rocks and grass. Weighing 325grams they make for a great alternative if you are looking for other options over the traditional walking boot.

VERDICT

A great choice for any who loves to go off and have adventures at the weekend. It gives great flexibility while still giving you the ankle support you need.

VERDICT

8/10 INOV-8 X-TALON 200

INOV-8 ROCLITE 325 GTX

Extremely durable materials used to give them a long lifespan. A heel to toe drop of just 4mm. Fantastic 8mm sticky rubber lugs designed to bite into any mud. Weighing just 225grams.

8/10

INOV-8 X-CLAW 275 www.inov-8.com

£115

Released as a hybrid version of the extremely popular Xtalon series and the Mudclaw series, taking pieces from both and making a true mud loving shoe. The X-claw now has two options, the first which has been around for a season and is a huge hit with those of you who need a little extra cushioning compared to the traditional inov-8 shoe. The new option you see in the picture is a more breathable version of the original, perfect for summer time warmer weather racing. These give you the protection you need to take on hard and soft mixed

terrain over longer distance OCR’s, while still keeping the light weight feel. Extremely durable materials used to give them a long lifespan, while still allowing your feet to breath. A heel to toe drop of 8mm. Fantastic sticky rubber lugs that are a hybrid between the grip from the X-talon series sole and also the Mudclaw Sole. Perfectly designed to cope with any mud. All this durability and comfort and still just weighing in at 275grams.

VERDICT

A great choice for any racer who wants a little more comfort and support. Best for if you like to mix it up and add in a little bit of everything

9.5/10

Obstacle Race Magazine 85

FEATURE : TO LOSE A BAND

DID YOU LOSE YOUR BAND AT

THE OCRA UK CHAMPIONSHIP? WRITTEN BY Coach Michael, Elite OCR Coach at WildForestGym

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FEATURE : TO LOSE A BAND

IF YOU HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING FACEBOOK POSTS THEN YOU KNOW THERE HAS BEEN A MASSIVE OUTCRY FROM RACERS BECAUSE THE OCRA UK CHAMPIONSHIPS COURSE WAS DEEMED BY MANY TO HAVE BEEN TOO CHALLENGING.

BRUTE FORCE

Coach Michael is campaigning for the two words BRUTE FORCE to be removed from the official OCR Dictionary

There have been many critics about queues and quantity of lanes. But was that the main reason? Many of you championship racers may have heard the familiar voice of Coach Michael who for hours on end, guided and encouraged so many racers as they attempted the Ninga Rings and the Rig. So much so that he lost his voice! Contentious as the subject may be Coach Michael believes that we shouldn’t just be blaming the race director or event organiser. He thinks you should be looking closer to home. Before I even start giving you my opinion on why so many racers lost their bands I will not be getting into the issue/debate as to the suitability of obstacles, the location of the obstacle, their size or gender specifics! You might be saying what the on earth is Coach Michael going to write about. So here they are from an OCR Coach perspective.

DID SOMEONE NOT WARN YOU ABOUT THE WEATHER? ISSUE Lack of preparation for Winter Weather.

For weeks in advance I had been calling out to all racers to start Cold Water Weather Acclimatisation Training. So much so I offered a FREE 4 week plan. Hope some of you benefited from it! Guys it was November and our weather is unpredictable. Look what happened to the UK Champs in 2015, once again it dropped 10 degrees overnight. As a UK resident each and every one of you know we can never take the weather for granted. It changes day to day.

SOLUTION You should have: • • •

•

• •

Planned and prepared for all weather conditions come rain, snow or sunshine. Started your Cold Water Weather Training Plan 4 weeks before race day! Have all the kit with you so you can decide on the morning. It was freezing cold and ice on the ground so NEOPRENE rashvests to keep your core warm and likewise neoprene gloves for your fingers should have been a must! Ignored those who said man up. This is a UK Champs and as an athlete you should have made informed decisions and wore what works for you rather than listening to other peoples arrogant/ignorant comments. Train with your race kit in advance to make sure it fits and works for you. NEVER TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED AGAIN especially the weather!

WHO FREEZED THEIR BALLS OR TITS OFF IN THE QUEUES? ISSUE Frozen stiff in queue.

I am not surprised that most racers did freeze from long waits in the retries lanes. I can’t tell you how many racers I went up to who were standing shivering in the cold putting on this proud look and trying to convince me that they were not cold when I was making suggestions to solve it. But they were resolute to standing shaking. I was of course concerned that their body temperature was rapidly going down which meant they were in dire straits. Their core temperature was plummeting let alone the loss of sensation of feeling in the hands and fingers and subsequently their lack of grip.

SOLUTION Very simply if you were at least 5-6 places down the queue rather than standing around you needed to partner up with the person next to you and say I need to go for a (x)mins run can you hold my place and when I come back you can go and I will hold your place. It’s simple but unless we have a contingency plan in our head for queues we go brain dead in the cold and we don’t think or use our initiative.

WERE YOUR TECHNICAL SKILLS UP TO SCRATCH? ISSUE/SOLUTION Technical Skills.

I watched many a good seasoned racer struggle on the two obstacles in question. Some made admiral attempts to complete them and a few managed. However, there was a large chunk of racers who just did not have the skill sets to complete these 2 technical obstacles worthy of being in a championship race. This was of course and billed as a technical course fit for the UK OCR Championships. It was the climax of the year. Every racer would have been expected to have trained to exceptional standards as an athlete. If not then it has to be taken as a matter of fact that they may/would not be able to complete some obstacles, loose bands and maybe not complete the race. I have never heard of racers at Marathon De Sables or Iron Man complain that a

course is too difficult. Why should OCR be any different if we want it to be equally respected as a sport. If so then we need to train and race and have the mindset of an athlete. Exceptions should be made for a Journeyman whom I assume would have entered with the expectation that all obstacles may not be achievable. Having watched hundreds in race mode I think it would be fair to categorise them using the four stages of competence.

UNCONSCIOUS INCOMPETENCE The racer does not understand or know how to do an obstacle and had no realisation that it would have affected them. No chance of holding onto their bands, let alone complete the obstacle and maybe finish the race.

CONSCIOUS INCOMPETENCE Though the racer does not understand or know how to do the obstacle using technical skills, he or she does recognize the deficit, and resorts to BRUTE FORCE, which is not economical, nor efficient and tended to lead to failure. Band loss was potentially expected.

CONSCIOUS COMPETENCE The racer understands or acknowledges the technical needs but has not practiced it sufficiently. Therefore technique is jagged, not fluid, and there is heavy conscious involvement in executing the obstacle. Maybe they can hold onto their band.

UNCONSCIOUS COMPETENCE The racer whom has had so much race simulated practice with the technical skill that it has become "second nature" and can be performed easily, fluidly and with good transitions. No reason not to complete every obstacle and definitely going to hold onto their band.

HOW WERE YOUR ADAPTIVE SKILLS? ISSUE Lack of adaptive skills .

It was evident that some racers did not have the technical skills or mindset to adapt other skills to the situation they were in.

SOLUTION Think and train outside of the box. I have

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FEATURE : TO LOSE A BAND

a 7yr old Oliver and a 10yr old OJ who are our WildOne trainees at WildForestGym. Both are 4ft and 4 ft 8 inches respectively. They should NOT be able to complete our technical rig or climb 6ft walls but they can. They don’t look at size being the issue they look at ways around to make it happen…they are innovative in the way they adapt. So much so that with their short arms they are able to reach and miss out rings on the rig, complete full technical lanes including nunchucks and they get over the 6ft walls.

WERE YOU STANDING IN THE QUEUE WAITING FOR YOUR RETRY? ISSUE Lack of Strategy for retries. I can’t tell you how many racers failed the Rig and then just went back and queued for half an hour in the cold. You might say ‘…and’.

SOLUTION I would say strategically go back to the queue reserve your place with the racer in front and then go and watch other racers attempting the Rig and learn something from watching their attempts and failures. In particular you may have discovered that you didn’t want to go for the last hold before the bell as skipping it was the key to completing the rig. Something you would have learnt from me guiding the racers or observed for yourself.

HOW MUCH TRAINING DID YOU DO IN RACE-SIMULATED CONDITIONS? ISSUE Lack of preparation. I suspect this will account for more band losses than any other reason having spent many hours at the Rig and Ninja Rigs.

SOLUTION Race Simulated Training - It’s all well

training in indoor gyms and in ideal situations but how many of you undertook what we at WildForestGym have coined Obstacle STRESS Training.

Obstacle STRESS Training was born from seeing so many of you loosing your bands at the champs. Here at WildForestGym we are known for our hashtags so here is our post UK OCR Champs one #NeverKnowinglyLetAChampLooseTheirBand and we are serious. Obstacle STRESS Training is the 4th level to our specialist Obstacle Skill Training.

Level 1 | Fitness & Conditioning Level 2 | Technical Skills

Level 3 | Obstacle Fluidity & Transitioning Level 4 | Obstacle STRESS Training

Obstacle STRESS Training has been devised to simulate race condition conditions i.e. wet, cold, icy, slippery, muddy, queues, rain, gross fatigue and obstacle stress.

Being Race Conditioned... or NOT.

Not being race conditioned doesn’t mean that you

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FEATURE : TO LOSE A BAND

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FEATURE : TO LOSE A BAND

do not have good form or technique, however it was obvious that some didn’t and were just brute forcing it! Being race conditioned is training in ... race simulated condition environment i.e. when your body is under total stress…when it is cold…when you are cold…when you are fatigued…when it is muddy… when there are queues…when the obstacles are wet… when they are slippery. I think you are getting where I am going on this one. Simply guys and girls or should I say OCR athletes and aspiring OCR athletes you need to take your training onto the next level and train and train and train in race simulated conditions on an outdoor obstacle training course and get Race READY!!!

Obstacle STRESS Training simulates race condition environments so as to reduce the risk of you losing your band. Visit BIT.LY/WFGOCRSTRESSTRAINING if you are looking for that edge to your racing.

IDEAS FOR TRAINING OBJECTS FOR 2017

Planned and prepared for all weather conditions come rain, snow or sunshine.

2 3 4

Think, train and race as an OCT athlete.

Make sure your training plan is progressive and structured so that you peak in training in line with your ‘A’ Races.

6 7

Plan, prepare and never leave a stone unturned. Make sure your ‘B’ & ‘C’ races are selected to help you to achieve your goal.

Don’t over race or over train. Be responsible for your actions, decisions and the outcomes.

Read Coach Michael’s Obstacle Race Magazine Feature Article on how to build your race calendar ‘Why did you buy that race ticket? Time to plan your 2017 Race Calendar] To read visit

HTTP://BIT.LY/WFGORMRACECALENDAR2017

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ORM

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FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO THE

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EVENTS

Events page

February ‘17 March ‘17 For a more comprehensive list of upcoming events go to

WWW.OBSTACLERACEMAGAZINE.CO.UK/EVENTS

1 Mud n Madness 8km

6 Brutal 10 5/10km

11 The Beast 5/10km

4th February 2017

25th February 2017

5th March 2017

Essex, RM14 2TY

Surrey, GU35 0LG

Leicestershire, LE14 3PF

www.osbevents.com

www.brutalrun.co.uk

www.thebeastrun.co.uk

Adults from £45, Juniors £20

See Website

Pre Entry £35. On The Day £40

2 The Xtreme Challenge 10 km

7 Devil Mud Run 8km

12 The Mighty Deerstalker 5/10km

5th February 2017

4th & 5th March 2017

11th March 2017

Staffordshire, DE12 8LN

Cheltenham, GL54 5HE

Edinburgh, EH44 6PW

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www.devilmudrun.com

www.ratrace.com/mightydeerstalker

From £25

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3 Tough Enough Races 10km

8 The Nuts Challenge 7/14/21/28km

13 Royal British Legion Major Midlands 5/10km

5th February 2017

4th & 5th March 2017

11th March 2017

Alton, GU34 5ET

Surrey, RH5 4RW

Warwickshire, B49 5NJ

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www.thenutschallenge.co.uk

www.britmilfit.com

From £30

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4 MacRam Weekend 6/12km

9 iNVNCBLE Race Series 10km

14 The Suffering 5/10km & 10 mile

17th-19th February 2017

4th March 2017

11th March 2017

Forest MacRam, DG8 7BE

Port Talbot, SA13 2TJ

Leicestershire, LE16 8TH

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www.invncble.co.uk

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From £49

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From £38

5 Avalance Run, Chase The Yeti 5/10/20km

10 Mad March Mare 10km

15 Bermuda Triple Challenge 13 mile

25th February 2017

4th March 2017

17th-19th March 2017

Leicestershire, LE16 9UJ

Hexham Racecourse, NE46 2JP

Bermuda

www.avalancherun.co.uk

www.madmarchmare.co.uk

www.bdatriplechallenge.com

From £35

From £5-£52

From $80

94 Obstacle Race Magazine

16 The Royal Legion Major North 5/10km 18th March 2017 Leeds, LS23 6LTY www.britmilfit.com From £35 17 Battle of Lansdown 10 km 19th March 2017 Bath, BA1 9BU www.extremeeventsuk.com From £44 18 Back 2 The Trenches 5/10/15km 19th March 2017 Surrey, RH1 4EJ www.back2thetrenches.co.uk From £35

23 12

19 Battle of The Knights 5km 19th March 2017 Barrow, IP29 5AX www.stnicholashospice.org.uk/bok2017 From £30 20 Reaper Day & Night Run 10km

25th March 2017

Coventry, CV7 8DX www.reaperevents.co.uk From £39 21 Royal British Legion Major South 5/10km 25th March 2017

Kent, TN3 9HS

www.britmilfit.com From £35 22 Chain Runner 10km 25th March 2017 Merseyside, TH16 0HN

www.chain-runner.co.uk

From 36.99

11, 14

23 Tartan Warrior 5km

26th March 2017 Fife, FK10 4PN www.tartanwarrior.com

1 6

From £15

8, 18 17

Obstacle Race Magazine 95

DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES

TO BE A PART OF THE MUDNIFICENT SEVEN? HEART PARK

MERIDEN

12 AUGUST 2017

Up for the challenge?

WWW.MUD7.COM FIRST HEAT: 10AM

BOOTCAMP LISTING

Bootcamp

LISTING Find your perfect OCR place to train situated near you with our handy listing. Would you like to be included in this listing? For more information on how you can do this contact carl@obstacleracemagazine.com

SCOTLAND MK FITNESS

Larbert, falkirk 0778 315 7685

Facebook: PrimeHealthFitness

MIDLANDS THE OBSTACLE GYM

07876635234

fortitudefitnesscentre.co.uk Facebook: Fortitude-Fitness-Centre Fit 4 OCR

mkfitness.org.uk Facebook: M.K.Fitness

Lutterworth

NORTH

Facebook: The Obstacle GYM

www.fit4ocr.com Facebook: Fit 4 OCR

BODY BOOTCAMP

WALES

UK OUTDOOR FITNESS “BOOTCAMPS AND OBSTACLE TRAINING” Leeds, Bradford, York, Sheffield, Castleford, Huddersfield 0796 478 7981

0726912988 info@reaperevents.co.uk

Lincolnshire 0796 815 4535

Facebook: Bodybootcamp

Hertfordshire SG7 5EN 07720 82611

STEVE WALL PERSONAL TRAINING & MOTIVATION Rhondda, Merthyr Mawr Dunes, Caerphilly

WEST MIDLANDS

07940 343387

Stockport

Redditch, Bromsgrove, Rubery, Alcester RFC, Droitwich RFC

SOUTH

0791 405 2345

07885 416446

ukoutdoorfitness.com Facebook: SDR Fitness Center

outdoorpt@hotmail.co.uk

ukoutdoorfitness.com Facebook: Bootcampsfitness SDR FITNESS CENTER

NORTH WEST PRIME HEALTH & FITNESS Ellesmereport CH65 1AE 07885764077

primehealthandfitness.weebly.com

98 Obstacle Race Magazine

O.P.T OUTDOOR PHYSICAL TRAINING

outdoorpt.co.uk Facebook: Outdoorphysicaltraining

EAST ENGLAND FORTITUDE FITNESS CENTRE

Highfields Farm, Caldecote, Cambridge, CB23 7NX

www.stevewallmotivator.uk Facebook: Steve Wall

BOOTCAMP REVOLUTION OBSTACLE COURSE Rayne, Essex 07963202339

bootcamprevolution.co.uk Facebook: TheBootcampRevolution

SOUTH WEST HODGE HEALTH & FITNESS

Bristol 07855 465 872

hodgehealthandfitness.co.uk Facebook: hodgehealthandfitness WEST COUNTRY MILITARY ASSAULT COURSE Bristol

5 STAR BOOTCAMPS 07525 843326

fivestarbootcamps.co.uk Facebook: 5STAR BOOTCAMPS PT BARN

07811108587

Langford Court Farm, Kelvedon Hatch, Essex. CM15 0LB

Facebook: West country assault course

07515 413906

SOUTH EAST

WILD FOREST GYM OBSTACLE TRAINING CENTRE Nuclear Races, Brentwood, Essex 08454561336

wildforestgym.com Facebook: Wildforestgym WELLFIT OUTDOOR FITNESS

theptbarn.co.uk

NATIONWIDE FIT CAMPUK Ltd

Redditch, Wythall / BIrmingham, Edgbaston & Solihull, Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, Lichfield , Barton / Burton Upon Trent 07966 638 009

fitcampuk.co.uk Facebook: Fitcampuk

Turnbridge Wells, Kent 07886 035773

BRITISH MILITARY FITNESS

wellfitoutdoorfitness.com Facebook: Gowildfit

Outdoor sessions in 140 Parks Nationwide

SAM WINKWORTH ACADEMY “BOOTCAMP EXTREME”

020 8996 2220

britishmilitaryfitness.com Facebook: britishmilitaryfitness

The Vine Cricket Ground, Kent sam@samwinkworth.com

samwinkworth.com IMMORTAL FITNESS MARLOW/HAMBLEDEN/HENLEY 07792 881255

immortalfitness.co.uk Facebook: Immortalfit GUARDIAN FITNESS OCR TRAINING SE London 07584 414206

guardianfitness.co.uk

Obstacle Race Magazine 99