Obstacle Race Magazine Issue 4

TOHBES TA NC OL.E1 RM A EG FAOZ RI NAEL LF M OU R DOABNS D T ARCULNENCI NOGU R S ET HRUAS C AC EN I AI SNTG S

TRAINING

NUTRITIONAL

PROFILES GEAR TESTING ADVICE

TIPS RACE REVIEWS LETTERS

WOMEN OF OCR NUCLEAR RUSH GARMIN FENIX 2 REVIEWED NEW FACE AT SPARTAN RACE

FEATURING

TRAIN ON YOUR HOLS #spar-tember

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ISSUE #4 JUL/AUG 2014 £4.95

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The Garmin Fenix 2 is pretty much indestructible and has everything you could ever want plus more, with plenty of features being added via updates all the time. One of the best features is the TRAK BAK feature, which allows you to do what it says. You can literally ‘TRAK BAK’ on the screen,

USE CODE

to see where you’ve been if you’re ever off exploring. It loves the mud and doesn’t miss a beat. Our advice would be to add it to your wish list ASAP. TURN TO PAGE 24 FOR THE FULL REVIEW

OCR20 20% OFF WHEN ORDERING WIN A PAIR OF INOV8 MUDCLAW 300 WORTH £90

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EDITOR’S LETTER How hot has it been!!

We’ve really been blessed with some awesome OCR weather so far this season, with rain throughout the week to get things nice and muddy, and then clear skies when it matters.

The Rat Race Dirty Weekend has come and gone since the last issue so that’s one hell of a distance checked off of most people’s buckets list.

As you’ll have noticed we’ve now announced three of the races making up the seven at Mudnificent 7. Each will be putting together a kilometre of the course in their own special way. 2015 can’t come soon enough. Go to www. mud7.com for more info and fantastic early bird prices.

We have some great obstacle racing technology to share with you in this issue. This stuff really has been tested to the max to see if it will survive our sometimes brutal sport.

EDITOR Carl Wibberley carl@obstacleracemagazine.com 01246 241780 ADVERTISING Kevin Newey kevin@obstacleracemagazine.com 07932 411592 MEDIA CONTACT Mark Petrou mark@obstacleracemagazine.com 07817924168 DESIGNED BY RAWWW www.rawww.com 0845 371 0993 PUBLISHED BY Spuddy Media Ltd, Counting House, 1 Nuffield Road, St Ives, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE27 3LX. PRINTED BY

Carl

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CONTRIBUTORS JOEL HICKS We follow more of Joels adventures he faces ‘Always With a Smile‘.

JAMES LODGE Lets us know just how tough Judgement Day was.

LAURA DUDLEY She guides us through a Nuclear Race.

JAMES FOWKES Interviews the elite racer Elliot Magquier.

MICHELLE PARSONS (RED CAPE COACHING) The Women of OCR. CHARLEH DICKINSON (DESIGNED 2 EAT) Writes about her latest epic challenge ’three OCRs in one weekend’.

RICHARD PRINGLE (TEAM RPCC) It’s OK to be Nervous.

STUART AMORY Fishermans Friend Strong Man. RUSSELL PARRINGTON OCR training.

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Obstacle Race | Issue 4

NATHAN TURNER Rat Race Dirty Weekend.

PHOTOGRAPHS PROVIDED BY Front Cover - Nuclear Races Nuclear Races - Nuclear Team Epic Action Imagery - UK Spartan Race Director Little Photo company - Monster Race Judgement Day - Mybibnumber.com OCR Training - Mark Holmes 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 ISSN 2053-9495 Contact us by letter at: OBSTACLE RACE MAGAZINE 370 WHEELWRIGHT LANE ASH GREEN, COVENTRY, CV7 9HL

CONTENTS KIT TESTING

RACE REVIEWS

24

20

JUDGEMENT DAY

50

NUCLEAR RUSH

25 26

GARMIN FENIX 2 The new watch on the block

GARMIN VIRB CAMERA A recorder with everything you could want and more SUUNTO AMBIT 2 Does the Ambit have what it takes to get muddy with the best

FEATURES 8 18 38 72

NEW SPARTAN RACE UK LICENCEE We interview Dan Tuffnell the new head of Spartan Race UK CROSSFIT- TRAINING FOR AN OBSTACLE RACE Ryan Wells shares his tips to perfect your Crossfit movements ALWAYS WITH A SMILE Joel shares his amazing experiences that leave him ‘Always with a Smile’ OCR TRAINING Russell Parrington shares his take on OCR training

PROFILES 54

ELLIOTT MEGQUIER RACER REVIEW

94

LAURA DUDLEY RACER REVIEW

66 76

FISHERMANS FRIEND STRONGMAN RUN RAT RACE DIRTY WEEKEND

REGULARS 12 16 34 58 86 70 74 81 98

THE PROTEIN WORKS All you could ever want to know about supplements for OCR CROSSFIT KEV Kev give us another insight into his Crossfit adventures TRAINING TIPS MICHAEL COHEN This issue Michael share with us more of his winning teams expert tips.

LETTERS PAGE It’s your community- you write- you share- we print.

RECIPES Food for training, weight gaining and energy when racing brought to us by Charleh Dickinson MD of Designed 2 Eat MUDTREST Your images sent in from all around the OCR scene CAPTION COMPETITION Make us laugh with your imaginative observations

SPARTAN RACE NEW RACE DIRECTOR Photography by Epic Action Imagery

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Spartan Race UK has a new leader. A man who promises to take the bull by the horns and show it who’s boss.

Introducing Dan Tuffnell, a 36 year old adventure seeker who has spent most of his life being at the front of the queue when it was time to get out and explore the world.

Dan kindly made some time in his crazy schedule for us to sit down and chat to him about what’s next for Spartan Race UK. So Dan tell us a little about yourself and what brought you to this point?

“When I was 18 I liked taking people surfing and kayaking, so decided to get an HND in Sports Science and Outdoor Pursuits. I did some instructing and it just grew from that; working with young offenders, adults, the military and charities, just helping people to change their ethos and give them an opportunity.“ Since taking on the UK licence Dan has been to and raced in the US, Australia and Europe, where he witnessed first-hand all the new obstacles Spartan has been offering up and also the differences in the way the events are run. All these things he now feels confident that he can inject straight into the race scene in the UK. From what he was saying Dan is very aware of the responsibility this role entails due to Spartan having a huge following with 134 races globally in 22 countries, 500,000 participants, and with this in mind Dan’s keen to give these amazing people something back.

Dan started off by telling us that Spartan have announced some new partners for their 2014 season which will benefit racers and help create a party atmosphere, something that is becoming increasingly popular at events.

“Spartan UK have been able to secure a whole host of sponsors like, Chi Charge, Coors’, Whey Hey ice cream and Seinheiser. All these will make for a fantastic after party atmosphere with a free pint of Coors for each finisher as well as some pretty tasty ice cream from Whey Hey.” Immediately after saying this, a light bulb appeared above Dans head. He was so excited to tell us about a secret party planned in London at the end of the season where racers and Spartan lovers alike can get together to party on down while chatting everything OCR. As the UK is crying out for more races in the Spartan series especially another Super and an Ultra Beast we thought we’d better do a little probing as to if this would happen.

“Spartan have created a European Championship league within their points system, whereby the UK participants can compare themselves with their European counterparts, which we think is a fantastic idea. This also looks like the route the Ultra Beast will be taking by becoming a European event which will guarantee a great turnout even for the ultimate challenge in the Spartan calendar.“ Sounds good to us, we already can’t wait until the Spartan Sprint London on the 30th of August.

We asked Dan what his plans were for this year and if there were plans for there to be a midlands based race after it was dropped?

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My licence is for the UK. I currently have three months to make these six events a massive success, which I have absolute confidence in. This doesn’t give me any time to add in any more dates. The event in Birmingham was tricky.

There are so many obstacle races around the country and it just wasn’t working out financially. Next year though we’re looking to expand and we’re currently looking at some amazing venues so look out UK Spartans.

So as Dan is probably already fed up of getting the same old questions we thought we would ask him what was it that he really wanted to get out there. Dans eyes once again lit up.

SPARTEMBER!!! This is what I am ridiculously excited about at the moment. I can’t say to much but watch this space as it is going to be off the wall. You will all love it I’m sure. This will be going global!!!

So what’s this we hear about the Spartan training camps being spread all around the country instead of just being held at Pippingford Park?

Yes that’s right, we wanted to give people all around the country the opportunity to take a race safe training camp before their first OCR. It will be a similar format to last year’s training but just with the introduction of new locations.

[ [

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT SPARTAN RACE AT THEIR NEW UK SPECIFIC WEBSITE: UK.SPARTANRACE.COM FOR EVENT DATES AND ALSO TRAING CAMP DATES ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY.

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AD

THE PROTEIN WORKS 24KM SUPPLEMENT ARSENAL FOR FISHERMAN’S FRIEND STRONGMAN RUN, NÜRBURGRING, GERMANY At 1pm on Saturday the 10th of May, myself and 13,000 people from around Europe filled the Nürburgring race track in Germany to take part in the world’s biggest obstacle race known as the Fisherman's Friend StrongmanRun. This was my second year running the course and although last year I enjoyed the pre-race cake and beer, this year I decided it would have to wait till after the race as I was determined to post a semi-decent time.

Now I must point out at close to 100kg I’m far from what you’d call a seasoned runner. Nor was I particularly well built for 24km of imposing obstacles that range from 10,000-volt fences to ice cold lakes. But I did study sports science at Loughborough University and did have a cupboard full of old ‘performance and endurance’ lecture notes. So I decided to dust them off and hope for the best.

So here is my supplement guide that saw me through 24km of the Fisherman's Friend StrongmanRun in a semi-decent time.

But firstly what’s the allure of the Fisherman's Friend StrongmanRun that attracts people from all around the world? If you speak to the six members of Team GB who’d been selected to run you’d get a variety of answers. For Finn Christo and Jamie Mc Donald it seems they needed a new adventure to fill that ‘adrenaline void’ they’d both experienced since Finn rowed across the Atlantic and

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Jamie ran across Canada. For Julia Buckley and Sophie Radcliffe it was more about joining the elite group of 787 women who successfully completed the course. For the StrongmanRun veteran Stuart Amory it was about improving on his 21st position from last year. Finally for Co-Founder of FindaRace, David Wearn, it really was just another day at the office as he regularly runs and reports on the world’s racing events.

But for me it was a chance to try something a bit different and almost use myself as a human guinea pig to see if my suitcase full of THE PROTEIN WORKS™ supplements and sports science knowledge would actually make a difference. This began with my race preparation that started three days ago as I supplemented with what is the most proven performance enhancing ingredients of all, carbohydrates.

This is because carbohydrates are the body's primary fuel supply. So if you're goal is to improve your performance, you absolutely need a sufficient supply.

Training or competing without them is 'sports suicide'. Just ask the scientists at Loughborough University who set out to quantify the difference carbohydrate intake made to a runner's performance. What they found was those who consumed a high carbohydrate diet 7 days before a 30km treadmill time trial were 10% quicker than those who didn’t.

Science also supports the use of pre-workout carbohydrates for those involved in strength training too (which was needed during certain parts of the course, namely the 20 foot high cargo nets). Researchers from the University of Queensland subjected strength athletes to a carbohydrate restricted diet to analyse its effects on performance. After a 2-day carbohydrate restriction program athletes performed three sets of squats with a load of 80% of one repetition maximum. What they found was the carbohydrate restriction program caused a 'significant reduction in the number of squat repetitions performed'.

Basically showing how avoiding carbohydrates pre-workout could directly reduce your muscle building potential in the weights room.

For this reason my diet three days before consisted of 700g of carbohydrates in the form of brown rice, porridge oats, sweet potatoes, supergrains and wholewheat pasta. This is because in the ‘The Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition’ states marathon runners need 5-7g of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight or 60 per cent of your daily calorie intake from carbohydrates. One of the best food sources to carb-load with is oats due to its low Glycemic Index (GI) * 1kg of Pure Fine Oats from THE PROTEIN WORKS™ is £2.79.

My next supplement came in the form of caffeine and this was mainly for two reasons. Firstly researchers at Yale University found that caffeine actually helped increase your resistance to fatigue by stimulating the production of the neuro transmitter beta-endorphin, which studies show can reduce pain and perceived fatigue. With electric fences and 24km to cover I thought the suppression of pain and fatigue would be no bad thing. Secondly caffeine has also been shown to have muscle glycogen sparing properties too. Since during long periods of exercise your body uses glycogen for fuel and when glycogen runs out, exhaustion sets in. Caffeine helps prolong your glycogen stores by encouraging your body to burn stored fat as fuel, saving the glycogen for later.

This all takes place early in the exercise, according to Dr. Mark Jenkins of SportsMed Web, you may use as much as 50 percent less glycogen during the first 15 minutes.

But this leaves larger stores intact for the rest of the event, delaying the point of exhaustion.

Finally, my secret weapon and a supplement few people know about that goes by the name of citrulline malate.

Citrulline malate is a unique combination of the amino acid citrulline and the organic salt malate that has been shown in

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numerous studies to ‘improve athletic performance’ (PérezGuisado, Joaquín, 2010). However more recently scientists have tried to discover specifically where the performance enhancing abilities of citrulline malate come from, with some amazing results.

A study conducted at the Centre de Résonance Magnétique Biologique et Médicale in France found as little as 6 grams of Citrulline Malate resulted in a significant reduction in the sensation of fatigue through a 34% increase in the rate of oxidative adenosine triphosphate production during exercise and a 20% increase in the rate of phosphocreatine recovery after exercise, indicating a larger contribution of oxidative ATP synthesis to energy production (Benedahan et al., 2002). Put more simply this just means Citrulline Malate is able to increase the body’s ability to supply the muscles with oxygen and therefore increase the regeneration of adenosine triphosphate, a molecule that is needed for the muscles to contract and work efficiently.

Secondly the most publicised advantage of supplementing with Citrulline Malate is its ability to buffer lactic acid in the muscles when working at a high intensity.

Obviously of huge importance since numerous studies have shown lactic acid greatly impairs sports performance.

It’s theorised Citrulline Malate does this in 2 ways: (1) Enhancing the body’s aerobic energy system (this is the energy system used by the body that requires oxygen )

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which in turn reduces the demand of the anaerobic system (this is the energy system used by the body that doesn’t oxygen and is the energy system responsible for producing lactic acid).

Then (2) increasing the levels of bicarbonates in the blood since bicarbonates are vital to controlling blood lactate levels by buffering lactic acid molecules and protecting against increased acidity of the blood, known as acidosis (Callis et al, 1991). Therefore in conclusion it’s shown Citrulline Malate could improve performance by increasing your resistance to fatigue by reducing blood lactate levels, enhancing the body’s aerobic energy production and increasing the phospho-creatine recovery (i.e. enhancing ATP stores) and whilst successful dosage of the product varies from study to study, the most commonly cited dosage seems to be 4g. 250g of Citrulline Malate is available from THE PROTEIN WORKS™ for £24.99 HTTP://WWW.THEPROTEINWORKS.COM/PRODUCTS/ POWDERS/AMINO-ACIDS/CITRULLINE-MALATE So was I happy with my race? Well I was far from a podium finish but yes, it was a decent time and I ran it free from cramps, severe fatigue and any nutritional problems.

Maybe next year should if I shed some weight; I could be a bit more of a force to be reckoned with at the Fisherman's Friend StrongmanRun.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

THE DIRTY HOME

London East, 16 - 17 August Dirty Dash (6km + 15 obstacles) Dirty Dozen (12km + 20 obstacles)

DOZEN AD

UK OCR Championships (London South), 27 - 28 September Dirty Dash (6km + 15 obstacles) Dirty Dozen (12km + 20 obstacles) Dirty Destroyer (18km + 25 obstacles)

BIG OBSTACLES It's the muddiest, wettest and most gruelling challenge you could imagine.

Face the murky waters of the Terror Trench, swim underwater through the Sheep Dip and clamber through knee-deep mud to face a 10-foot high, sheer wall - and that’s just for starters.

Quote ORMAG10 for 10% discount. Group Discounts also available

CROSSFIT KEV I’m not a fitness freak, and definitely not a gym bunny. I started CrossFit as a functional fitness tool to help me in my OCR journey, so that I could overcome obstacles that I’d struggled with on my maiden event last September.

After attending the foundation course (which you have to do before starting CrossFit classes), I jumped straight into my first class. I had been thinking about just starting with some open gym sessions as I was nervous about looking a complete tool in front of a group of competent CrossFitters.....but was told I need to complete some classes first before I go to open gym.

I’ve got a pretty busy schedule with work, two needy kids and a demanding wife (only joking darling), so the 6:30am Tuesday morning class looked right up my street.

There’s nothing worse than getting to the best part of your dream, only to be awoken by a 5:45am alarm, when you know the only reason you’re getting up at this god forsaken hour is to put my body through the rigour. The other bonus with the early morning class was that there wouldn’t be as many people there to laugh at me.

After coming through the foundation course pretty much unscathed, I was looking forward to taking part in my first WOD (Workout Of the Day). Before I got to my first WOD, I had the rest of the class to look forward to. When I arrived, I stretched myself out to make it look like I knew what I was doing, before we were gathered around a whiteboard to learn what the class would entail. The board is split into 4 sections – warm up, Strength & Skill & WOD. Most of the disciplines were abbreviated on the board, and it looked more like an algebra exam than an exercise schedule. The early morning coach Sam (also a Bee Keeper.....oh yeah...he keeps bees.....not for the honey..... for the furr!....sorry, an old Harry Hill joke!) went through a demonstration for every part of the class, so we were fully aware of what we needed to do, and in what order.

The one thing I was hoping that wouldn’t be in my first class was pull ups, but with my luck, it was inevitable.... and it was there in the warm up and the WOD. The rest

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[

of the warm up consisted of hanging from the pull up bar and bringing your knees up to your elbows, and then 10 squats. I had to complete three cycles of this, just to get me warmed up. I knew I could maybe blast out one whole pull up, so I used a bungee band to give me assistance. This is the thing that makes CrossFit accessible to everyone.

Everything that you do at CrossFit is scalable, so that you can still push yourself, but can now make the impossible, possible. Another favourite at CrossFit are Box Jumps. For the men, it usually consists of jumping double footed onto a 24” wooden box, but if that’s too difficult, it can be lay onto its side so it only measures 20”, and failing that, you can step up onto it instead of jumping.

So, it was on to my first WOD:

4 ROUNDS FOR TIME 5 FULL CLEANS

10 PULL UPS

[

20 DOUBLE UNDERS (or 60 singles if you can’t do doubles)

You’ll see loads of CrossFit fail videos on youtube, and these normally involve people lifting weights incorrectly, or weights that are just too heavy. Coming from a completely non gym background, one of the things I was looking forward to, was the Olympic lifting, and seeing how over time, my performances would improve.

There was no Olympic lifting in my first class, but what we had to do instead for strength and skill was overhead lunges. This consisted of lifting the weight above my head, and then completing 5 sets of 6 lunges (3 on each leg). I only went for 25kg as I wanted to make it through alive, and have plenty of energy left to complete my first WOD. After the strength and skill, you write your name and weight achieved on the whiteboard, so that you’ve got a record of your performance. Most people have a notebook so they can keep a record of their PB’s, but I just save the pictures of the whiteboard on my phone.

I had conserved some energy for the WOD, but after my first set of cleans, and half of the first round of assisted pull ups, my shoulders felt like giving up. I was expecting to at least hold my own time wise with some of the regulars, but I could feel myself dropping behind them, although it’s not a race. I’ve not used a skipping rope since I was about 5 years old, so picking one up 30 years later, and trying to go straight into double unders, would inevitably end in a fail, so I had to do 60 single skips. Wow, I was now hitting the wall, and I still had 3 rounds left until the ordeal was over.

After finishing a full 5 minutes after the rest of the group, I collapsed on the floor and then remembered I’d got a full day’s work ahead of me. It was a sore drive home, but I felt very refreshed for the rest of the day, and was glad I’d sacrificed a bit of sleep for the cause.

You always remember your first time, but this was just the start. The CrossFit addiction was starting to kick in, and I liked it!

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1

START BY SWINGING YOUR LEGS STRAIGHT OUT IN FRONT OF YOU.

2 RING MUSCLE UP

4 18

AT THE SAME TIME PULL THE RINGS UNDERNEATH YOUR ARM PITS AND THROW YOUR HEAD FORWARD.

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3

THEN SWING THEM BACK BEHIND YOU SLIGHTLY BENT

AS YOUR LEGS SWING BACK FORWARD, KICK YOUR FEET BACK DOWN AND POP YOUR HIPS FORWARD.

5

PRESS WITH YOUR ARMS AND FINISH WITH THEM FULLY EXTENDED.

1

4

5

2

START FROM A DEAD HANG POSITION AND ARMS SLIGHTLY WIDER THAN SHOULDER WIDTH.

PULL YOUR ARMS BEHIND YOU, PUSHING YOUR CHEST AND HEAD FORWARD.

BUTTERFLY PULL UP

AS YOU DROP DOWN AGAIN UNDER THE BAR, FORCE YOUR CHEST FORWARD AND KEEP YOUR LEGS BENT BEHIND YOU.

WHEN YOU START TO SWING BACK AGAIN KICK YOUR LEGS FORWARD AND REPEAT THE MOTION. THE KEY IS TO KEEP A STEADY RHYTHM IN A CIRCULAR MOTION RATHER THAN UP AND DOWN LIKE A STRICT PULL UP.

3

AS YOUR MOMENTUM PUSHES YOU BACKWARDS AGAIN AWAY FROM THE BAR, PULL YOURSELF UP AND AROUND IN A CIRCULAR MOTION. MAKE SURE YOUR CHIN COMES HIGHER THAN THE TOP OF THE BAR.

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JUDGEMENT DAY RACE REVIEW

The heavy drizzle sent eager runners of one of the most anticipated races of the year about their business in a determined fashion. As I pulled up on the edge of the military village it hit me how large it was. Never having been to the site before I don’t know what I was expecting, maybe a few little houses in the middle of an open expanse, or maybe a hanger or two for military vehicles?

But whatever it was, the reality was whole lot different and with it came a rush of excitement.

This was an entire village, with schools and churches and petrol stations, and everything else you would expect to see in a village or even a small town. The cosmetics were a little lacking with their bricked up windows and unrendered fascia but even so a village it was, with a slightly eerie undertone. Runners milled about rushing from car to covered building to try and keep dry and warm for as long as possible. Small groups of people moved through the well organised registration area and whilst picking up their numbers, they all expressed the same level of excitement that the village was creating.

The walk from registration through the village to the starting area had the same effect as the slow build-up of excitement you get from the waiting areas of theme park rides. This wasn’t just a race over hills and through streams, although there would be plenty of that. This however, was something a little different, a little special, and after a wet and unexpectedly chilly wait we all gathered together for the warm up.

Pumping music blasted out of speakers, and a full-on warm up ensued, filled with a chorus of cheers, shouts and the occasional whoop, and then, with adrenaline pumped to its maximum we were off. Tearing down an incline, a start that almost always sends you off faster than you would normally go, we headed out, and within only a few hundred metres we were up to our waists in cold muddy water, a theme that would last the whole course.

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JUDGEMENT DAY

JAMES LODGE RACE NAME: JUDGEMENT DAY LOCATION: SALISBURY PLAIN DISTANCE: 10 MILES NUMBER OF OBSTACLES: 39 SORT OF TERRAIN: ROLLING HILLS, MILITARY TRAINING VILLAGE LEVEL OF MUD: 5 DIFFICULTY LEVEL(1-10): 7

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The rain continued in fits and spurts, making sure that the already tough course didn’t let you have an easy ride at any point. Gentle rolling hills seemed to get steeper and steeper as the miles ticked by, and before long what you could class as the “usual” obstacles started to show themselves in force. Monkey bars and barbed wire crawls in cold muddy water showed themselves a number of times; cruelly drenching you again just when you’d had a chance to warm up a little. Walls of varying sizes requiring a little jump over at the start, and team work to get over at their largest, stood out bleakly on exposed hills in the distance, to show you that you had the pleasure of their company in the near future as you ran on.

Possibly half way through the course, although at this point distance was quite hard to measure, we were introduced to our sand bags. I have to say mine looked as if he could have lost a few pounds as he was bursting at the seams, but after shouldering the extra weight I set off on my short little run. Oh how wrong I was! All the teasing from judgement day about 1 mile sandbag carries before the event were true, a mile or not it was hard to say but it was one of the longest carries I have had to do in a race, so in the future if you are given advice from judgement-day about what you will find on the course, take their advice.

But onward I travelled with my now wet and heavier burden to find myself in front of a painting, the first time I have had a mental challenge in all of the races I have undertaken. When you’re dry and haven’t run miles climbing under, over and through mud covered obstacles, this kind of thing is easy, but with the threat of an unknown punishment for not getting the task correct it’s a whole different matter. However red, green and blue (the colour of the angel’s robes in the painting), is probably a fact that I will never forget. The sandbag course moved on through knee deep mud at points, and with rope and rope ladder climbs out of the way, (thankfully not carrying the sandbag) I eagerly said good bye to my sandy running buddy and hit the hills once more.

The route of the course was great, even with dark rolling clouds on the horizon for most of the race the views were no less inspiring. With an almost circular course around the village there were a number of teasing moments when you thought things were drawing to a conclusion only to be sent out again for another mile or two.

However mud covered and soaked, the course eventually led us back to the village through and under and some old train waggons, and a couple of grounded and gutted helicopters.

Once more the music thumped and you were welcomed personally to village over the loudspeaker, a great touch, but no time to hang around. The obstacles here were the opposite of those out on the course, in terms of frequency. They were back to back and gave you the feeling of being in your own action movie, and a sense of adventure that will draw everyone back.

Up walls, through windows and a dash across a room only to climb out the window the other side, and be met by a rope to climb up a wall into your next building. This set the theme, entering buildings in various ways, and putting training to the test and any fears aside. Dropping down into almost darkness, crawling through tight spaces for what felt like eternity, and then a final jump to test the nerve of even those that have no fear of heights.

Judgement day was one of the most eagerly awaited races of the year and it very much lived up to its word.

The course was both tough and fun, the perfect mix for any obstacle course race, longer than a lot out there at 10 miles, but not too long that it is out of reach of anyone, and was also topped off with a great medal! Look out for further Judgement day races in the future, I thoroughly recommend getting to one of them if you can.

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TECH REVIEW

GARMIN FENIX 2 Before I start this review, let me say that I could easily write 5 full pages on this little beast of a watch, it truly is that good.

I’ve owned the original Fenix for a couple of years now and its come along and conquered at least 50 races with me, but you would never guess it to look at it. This has to be Garmins greatest watch they’ve ever sold. So when I found out a Fenix 2 was being produced I got just a little excited.

As you can see it’s a sexy looking watch and something I find myself wearing when not running as it’s so comfortable. I’ve had the watch long enough to be able to test it at six races this season, with not a scratch to show for it. Sold as a fully-fledged multisport watch and it truly lives up to the label. There isn’t a sport this watch can’t record, from swimming to mountaineering. Combine this with the fantastic heart rate monitor, it gives you all the feedback you could desire. Mud, water and the occasional fire jump doesn’t even faze this watch.

The Fenix 2 comes with a number of different strap variations which include a very strong Velcro fastening version, a regular thick rubber version and also a neat strap which allows you to attach it to your rucksack. The pack also includes all the tools you need to change the straps plus the connectors to sink data with your lap top and also to mains charger.

The buttons have changed a little on the new model and do feel like they have a better seal behind them so as to not let dirt in around them which was the only quibble I ever had with the original Fenix. The display has also changed and been inverted compared to the original, so it now has white text on a black background making it in my opinion so much easier to read when on the fly.

All the menus have great flow to them and once you’ve done the initial set up then it’s literally a couple of presses before you’re ready to go. If you’re running in a location the watch has been used before then it only takes around 4 seconds to find satellites but if It’s a new location you’re looking at up to one minute.

You can connect the watch to your phone allowing people to live track your run and also allowing you to read your texts, tweets and Facebook messages on the watch screen while you’re training. Not much use for these features while racing but great for training.

So to round up this watch is pretty much indestructible and also has all you could ever need and more with plenty of features being added through updates all the time. One thing that did stand out for me personally was the TRAK BAK feature it has on it which allows you to do exactly what it says on the tin which is to track back on screen where you’ve been if you’re ever off exploring. It loves the mud we encounter and doesn’t miss a beat. My advice would be to add it to your wish list ASAP.

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WEIGHT: 85 GRAMS SCREEN VISIBILITY: FANTASTIC EASE OF USE: GOOD FLOW, EASY SET UP BATTERY LIFE: 15 HOURS GPS+/OVER A WEEK IN WATCH MODE DURABILITY: EXTREMELY DURABLE PRICE:

£380

RRP WITH ANT HR MONITOR

TECH REVIEW

GARMIN VIRB PRICE:

£349

RRP

The VIRB Elite comes as a self-contained ruggedised unit, so unlike with any GoPro, you won’t need a waterproof housing in most scenarios. And that’s not its only advantage over its rival. While GoPro users have to either make do with a teeny little monochrome screen or spend an extra £80 for a clip-on LCD panel, the Garmin has a proper colour display.

Well, i say ‘proper’. The VIRB’s ‘Chroma’ display is powered by ambient light - which is great for battery life, but not so good for viewing in poor conditions; use it in the dark and it’ll be virtually blank. Still, it’s a screen, and the fact that it’s on there at all makes it easier to frame shots, review footage and alter settings in many situations.

You want features? With built-in GPS and Wi-Fi, the Elite can log your location and altitude and send heart-rate, speed, cadence and temperature info to other Garmin gear. Garmin have their own editing program called Garmin EDIT which make it so simple to chop up your footage in to a master piece. This also allows you to add live on screen read outs of speed, distance and time etc from the data collected by the GPS function.

The VIRB’s buttons are more logically laid out than those on the latest GoPro, too, with nice touches such as a big, glove-friendly slider for toggling recording on and off and a bold green light to confirm that yes, you’re rolling.

There’s even a neat remote control app for Android and iOS. The main problem with this slider is that it does get grit under it very easily, so making sure you have enough memory to last a whole race is important. This basically means you need a pretty big micro SD card.

The head mount can be a little tricky under cargo nets but I found the shoulder mount loads more comfortable while racing.

WEIGHT: 177 GRAMS EASE OF USE: VERY EASY BATTERY LIFE: 3+ HOURS DURABILITY: EXTREMELY DURABLE Issue 4 | Obstacle Race

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TECH REVIEW

SUUNTO AMBIT 2S PRICE:

£260

RRP WITH HR MONITOR +£20 FOR WALL SOCKET

The Suunto is a watch which is designed to be used for three main sports and those are swimming, cycling and also running. For all these three uses it seems to really do a fantastic job. When looking for a watch to suit an obstacle racer then the swimming and running bit are the important parts because due to it having to be waterproof.

Now Suunto have never marketed this watch as one for the real rough and tumble adventurer but due to its functions we wanted to give it a try and see if it was up to the job of accompanying us round the course we get to play on at the weekend.

When you open the box you find a clip like sink cable and an ordinary Heart rate monitor(no ANT functionality) this basically means it can only be used with the Ambit and not be shared around your other devices. There isn’t a plug with this package so unless you invest in one then you’re pretty much stuck charging it on your laptop. The strap is a form moulded strap which is great as long as you have an average sized wrist but a bit of a downfall if you have really thick or skinny wrists. The strap is very breathable though due to there being lots of little openings cut out of it.

The functions on the watch are very easily accessible though just a few clicks of the buttons. It will pick up on satellites in just a few seconds no matter what your location which was an awesome result. This is the sort of watch you will want to wear to every occasion but due to it being one of the prettiest watches I’ve ever used also seems to be its major down fall. After just three races in this watch you can just see on the picture the pretty coloured bezel around the edge is already scratched and dented significantly. The biggest upside to this watch is its price point at around the £260 mark.

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WEIGHT: 90 GRAMS SCREEN VISIBILITY: PRETTY GOOD EASE OF USE: GOOD FLOW, EASY SET UP BATTERY LIFE: JUST 8 HOURS GPS+/OVER A WEEK IN WATCH MODE DURABILITY: AVERAGE

WHOLE HOG AD

RACE NAME: THE GLADIATOR GAMES LOCATION: WOODHALL PARK, HERTFORD DISTANCE: 5KM OR 10KM NO OF OBSTACLES: 20 TERRAIN: MUDDY OFF-ROAD DATE: 13TH SEPTEMBER 2014 THINKING ABOUT YOUR NEXT RACE? The Gladiator Games is the latest event to hit the calendar.

Launching at The Woodhall Estate in Hertfordshire this September, the Games are designed for those who have never completed a 5km run let alone an obstacle course.

The emphasis is very much on fun with lots of mud and the odd Gladiator to up the tempo along the way. It’s the perfect race to complete with your friends or colleagues who wish they could do what you do every weekend!

We caught up with the founder of The Gladiator Games, Sarah King, to find out what to expect at the event.

How long have you worked in the events industry and do you get time to take part in races?

I’ve been working in the events industry for over 10 years now and I've always been passionate about creating active adventures and inspiring people to get outdoors, explore and have fun. I started in the corporate events industry, where I spent five years managing VIP trips, conferences and product launches all around the world. I joined the sports events industry in 2009 and my recent successes included designing and directing The Major Series in

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partnership with British Military Fitness. This muddy obstacle race now serves over 18,000 participants a year.

Yes, I definitely get time to take part in races. I think it’s important to find time to take part in other events so you can ensure your race delivers the best possible experience.

I’ve taken part in lots of challenging runs including Tough Guy, Spartan, Wolf Run and The Major Series, as well as a number of Olympic distance triathlons and more recently the Electric Run. But it was the Color Run, which celebrates healthiness, happiness and giving back to the community that inspired me to set up my own event. I want people from all paths of life to get involved in The Gladiator Games and encourage their friends who wouldn’t normally take part in a run to give it a go!

Why did you decide to set up a new obstacle race?

Over the last five years of managing races, I’ve seen an explosion in the popularity of obstacle races. Most of them are quite grueling so they tend to appeal to a fairly small demographic of people who are already adventurous, active and willing to try new things. I thought it was about time there was obstacle race that was all about fun, having a laugh with your mates and making new ones. I want to create an experience where no one feels intimidated and which introduces nervous runners to the fantastic world of obstacle racing.

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/THEGLADIATORGAMES @GLAD_GAMES WWW.THEGLADIATORGAMES.CO.UK

What makes The Gladiator Games different from all other obstacle events?

The Gladiator Games is the only obstacle race in the world, which is interactive. There are no static obstacles, every one involves getting past a Gladiator in some way, whether it be by escaping a Gladiator in a giant mud bath, balancing your way along a beam before the Gladiator is able to push you off, or dodging past the Gladiators with their pugil sticks.

The race finishes in an arena where spectators will cheer on the competitors as they complete their final challenges.

What are the key obstacles participants will enjoy and why?

All the obstacles will be fun, but I think there are three zones that will particularly stand out: the foam zone where Gladiators will be sending out jets of foam over competitors, the travelator - where Gladiators will be trying to stop competitors from racing up a giant slippery slide by throwing water down it and, finally, the paintball zone, where competitors will have to dodge their way past Gladiators with paint guns hiding in the trees.

Why Gladiators?

Many of the successful obstacle races involve participants taking on the route, terrain and obstacles. I wanted to add another dimension that involved human interaction.

The Gladiators will be there to inject some fun into the race and to keep up the variety. We’re encouraging participants to have fun with the Gladiators instead of viewing them as the opposition to ‘fight’ against.

The other unique element of this race is that we are giving members of the public the opportunity to put themselves forward to become a Gladiator. The fitness industry is growing by the day, people are getting more active and even more of us are taking part in tough and ultra distance events. I think there are definitely some potential Gladiators among this pool of people, people who will want to take part in an event from a different angle and prove their fitness by becoming a Gladiator at The Gladiator Games.

GET THE EDGE OVER THE GLADIATORS!

Why are you holding the event at The Woodhall Estate?

The Woodhall Estate is a fantastic location. The Estate is like a natural playground and I’ve made sure that the race has been designed around the features in the Estate, of which there are many. It’s just 30 minutes outside of Central London and is accessible by train from Kings Cross, which was really important for us as we know that many people will be travelling from London and won’t have access to cars.

My top 3 tips:

There’s a 5KM and 10KM distance. What's the difference?

DISCOUNT FOR OBSTACLE RACE READERS:

The 5KM and 10KM race include the same obstacles because the Gladiator Zones are located within the final 5KM route. So, runners who just want to complete the obstacles can enter the 5KM race. But for those looking for a harder challenge, there’s an additional 5KM trail running route, which participants will complete before entering the 5KM of Gladiator Zones.

We’ll be offering readers 10% off their entry fee if they sign up before 30th July 2014.

Think about your game plan before you take on each obstacle! Here are some techniques to help you: 1. Speed Demon: tackle each obstacle at a fast pace and try to out-run the Gladiator.

2. Brain Box: out-smart the Gladiator by taking on the obstacle using a calculated technique.

3. Team Effort: go with safety in numbers, and use your teammates to take on the Gladiator en masse!

Just visit www.thegladiatorgames.co.uk and enter GGP1 to claim this discount. Additionally, we’re encouraging teams of ten or more to sign up together and if they do, they can get a further 10% off their entry fee.

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MONSTER RACE REVIEW Photography by The Little Photo Company

Since I missed this race last year I knew It was one I had to get to this year. So Monster Race was scribbled on to the race calendar as soon as the date was released.

I pulled into the car park to what had to be the hottest day of the year. It was a windows down on the motorway sort of day. Although I usually take hydration pretty seriously, on this occasion I had forgotten every rule. So I only had a tiny bottle of water to make up for what seemed like forever since my last drink.

Bag drop done, race number picked up swiftly and before I knew it I was in a pack of runners doing a warm up when I was already definitely warm. Now there’s a fine line between a warm up and going overboard. Luckily the guys from Super Human Events had it down to a T. The man on the mic had a great idea of letting all fancy dress runners go to the front of the pack as they had put the most effort in. I thought this was a nice touch.

So off we went. Oh gosh, did I mention it was hot. We started by running through a nice lush green field towards a deceptively steep hill climb on a trail leading into the forest.

Ah the shade of the trees felt amazing. Before I could even begin to get into any sort of stride the first real obstacle revealed itself to me, a nice crawl followed by the staple of OCRs, the wall. After helping a couple of racers in front it was time to hoist myself over and in my usual ungraceful fashion landing like I’d been drinking.

Time to get back to the trails where this time I managed to get into a sort of rhythm. This wasn’t easy though as the trails were very uneven, baked solid and seemed to be forever climbing. It wasn’t long before I was carrying about 20 kilograms of water around a circuit before diving into a muddy barbed wire topped tank.

The next real stand out point for me had to be the up and unders which had been plonked smack bang into the deepest mud on the course. What a coincidence! But the mud man look was short lived as it was time for the first water crossing of the day and a great opportunity to shed

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MONSTER RACE

EDITOR CARL RACE NAME: MONSTER RACE LOCATION: CORNBURY PARK DISTANCE: 12KM NUMBER OF OBSTACLES: 25 SORT OF TERRAIN: UP AND DOWN TRAILS WITH PLENTY OF MUD AND WATER. LEVEL OF MUD: 4 DIFFICULTY LEVEL(1-10): 4 Issue 4 | Obstacle Race

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the pounds of mud which I’d got hitching a lift. Back onto the trails, but this time with the added moisture from the waterlogged runners. So we had some nice soft mud to run in.

Just as the temperature gauge started to creep into the red again a very pleasant sight lay ahead of me. A lovely deep swim. I have to admit I let myself take a little longer than usual on the swim as it was so nice and perfectly timed. Up and out the other side revitalised and ready for a few more Km’s.

Muddy trails lay out in front of me. The inov-8’s are really getting a treat today, but little did they know that they were about to be an unscheduled wash, because next up it was a nice long stream run. The race route ran in and out of the stream so one minute you’re kicking through flowing water and then the next you’re up on the bank in ankle deep mud. This went on for a few minutes and seemed to also involve dodging copious amounts of midges dancing about over the water.

“Go on nearly there”, were the words that snapped me out of my trance and let me know I was almost at the finish line. But as I looked up to judge just how close ‘nearly there’ was, I saw a huge steep incline between me and the final stretch. This was a killer natural obstacle to have so close to the line and really helped produce a burn.

A wall appeared as I scaled the hill and the closer I got the bigger it seemed. Standing under the wall toe to toe it was a beast of an obstacle and went on to pretty much drain the last bit of strength I had left in me. A tyre wall and crawl later and I had finally got what I had waited a full year for, the fantastic Monster Race medal and also I had got my hands on another more short term goal item. A lovely cold bottle of water.

So to sum the Monster Race up, these guys really know how to put on a fast paced obstacle course race with enough obstacle to satisfy any OCR hunger.

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WE HAD SOME NICE SOFT MUD TO RUN IN

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HOW TO RUN FASTER: PART1

By Coach Michael of Wild Forest Gym

There is an assumption that we were born to run. However, there is a distinct difference between just running and optimising your running. For many, running is painful, tiresome and challenging.

For others there is the desire to race faster and hit the podium. In this article we ask Coach Michael how he coaches his TEAM Wild Forest Gym into become top runners.

> SELF-EVALUATION From day one of training I ascertain how my athletes currently run. I initially ask them about what running means to them. So maybe this is a good moment for you to reflect on the following questions and self-evaluate your current running.

How comfortable does it feel?

How easy is it to run?

Do you feel aches and pains during /post running?

Is it enjoyable?

Could you run more efficiently?

Do you have good form?

Could you run faster?

Sometimes it is good to reflect on how you currently run as in most cases we just accept, that is the way it is. But it is only at this point, that you can be honest with yourself and look at ways to optimise your running by becoming more efficient, effective and faster whilst also enjoying it. That may sound like a mouthful of wishfuls but it is achievable.

So lets start by looking at posture.

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HOW TALL DO YOU FEEL TODAY? Our first point of call is posture. For this we need to go back to basics and look at how you stand and your alignment when you run. Firstly stand as you would normally stand and determine how your body feels i.e. light/heavy, stretched/compacted. Does it feel like gravity is pushing your body weight down on your hips, legs and feet? Now go for a short run up and down the road outside your house. Similarly ask yourself the same questions.

Next, I would like you to stand with your feet under your hips and stand tall. I reckon like most other runners you have just pulled your shoulder up and back. Now you feel a bit taller. Well true enough you have. BUT, inadvertently as you have expanded your lower vertebrae you have compacted on the upper ones including your neck.

Instead, I would like you to imagine that there is a piece of cotton attached from the crown of your head to the ceiling/ roof or if you are outdoors a cloud or the canopy of the trees. Now pulling up on this string elongate your spine from the crown. Allow each of the vertebrae to drop down.

A bit like the old doctors skeletons that you would lift up and each vertebrae would evenly drop down one below each other. The significant of this, is when you elongate your spine correctly your spinal cord can function more effectively, which brings with it good communication to every part of your body on a neurological, muscular and energetic level.

>

>

ANTIGRAVITY

The other major benefit is that it is an antigravity technique i.e. to take the weight out of your hips, legs and feet. The best way to experience this is to run on the spot standing the way you have always and then run a short distance.

Stop, then elongate your spine. Now run on the spot and then run a short difference keeping your spine elongated.

Can you feel the difference? I can tell you that I have never come across a runner whom hasn’t. In fact I can tell you categorically that if you only elongate the spine when you run, this alone is going to improve your running form, speed and comfort. So do you feel taller, I can tell you at 6 ft 2� I feel like 7 ft when I stand and run with an elongated spine. And boy I do not feel like my whole body weight is weighing down on my hips, legs and feet. How does it feel to you? Try again, maybe a longer distance and let me know what it feels like.

NECK AND SHOULDER PAINS 9 out of 10 times most runners who experience pains and aches in their shoulders and neck whilst running is due to poor posture alignment and awareness. So the next time you are aware of the onset of such an ache or pain focus on elongating the spine and feel the difference. Just remember you do not have to live with pain when you have the know-how to overcome it.

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YOU CAN BREATHE The other benefit of elongating the spine is that it opens up your neck and throat area, so that you take in more air and more oxygen into your lungs and around the body.

>

This is significant to muscle fatigue and replenishing each active cell and muscle fibre in your body. As you begin to feel taller can you feel it opens up your chest without trying hard to do so.

All you have to do is pull on that piece of string tied to the crown of your head and you feel tall, you can breathe better and ultimately you are bringing better communication throughout your nervous and cardiovascular systems, which is providing all the vital nutrients and oxygen to activated parts of your body.

>

[

PRACTICE… PRACTICE… PRACTICE Now it is time to practice this simple yet dynamic adjustment to your running. Just remember you will not be able to do it all the time. But the more you are aware of it in your normal day to day tasks such as sitting, standing and walking, then it is much easier to incorporate it into your training. Slowly it becomes more the norm for you.

Don’t be too hard on yourself when you are out running.

Start off with elongating the spine and every few minutes just re-enforce it. It may feel strange in the first instance, but it becomes less work as muscle memory starts to develop. Do let me know how your feedback or post your questions to facebook.com/wildforestgym.

BALLS OF YOUR FEET Do you also notice that being tall tucks your butt in and causes you to slightly lean forward from your ankles (not hips). This ultimately brings you closer to the balls of your feet if you are a heel striker. WARNING – Moving from heel striking to mid foot striking has to be done over a long transition period of months in order to retrain the muscles and reduce the risk of injuries. If you have specific questions about this email info@wildforestgym.com

]

ORM RUNNING MASTERCLASSES Obstacle Race Magazine has partnered with Coach Michael of Wild Forest Gym to provide ORM Natural Running Masterclasses. As a Movnat Natural Running Coach, Coach Michael will teach you all the intricate elements to developing good running form, so you can optimize your running and learn ‘How To Run Faster.

Just visit http://bit.ly/ormtraining.

PART 2 In Part 2 of How to Run Faster in the next edition of Obstacle Race Magazine we will look at muscle activation, shoulder movement, and other techniques that can develop your running style/gait in order for you to optimise your running. Natural Running can be fun. Just need to know how.

Enjoy Coach Michael

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Le

t yo

u r w il d s i d e

ou

t

Raise money for charity, get fit or ‘Just have fun’

Saturday 12th July 2014

VISION WILD RUN GREAT TEW, OXFORDSHIRE 10k (over 18s) and 5k (over 15s)

‘Vision Wild Run’ is a 10k multi obstacle run for over 18’s and a 5k multi obstacle run for over 15’s or anyoneless convinced of the BIG 10k challenge.

You’ll run, climb, jump, wade, crawl and swim through aseries of manmade and natural obstacles challenging your mental and physical strength, skills and stamina, pushing you to the limit!

CHALLENGING & UNIQUE OBSTACLE, TRAIL AND MUD RUN

Run for charity. We have some great charities listed on our website or choose your own. Discounts for team entries. Food-drinks-hot showers-great atmosphere-great day out. DON’T MISS OUT, SPACES GOING FAST.

www.visionwildrun.co.uk

Great Tew, Oxon, OX7 4NP - T: 01608 672044

Like us on Facebook and keep up yo date with all our events at Vision Wild Run

ALWAYS WITH A SMILE For those of you who may not be familiar with the term, a ‘flash mob’ is a group of people who assemble suddenly, for a brief period of time and in a public place, to perform an unusual and seemingly pointless act, often for the purposes of entertainment, satire, and artistic expression… then quickly disperse!

And one of the world’s most outrageous flash mob events takes place annually on the first Saturday in April in cities all across the globe… when random strangers gather to celebrate World Pillow Fight Day! In the UK, the ‘main event’ has been traditionally held in London, or more precisely at Trafalgar Square… and for the last few years I’ve been responsible (and I use that word in a non-legal context) for starting the event at 3pm and finishing it (or trying to!) just 15 minutes later.

Due to the very nature of a flash mob event however, there is always some doubt as to exactly what is happening and the authorities always try to scupper the clandestine plans of those ‘in the know’…

Last year, on arrival at the London monument, I was quickly approached by two police officers who informed me that the ‘pillow fight’ had been cancelled. With a confused look, I responded: “What pillow fight, officers?!” as I stood there in my favourite pyjamas and pillow in hand… “I’m just out for a walk, but I think I’ll hang around for a while now anyway…”

This year it was no different, with a press release issued by non-other than Boris Johnson and the mayor’s office!

The Greater London Authority announced that, on the said date, it would be undertaking ‘cleaning and maintenance in Trafalgar Square… with the majority fenced off’ and that it would be ‘unsuitable and potentially unsafe for events.’

Blah… clap trap! Accompanied by a small army of ‘Smilers’, team ‘Always With A Smile’ arranged to meet at Rugby train station in uniform (bed-ware) and already armed (with pillows). As we boarded our train to Euston, it’s fair to say that we looked not so dissimilar to the patients from ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’ as both

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passenger and conductor alike gazed on in bemusement as we stood on the platform.

The train journey down was nothing less than boisterous, and the atmosphere continued to elevate as we took to the tube network to make our way to Charing Cross (the nearest station to Trafalgar Square). The odd nod, wink or rye smile from other mysterious figures with carrier bags bulging with soft yet cumbersome items revealed that the coup d’état was in effect and that there was no turning back…

On the approach to Trafalgar Square what I had originally thought to be simple authority mis-information disseminated in an attempt to deter too many feathered pugilists from coming together, actually turned out to be reality… The Square was indeed cordoned off for ‘cleaning and maintenance’ whilst a unusually large police presence lingered around the barriers.

“I’m the officer in charge today, are you the organiser?…” a stern voice questioned?

Now think Joel, get your barrister-head on (one of my former professions)…

“Erm… No…” (though I have to admit, I was bang to rights as I stood there in just my underpants, with a large pillow in one hand and a huge megaphone in the other).

“Look, we just want you to stay away from the fountains… the feathers cause damage to the filters.” A reasonable request, I considered…

What proceeded was ultimately an honest and fair appraisal of the circumstances, and a negotiation in light of the unavoidable… We (the mob) would refrain from descending into the lower tiers of the Square and would instead confine ourselves to the upper level, in front of the Gallery, to avoid damaging the filters. In return, the police would not intrude on the event, and would allow the spectacle to go ahead uninterrupted.

We had the green light! So it was time to get the message out there…

Lifting the megaphone to my lips I announced that World Pillow Fight Day 2014 would be going ahead, much to

EVENTS INCLUDED: WORLD PILLOW FIGHT DAY STRICTLY LEARN TO DANCE EASTER BUNNY BINGO WORLD COAL CARRYING CHAMPIONSHIPS ELECTRIC RUN GEORGE CHUTER AND GEORDAN MURPHY Issue 4 | Obstacle Race

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the relief and roars of every cushioned warrior in the area.

Social media then did it’s job, and as 3 o’clock approached around 1,000 people stood in the ‘pit’ surrounded by several thousand members of the watching public and just as many photographers!

At 2:55pm, I again addressed the bulging populous… “5 minutes to go…”.

Pillows waved in the air, drums beat to music and the carnival atmosphere continued to build.

As the numbers began to swell, it’s hard to say how many gladiators found themselves standing in the make-shift arena… 1,500… 2,000… but for the next 15 or so minutes, each and every person would etch a memory into their minds that they would never forget.

Finally, I gave the signal… “5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Go!” Carnage…

For fifteen minutes, man, woman and child fought as pillow-wielding gladiators… each without ally, as husband turned on wife, mother turned on child, and friend became foe.

Blows rained in to the head and the body from all angles as the odd pillow exploded into a cacophony of feathers, to the cheers of those watching as well as taking part.

The air filled with a white-snow of down, as laughter and shrieks combined in the fluffy melee taking place…

Now whilst 15 minutes doesn’t sound very long… pillow fighting is not an endurance event. It is hectic, brutal and most definitely exhausting! As the hands of Big Ben slowly turned in the distance, I ensured the battle-hardened knew just how long remained… With 60 seconds to go, I climbed on to one of the pillars situated in front of the Gallery and roared “one minute…” like a Roman emperor addressing the crowd in the Colosseum…

This seemed only to spur those taking part into one last frenzied attack on whoever stood beside them… Feather explosions erupted like white fire-crackers as the final moments approached.

“5, 4, 3, 2, 1…”

YOU CAN TAKE A LOOK AT JOEL’S ADVENTURES WITH THE ‘ALWAYS WITH A SMILE’ FOUNDATION AT WWW.ALWAYSWITHASMILE.COM ON TWITTER @JOELHICKSAWAS AND ON FACEBOOK WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ JOELHICKSOFFICIAL

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And the crowd roared! Pillows flew into the air, blows turned to hugs, and laughter filled the air as friends and strangers alike embraced in a ‘make love, not war’ moment.

Many looked around, struggling to believe what they had just taken part in or observed… age did not matter, for everyone who stood in the Square for those 15 short minutes with pillow in hand was nine and a half years old again…

Some detractors might question why anyone would take part in such a seemingly pointless event… but in a world where, at times, happiness, laughter and simple joyful expression can so easily be lost to the rigours of everyday life, it is undoubtedly moments of unparalleled lunacy which can often lift the very hearts of humanity… and that is reason enough.

And so, just like that, the Pillow Fight of Trafalgar Square 2014 was consigned to the history books… and people’s memories. Until next year anyway!

And history, so significant in many of the events that I undertake as founder of the ‘Always With A Smile’ foundation, brings me to my next tale of April foolery…

In 1963, in a small Yorkshire pub in the village of Gawthorpe, two men stood, enjoying a pint, lost in their own thoughts. One of these men was Reggie Sedgwick, whilst the the other was Amos Clapham, a local coal merchant.

Suddenly, in burst a third man, Lewis Hartley, in a somewhat exuberant mood.

“Ba gum lad tha’ looks buggered!” he said, slapping Reggie headily on the back.

Now, whether it was because of the force of the slap or the tone of the language that accompanied it, Reggie was (as legend tells it) a little put out.

“Ah’m as fit as thee” he told Lewis, “an’ if tha’ dun’t believe me gerra bagga coal on tho back an ah’ll race thee to t’ top ‘o ’t’ wood”.

As a taken-a-back Lewis considered the implications of the challenge, a fourth man raised a cautioning hand. Fred Hirst, never a man to let a good idea go to waste, pondered: “Owd on a minute, aven’t we been lookin’ for some’at ta do on Easter Monday? If we’re gonna ‘ave a race, let’s ‘ave it then…”

Thus was born the World Coal Carrying Championships… and 51 years later, the event is still going strong.

Starting at The Royal Oak public house, both men and women race with a sack of coal on their shoulders for just short of a mile (1012 metres to be precise) in the quickest time possible, eventually dropping their sack on the Village Green, where the traditional Maypole is situated in the heart of Gawthorpe.

Sounds easy enough doesn’t it? Well, hold back on your judgement until you read the fine print. The women battle against the uphill course with an impressive 20kg of coal, whilst the men carry a staggering 50kg (yes, 50kg) in weight!

Still think you could mix it with the Northern folk?…

What if I tell you that the current record time for the women’s race is 4 minutes 25 seconds, and for the men’s it is a truly unbelievable 4 minutes and 6 seconds! That’s a speed of over 4 metres per second… or covering 10 metres in 2.4 seconds…

Having been a fixture at the World Coal Carrying Championships for several years, I know that the £750 prize for coming in first is, to say the least, a little beyond me… If I’m honest, I doubt I could run 1012 metres in under 4 minutes 6 seconds without 50kg of coal slowing me down! As such, I take part (like so many) to test myself, to encourage on others and to soak in the atmosphere on what is a wonderfully heart-warming event.

To get things up and running, entrants are first ‘loaded’ prior to the official start - this is where the sacks of coal are hoisted on to the shoulders of the runners from a large lorry.

Grabbing the sack at it’s corners, the best one’s for running with are those with a bit of slack in them, so that your hands can grip tightly and easily adjust the weight as you mould the coal contents to your shoulders. A slippery or ‘bulging’ bag can ruin a competitors time in the first 100 yards… and so many make a close inspection before selecting their sack.

When in position, it doesn’t take long for you to realise how much weight is actually pressing down through your whole body… yet you really don’t have enough time to think about that, for as quickly as you are in position, the race starter gives a countdown and it’s “3, 2, 1… go!”

Is there a particular tactic or strategy you should adopt at the World Coal Carrying Championships? No… My only advice is simply never to drop the bag!

Some runners set off like whippets around a race track, whilst others start slow and make a push during the second half of the race. For non-locals it’s a tricky decision as knowing exactly how far you are along the course and how hard to push it is always a gamble. Go too soon, and you’ll empty your tank too early and be left almost crawling to the village green… Leave it too late and you’ll kick yourself for not pushing hard enough. Many of the ‘elite’ runners (and it’s probably right to call them that…) have coaches who encourage them around the course - though the committee has tightened up the rules on this in recent years due to the prize money involved!

For me… running with what felt like only half a lung due to ‘man-flu’, and with acute tendonitis in my arms and shoulders… I opted for a steady-state run. At the start of the race I could see the heels of many a man shoot off ahead, but within just a few hundred yards I had managed to catch and overtake the majority of sprint starters.

At around the half way stage, the pain really begins to

take effect. Your legs can start to tremble as you push through the incline, whilst your breath gets heavier and heavier as you gasp for a little more air. In your head, as you constantly shuffle the coal sack across your shoulders for comfort, you question whether you’re actually going to be able to complete the course…

But it’s at this stage that you begin to enter the village, and with that, you hear for the first time the claps and then the roar of encouragement from the hundreds of people who have lined the street to cheer you on. The lift or kick that this gives you is simply incredible… You find energy that you never thought you had, and you find yourself not slowing down but pushing harder, pumping your legs and grinding your teeth. With the odd glimpse up you can see the competition running ahead of you, you know you’re gaining on them, and you set your target on getting past them…

It’s quite amazing watching a group of men and women, who have given it all, dig a little deeper to push themselves beyond their limits… This was optimised by both Brian Gumbley and Gary Mallinson, two members of the Always With A Smile foundation who took part in the event for the first time. Arguably not suited to the rigours of coal carrying, these best friends found themselves bringing in the final coal sacks of the day… and with just yards between them, their faces echoed the feelings of nearly every person that takes on the challenge. Brian, his mouth gaping open, his eyes dropping, and with sweat tumbling from his face, looked like a ruined man who had left every ounce of energy he had on the course. Gary, on the other hand, although moving at the same speed, pounded the road like a Spartan Warrior, his teeth grinding down, his face bright red, and roaring under his heaving gasps of air. It was pure theatre to watch as both men swapped positions several times in the last hundred yards before collapsing on the village green like so many before them!

In the glorious sunshine, I was pleased with a time of under 6 minutes… though this was more than a minute behind the winner of this years men’s race who came home in a time of 4 minutes 46 seconds, whilst the leading lady crossed the finish line in 4 minutes 39 seconds.

For those of you who consider yourselves obstacle race fitness nuts, I’d recommend the World Coal Carrying Championships as an alternative challenge… If I tell you that both Brian and Gary took part in the Tough Guy Marathon this year, you’ll understand that these men are not ‘fresh fish’ - they’re hard and determined men who can cope with physical pain… and, despite bringing up the rear, they promised to be back again next year!

For a more sedately affair, you could always try The Electric Run however - a new event to the UK, but one which has global pedigree. ‘Always With A Smile’ made the trip to Manchester in May to check out this dynamic dazzle of neon and luminescence, which helps to raise funds for the charity Breast Cancer Care.

The event itself is a boogie-walk-run, along a 5km route, where music pumps out and lights dance, to create what the organisers describe as an ‘electric wonderland that will keep you energised and moving to the beat’…

With fun, smiles, laughter and creativity at the heart of the event, many of the 3,500 or so entrants had decorated themselves in all manners of fluorescence and light-up attire, in readiness for a course which featured glowing neon trees and rivers, laser tunnels, coloured fountains, and a kaleidoscope of psychedelic bright-colours to accompany the base-pumping music which even the Manchester rain failed to dampen.

With the night sky providing the perfect backdrop for the events state-of-the-art light show, the lights and sounds really kicked up a notch on crossing the finish line as DJs mixed the latest tunes from a main stage which was ablaze with brilliant light and colours so that the runners could dance and party the night away well after completing the course!

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GETTING RIPPED OR RIPPED OFF? When choosing a supplement it’s difficult to know where to start. There’s a large and bewildering range of products available on the market from vitamins and minerals to omega 3, ginseng, green tea, protein and creatinine; the list goes on... So how do we actually know which ones are legit? Or which ones’ will actually do what they claim to do. There is no straight forward answer to this unfortunately.

The European Food Safety Authority has looked at the science behind the health claims of thousands of different supplements to see if they stand up. According to a ‘Which’ report 80% of the claims being investigated have not been approved.

People take supplements for all kinds of reasons – to detox or boost vitality, enhance performance, aid digestion and so on. According to the FSA over 30% of the population in the UK are taking supplements.

BUT MY QUESTION IS WHATEVER HAPPENED TO A HEALTHY DIET? Let’s start with the common multivitamin, a staple in many cupboards nowadays. Yes, our bodies need vitamins, but, despite their vital importance we only need them in miniscule amounts. The most efficient way for us to get all these vitamins is through a healthy balanced diet.

However it should be noted that certain groups at risk of deficiencies do need supplements such as women trying to conceive or those with a medical condition.

I’m sure many of you reading this right now are taking protein in some form or other or at least are considering it. Protein requirements are very individual and depend on personal goals, body weight, training programmes and intensities. Athletes require slightly more protein than the rest of the population and endurance athletes require between 1.2-1.4g/kg per day.

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ACCORDING TO THE FSA OVER 30% OF THE POPULATION IN THE UK ARE TAKING SUPPLEMENTS

IT SEEMS WISE TO RELY ON SOMETHING MUCH CHEAPER AND FAR MORE ENJOYABLE...

FOOD

VITAMINS

Protein supplements are marketed as being able to promote muscle growth, aid metabolism, enhance performance and boost energy. Perhaps they have a place if used once a day after strength training for convenience purposes, but for most people an ingredient as simple as milk contains the right combination of protein and carbohydrates for rehydration and repair. There's a window to aid recovery for up to 2 hours post workout and you may not want to or may not have the time to sit down and have a full meal. This is when protein supplements can play a role but my advice is to eat protein with every meal and make sure to combine protein shakes with real food.

Recent research on protein powders revealed that some of them were contaminated with metals such as arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury to levels that caused concern.

There is also evidence that long term excessive protein intake may contribute to bone demineralisation and an increased risk of osteoporosis. Guidelines on pack should be clear about maximum daily intake.

MULTIVITAMIN

PROTEIN SUPPLEMENT

B12

MULTIVITAMIN

Michelle is the fourth member of the Butler and Good4U family. She obtained her PG Dip in Dietetics from Kings College London.

OMEGA

A+

There are plenty of other products on the market that claim to build muscle including substances such as creatinine, glutamine and thermogenic aids.

Further research is needed in this area to confirm their effectiveness and safety. Until such time as this happens it seems wise to rely on something much cheaper and far more enjoyable... FOOD. No matter what your sport, carbohydrates are vital for performance. Exercising muscles rely on carbohydrate as their main source of fuel. The amount you need depends on your training programme and dietary goals. As a rule of thumb the more intense the training programme, the more carbohydrate you need in your diet. Athletes have a tendency to focus solely on protein and seem to forget that a diet low in carbohydrate can lead to early fatigue, loss of concentration and delayed recovery.

Carbohydrate is stored in your muscles as glycogen and these stores need to be topped up daily. The most effective way of doing this is to ensure you have a regular meal pattern which includes low fat, high-carbohydrate

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snacks two to three hours before exercise. Then after exercise be sure to replenish your glycogen stores immediately (ideally within 30 minutes) with a high carbohydrate, low fat snack. Aim to consume 1g/kg of carbohydrate and 0.5g/kg of protein within the first two hours after exercise. I have provided a few examples below of foods containing approx. 50g carbohydrates and 20g protein:

50G CARBOHYDRATES

20G PROTEIN

2 MEDIUM LARGE BANANAS

2 MEDIUM SLICES OF BEEF, PORK OR LAMB

15 DRIED APRICOTS

1 SMALL CHICKEN BREAST (75G)

800ML ISOTONIC SPORTS DRINK

1 MEDIUM STEAK (100G)

2 SLICES THICK SLICED BREAD

100G TUNA

2 CARBOHYDRATE GELS

1 PINT SEMI-SKIMMED MILK

1 LARGE POTATO (250G)

150G COTTAGE CHEESE

500ML FRUIT JUICE

2 HANDFULS OF SEEDS

1 LARGE BOWL (60G) BREAKFAST CEREAL

3 MEDIUM EGGS

Energy Gels help replenish the glycogen and calories you’re burning when racing. However they cannot be considered a simple one-to-one replacement, so timing and frequency are critical factors to avoiding the bonk.

The timing of when you should take your gels is very individual.

Each runner absorbs and processes carbohydrates at a different rate. This variation has to do with how well your stomach reacts to the gel. When training or competing intensively, your body often diverts blood away from the digestive track to help your legs continue to move forward.

Sometimes, however, your body shuts the stomach down completely while other times it just slows down. This is why it isn’t uncommon to see runners throw up fluids or gels right after ingesting them late in the race. By taking the gels early you have a better chance of processing the sugars faster and without stomach issues.

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I’d recommend taking your first gel between 45-60 minutes, depending on how well you generally react to gels in training and always make sure you wash them down with water, not sports drinks.

Finally when considering a supplement it’s good to err on the side of caution and do your research. Ask the question should you really be placing your hopes in products that need more testing and should you be investing your money (because let’s be honest some of these are not cheap). I’m not implying that all supplements are dud or harmful but we should not buy into them until they have undergone rigorous testing through robust Grade A Clinical trials. I’d encourage you to read not only about the outcome of the research but also on the methodology and how the research was carried out to give you a better understanding on the studies reliability. If in doubt consult a professional...

Set on a working hill farm in the glorious Peak District, this event is going to challenge even the most experienced mud runner or obstacle course racer.

Awesome terrain from 1200ft to 1500ft above sea level, man made and natural obstacles, real bogs and

MUD, MUD, MUD. After party and camping. The course will be 6km, or twice around to make 12km. We don’t think anybody will want to go a third time round. Possibly the highest mud run in England, certainly the most challenging terrain around.

HAVE YOU GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A BOG COMMANDER ?

4TH OCTOBER 2014 GET MORE AT BOGCOMMANDER.CO.UK

WOMEN OF OCR

WWW.RED-CAPE-COACHING.CO.UK/EVENTS-SPECIAL-OFFERS

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A female (stereotypically) enjoys shopping. The browsing, scanning the item top to toe, touching and feeling to carefully ingest all the information we require to base our decision upon. The thoughtful pondering, the devil vs. angel mind-chatter we desperately try to silence, overall, we mostly just love to relish in the drawn out decision making process. Stereotypically, of course.

We can all be cleverly trapped into the crafty hands of marketers as they sneakily place items in un-assumed places in stores that cunningly compel us into an impulse purchase we can’t resist. The shopping I don’t enjoy, is the type where you are eagerly searching for something and just can’t find it! You have probably been there too, the right outfit for an occasion, the perfect birthday present, or perhaps a magazine?! I was confronted with this very experience only last week. Scanning down the aisle in a large newsagent store, eagerly looking for the May 2014 edition of Obstacle Race Magazine, begrudgingly I am forced to shuffle further and further towards (the dark side) the testosterone fuelled magazines comprising mainly Muscle, Mammaries, and apparently, Mud!! I find it and excitedly flick through to view my May 2014 feature in all its glory. Wow, looks amazing, and while I am creating a great amount of attention to myself in the store by loudly laughing at the less than photo-shopped images of me in the print, momentarily I forget the irony of the situation.

I stand here as a confidence coach, working hard to help individuals gain self-assurance and motivation, to achieve challenges of all varieties, and especially keen to promote obstacle racing, getting more women involved by introducing them to the character building, confidence generating and insanely fun sport that we enjoy. Yet the rest of the world seems to remain against me, remaining in the dark ages and the general assumption that this is a man’s sport that women don’t have interest in. The simple positioning of the magazine spoke volumes to me about the general public’s awareness of the sport.

Coincidently the day after my magazine hunt, was the Boston Marathon. Many people will now remember this for the tragic, devastating event of the bombing in 2013 which somewhat leaves behind the previous significance of the race and breaking the boundaries down of women in the sporting world.

In 1967, Katherine Switzer controversially became the first female to run the Boston Marathon as a numbered entry. Katherine entered the all-male race by only using her initials upon entry, still argued whether this was intentional or unintentional, it did disguise her gender from the race organisers and she was allocated a race number and place in the Boston Marathon 1967. During the latter legs of the marathon, once her gender had been identified, attempts to remove her from the race were made by race official Jock Semple. Katherine was physically pushed, barged and tripped, shouted at and ordered to "Get the hell out of my race and give me those numbers.” Fellow male runners supported Katherine, and boyfriend Tom Miller actually barged Jock Semple out the way, sending him flying and leading Katherine to her great achievement in making women’s history in sport.

Despite the triumph, and the respectable time of 4hours 20mins, sadly this action led to the Amateur Athletic Union banning women in all competitions with male runners. With the support of many other female runners, persistence, passion and dedication, Katherine eventually convinced the Boston Athletic Association to allow women to participate in the marathon in 1972.

I truly believe that there are plenty of women out there that want to feel the confidence and thrill of battling it through an obstacle race, but through their own innocence and the generalisations and stereotypes of the nation, they believe that it is not for them, a stretch too far, or a very intimidating environment.

How wrong could they be!! We all know we are extremely friendly bunch of mud loving maniacs. We know we welcome people and are enthusiastic about spreading the love of our sport, encouraging people to come along at any opportunity. We help people over obstacles when they are struggling alone, we offer advice and encouragement, and we love hearing the fast spoken feedback in exhilarating bursts of energy as a newbie narrates through their very own virgin-race adventure, oozing the unshakable ‘I can now take on the world’ attitude, and before you know it they have run off to sign up for the next race, grab a beer and remain peaked upon an adrenalin high that numbs the pain of bumps and bruises over the coming days. They will go home and start to spread their own love for their new found passion. Newbies are great ambassadors as they have such a buzz, sense of achievement that comes along with the first triumph, they hold that high for a long time and eagerly seek down anyone to convert, encourage them to get involved and come along to the next event.

To the non-mud runner (referred to as a GLAM from our May 2014 feature, people who Generally Like Avoiding Mud’), their perception of an obstacle race and the runners, is often very different. Without being aware of how they may perceive us, we cannot put these perceptions right and shine in all our glory.

GLAMs may not all see our friendly, supportive and welcoming sides. Some may even have the perception that we are as uninviting and fierce as some of the daunting obstacles themselves. They have visions of us tearing up behind them, knocking them face down into the mud and stampeding over them like wild buffalo as we push ourselves beyond our limits, holding the only one thought of our own victory in mind. Without changing these perceptions, our GLAM friends stand to never experience stepping out beyond their comfort zone to revel in the fulfilment, and overwhelming sense of satisfaction the race brings and the lasting heightened levels of confidence making you feel you can handle anything life throws your way.

From an early age we are told to ‘be careful’ and ‘be safe’, our parents fed us this rather helpful advice instead of encouraging us to ‘go out and take some big risks each day’ to protect us, before we are old enough to make a balanced decision upon what size challenges we are able to take on. We can become so programmed in to being safe and the ‘what if’s’ that we often don’t get things done, or even attempted. A large function of our unconscious mind is to protect us and seek safety, however, this is not always as useful as it sounds. By staying within our comfort zones we achieve less, don’t stretch ourselves and often miss out on enjoying a whole load of what life has to offer!!

As an adult now you have the decision to feel the fear, enjoy the fear and get out and do it, embracing the glory of the journey.

Our comfort zone is where we feel cosy and relaxed.

Like being wrapped within a soft and snuggly fleecy onesie, we remain un-stretched, feel safe and do not seek for much exertion nor much change. Although our comfort zones do play a good role in our lives, we all need to relax, feel at peace from time to time, and it is certainly not healthy to remain in their fluffy warm comfort for too long. The flip side of the comfort zone is becoming bored, unchallenged, complacent, and even lazy. You are never stretched and will never achieve your potential or dreams if you choose to take a comfy seat and remain in this zone all the time.

By unzipping and stepping out of your comfy onesie you are exposing yourself to so many more possibilities and opportunities. The ‘Stretching Zone’ is exciting, adds some vigour to your life and stretches you healthily without tipping you over the edge. It’s challenging, but exciting and gets the pulse racing. You feel alive and though sometimes new things and change can be a little scary, the unknown

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is intriguing and once something is conquered, you fly forward with your Red Cape of Confidence towards the next challenge feeling wired, ready and able.

We do have another zone; I call it the ‘Terror Zone’ and although it is far from comfortable, the terror zone is too stretching, to the point of physical/mental suffering of fear or discomfort. Though trading in the snuggly warm onesie for a dashing bright Red Cape will feel hugely exciting, challenging and provide a renewed energy, asking an arachnophobe to slip on a Black Widow Spider web woven jumper would perhaps give a typical ‘Terror Zone’ response, (i.e. Cold sweats, nausea, passing out, excessive use of uncouth and offensive words coupled by uncontrollable flapping of arms). It is not a productive zone to be within, if you do have the choice, try to stay within the Stretching Zone, mentally challenging, taking on the unknown, yet safe, the stretching zone is where results happen. Amazingly only 2% of the population are thought to live within their stretching zones versus a contently complacent and huge 98% snuggled up in their comfy onesies. (I can only assume that those within their Terror Zones were either too traumatised to participate, or shaking too much to tick the box on the survey!)

So Ladies, and Gents, there is no change without challenge and your first step is to strip off that onesie and try on your new courageous Red Cape of Confidence, be part of that 2% getting the most out of life, chasing dreams and choosing fulfilment and satisfaction over playing it safe and blending in to the crowd.

Read the Red Cape Coaching ABC reasons to become a Muddy Missy, breaking the mould, and successfully swapping your stilettos to studded sneakers... and welcome other new missies to our tribe.

A

B

C

If you are new to obstacle racing you are yet to learn the incredible sense of achievement and accomplishment that you gain from crossing that finish line. The adrenalin buzz has you held captive for days, weeks and beyond. As such a great achievement, what better talking point when meeting people, dating, or even listing as an accomplishment on your resume?

Thanks to the lingering stereotype, a female victoriously completing an obstacle race is superbly interesting conversation starter, in which you will be never lost for words. Whether viewed on a CV or dating website it shouts out, grabs attention and intrigue whilst demonstrating fun, strength, commitment and resilience at the same time – all of which are very attractive to potential relationships on either a personal or a professional level.

As Henry Ford once said ‘If you think you can, or you think you can’t, you are right’.

You will only go as far as your mind pushes you, and only you have the power to make that choice to step outside your comfort zone into the stretching zone to challenge yourself.

Turn your ‘Cant’s into Cans and your Dreams into Plans’! As ladies we feel confident when we are feeling good and only too often this is assumed to be more superficial aspects of appearance, hair and make-up, a new dress etc.

Confidence is much more about how we feel.

Although how we feel can be effected by how we look, the confidence gained from conquering a challenge, having a successful outcome, and feeling alive, fit and well has a colossal impact that has a ripple effect upon many other areas of our lives that gain further successful results and victories along the way. For those, like me, who felt that the more superficial aspects of looks and appearance will always hold some significance to my levels of confidence, I soon found that swapping blusher for bruises and replacing acrylic nails for exciting tales of mud running adventures provided a whole new meaning to the word and soared itself to new levels. Feel the difference, and see the results upon all areas of your life that running can create, its truly inspiring, character building, and a damn lot of fun, and ultimately, life changing.

AWE OF ACHIEVEMENT

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BECAUSE YOU CAN!!

You will be amazed at how motivating and inspiring being challenged can feel. Keep in your mind that your strength does not come from what you can do, but from overcoming the things you thought you couldn’t do. Feel the fear, enjoy the fear, embrace the journey and thrive on the results.

CREATING CONFIDENCE

“When I go to the Boston Marathon now, I have wet shoulders—women fall into my arms crying. They're weeping for joy because running has changed their lives.

They feel they can do anything.”

- Kathrine Switzer So, if you are reading this, the chances are you are either a male mud runner or a female mud runner!? Or perhaps sat in the dentist waiting room passing time and, Congratulations!! You have just opened yourself up to a whole new world!!

If you have not ever completed an obstacle race, all I can say is ‘get out there and try it!’ Speak to those who have and hear their inspiring accounts, go and see an event live and through your own eyes, get a true taste for the atmosphere, adrenalin and muddy after race antics to be enjoyed.

If you are already a certified muddy missy - Challenge for the Chicks; How can you get the girls involved? How much fun and how rewarding would it be to see your nearest and dearest get through the course beside you? Do your friends and family realise the whole social aspect and celebrations that carry on after the race? The beer tents, the antics, the community involved? How about a hen weekend with memories of mud and muscle as opposed to fluffy pink bunny ears and cotton tails? It would be one to remember!!

And, there are no rules that bunny ears are banned, fancy dress is more than often encouraged!

And for the muddy Mr’s - Dare for the Dudes: You want to see more girls in tight shorts, covered in mud and enjoying every minute, right?? Challenge for the next few months, how many conversations can you have with friends, female colleagues and co-workers, family members? Does your girlfriend race? If not, what stops her? How many people can you inspire? And how? Aim to hold three conversations with GLAM girls and see what their thoughts and perceptions of obstacle racing and racers are? How accurate are these perceptions? Stick this magazine under their powder puffed nose, and then ask what stops them?

Red Cape Coaching are running Confidence Workshops and Online Courses throughout the summer. There are limited places available for July enrolment, find out more at www.red-cape-coaching.co.uk/events-special-offers and hurry to book your place by contacting info@red-capecoaching.co.uk

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN CHOOSING TO IMPROVE OR TAKE CONTROL OF RESULTS FOR YOURSELF IN ANY AREA OF LIFE? Red Cape Coaching specifically works with individuals that are eager to produce outstanding results and build confidence in sport, career and everyday life situations.

Why not take advantage of a unique offer only available to the first 50 Obstacle Race Magazine readers and first step towards success by contacting Red Cape Coaching quoting Quote ORM-LTD50 to receive up to 26% DISCOUNT and learn how to unlock your full potential, gain control and confidence to achieve your very own specific goals you are chasing.

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NUCLEAR RUSH REVIEW Nuclear Rush – 11th May. The date had been one of the first in my new 2014 dairy, written in big red pen. It was the 2nd of 3 events I had entered to see if I could manage to claim top nuclear female and win a flight ticket to the world championships in Ohio. I would get to compete against some of the top OCR athletes in the country, and as always I knew there would be mud, not a bit of mud or even quite a bit of mud - when you talk nuclear mud you are talking happy wallowing hippo heaven mud!!

I wasn’t worried about the early morning start; I was worried about getting to sleep at all in the first place. I had two very good friends with me called Binty and Bolly.

The road trip down was a mix of nerves and excitement. I insisted that I knew better than the sat nav, and considering the amount of times I have visited the Nuclear base I should do but after a small detour we arrived at Kelvendon Hatch.

With an hour before our wave, and no need to queue for timing chips as they had been pre posted, we wrapped up warm and went to have a look around. The wind was howling and it was a cold grey day. To most people being stood in a cold wet windy field that early on a Sunday morning would be some sort of hell but there was nowhere else the 3 of us would rather be.

I was buzzing. I had done Nuclear races before and even though I’d never run this course, I knew it would deliver. It was Binty and Bollys first Nuclear race and although they are no strangers to OCR running, they had come on my recommendation and I knew they would love it. The little details that these guys think of to add in to their races are brilliant and it didn’t take me long to spot the nuclear cup cakes - another incentive to run faster to that finish line...

We had a few pre-race snap shots in front the #lovemud banners and a brief chit chat with some fellow mud mad lovers and then it was time to step out from the comfort of your warm jumper and leave it along with your fluffy socks at the bag drop. The warm up music was booming, the guys were on the mic shouting and the starting pen was beginning to fill up. I always seem to go through so many emotions at the starting line, scared, nervous, excited, determined, thinking what the hell am I doing this for, omg this is amazing, I love it - just let me get going…I tried to stay calm and not think about anything other than what the warm up orders were. I knew the nuclear family and they have some of the best marshals I’ve come across, knowing

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the support was there has me an extra boost. This is the time when you find out if all the hard work you put in at training is going to pay off. I tried to keep calm…I even went quiet at the start line and this is something that Bolly and Binty will tell you doesn’t happen very often…..

We were off! I was ready to throw myself into, at and over anything that lay before me. It wasn’t long before I was running up to the log carry. I had seen on facebook before that there would be one very special green log here, that would win who ever dared take it on a lovely #lovemud medal hanger, but it had a catch. It was double the size and weight. I grabbed a nice normal looking log and saw some of the top guys running in to put there logs back on the pile, I had a quick scan around which was a dangerous move. The log carry looked deceivingly short! It wasn’t!

I am useless with things like distances but I want to say it was maybe a 1k run nipping in, out and along a stream, sometimes up stream sometimes downstream. That came up to your knees at times. Many people named there log, I think floated may of been one of the favourite ones I overheard!

8As we neared the exit for the stream, there was someone waiting for us. He was not there to offer a helping hand - instead his job was to use the fire hose to jet spray us all and with no way of escape, you just had to embrace it and go for it. I can image the views around this course are pretty good if you look around, but when I race I normally watch my feet a bad habit maybe but I make sure they keep going one in front of the other, and as I rounded the next corner there I was at the new set of monkey bars.

120m of monkey bars to be exact.

A free pair of mountain bear shoes would be awarded to anyone tough enough to complete them and for the rest of us, the forfit was a growling set of trenches scrabbling up the top to drop down into the muddy wet pit below, a stride along to the other side and then hauling yourself back out to repeat over and over and over again! I didn’t even try to count how many there were! But it seemed endless. And just when you thought it was over, there was a row of large cargo nets laid out through lovely thick mud..

My knees were really starting to feel it now, all I kept telling myself was that running would feel like a breeze after all this. My pony tails was dragging though the mud as I crawled under the nets, and as I got up out of the last one, I managed to flick myself in the face with it! A new racing hair style may well be needed. I continued on the

NUCLEAR RACES

LAURA DUDLEY RACE NAME: NUCLEAR RUSH LOCATION: KELEVERTON HATCH, ESSEX DISTANCE:12K NUMBER OF OBSTACLES: 50+ SORT OF TERRAIN: MUDDY FARM LAND LEVEL OF MUD: 7 DIFFICULTY LEVEL: 8 Issue 4 | Obstacle Race

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MOST DAYS OF THE WEEK I WOULD BE A LITTLE SCARED TO FLING MYSELF OFF SOMETHING THIS HIGH BUT NOT TODAY

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run and as I approached a thick deep bog like pond, that in ordinary life you would have no chance of getting me into I caught up with some of the 6k wave. Slightly jealous of the fun they seemed to be having with each other by having a water fight, I carried on. I came up to my favourite part of the race - the bit I had been looking forward to - the newly build zip line and death slide! The marshals had it organised down to a T and I ran up, jumped up onto a platform and was handed a bit of rope. I was told that I wouldn’t hit the bank at the end and the longer I kept my feet up the faster I would go.

It was a fair drop down, but I wasn’t planning on dropping off - I was going to make this zip line carry me as far as possible! I jumped my knees up and whizzed off the end. I dropped off and ran onto the death slide! It was a steep climb up the wooden frame and onto a platform where you had to get right to the very edge to peer over and see the sheer vertical drop off! Most days of the week I would be a little scared to fling myself off something this high but not today.. Today I was in race mode and just as quick as I’d reached the top, I was shooting back down.

It was brilliant and although you can’t really tell that I’m enjoying myself from my photo! I swam across the water to the get out point thinking that this would be a really good time to have nice light shoes on. It was a steep and uphill, thick and slippery - muddy climb out but I powered up it and over to the terror traverse. As I was working my way across that, I looked over at a lady opposite me. We exchanged looks and a small chuckle of... what the hell are we doing? Both covered from head to toe in mud!

As I got to the end I heard my name being shouted and looked up to see Lucy from Nuclear races running over a hill screaming and shouting my name GO LAURA!! Any support is nice but it’s even better when you get personal support! It gave me a boost and I dug deep and pushed on hard! Wanting to look good and run fast... this did not quite go to plan as the next obstacle was the Ebenezer... It may only come up to just over your knees but it stops you in your tracks, falling over in this stuff must be avoided at all cost as once your down in it, there’s little chance of you getting back up again. It was a shoe steeling, bubbling, smelly, treacle like bog! I did wonder what was making the bubbles as I waded through the middle but I’m not too sure I really want to know the answer to that!!

Carrying on I was nearing the end of my 10th K and I was really starting to looking forward to that finish line.

There were 10 more obstacles to go. I’d started counting - something I try and avoid doing in a race. I’d gone into a bit of a daze and tripped over to the sound of “Ooohh” from the crowd of people near by which is never a good sign. It didn’t hurt but to be honest, I couldn’t feel much by this point! One of the 10 obstacles left was a fire mans pole. Along with putting my head under the water to go under logs this has to be one of my least favourite obstacles.

Its not physically hard - I just don’t like it. I climbed up and edged my feet towards the end and I leaned over and just held the pole for a second or two. It was a good few feet away from the edge and with maybe a 12 ft drop I did not want to get this wrong, even with the crash mats below. I thought of what one of my mates who runs with me sometimes would say if he were here now... “ Buc buc buc CHICKEN!”.. I went for it and flung my feet around as quick as I could, I gripped so tight that I stopped before hitting the bottom and had to loosen my grip. With barely a second to wander what I had been worrying about, I was back on with the running. The ice bath is the next thing I remember and it had a good crowd around it. I ran straight up to it and with no messing around on this one, I was straight in and straight out again. That’s the way to do it..

I saw my next obstacle - the half pipe and if you don’t

know what this is, imagine a skate park. The ramp most people get to go up and down on, on a bike, we were running up! I had struggled with this at the blackout and I muttered a few certain words which I guess some of the people in the crowd managed to lip read and had a little laugh at. Nuclear really tested us all by putting this one so close to the end!

I imagined the cup cake at the top of the ramp. After all that running and hills and logs and trees and water and MUD I wasn’t going to let this defeat me now. I went for it!

No holding back - I powered up, grabbed hold of the top and hooked a foot over. One guy came to give me a hand but the other said “she has got this no problem” My arse followed my foot and before I knew it, I was over. Yes the pain of training had paid off but this wasn’t the end. I got to the last k sign and then a big white board with the 50th obstacle written on it! The nut cracker!! I remember thinking it was easier than it looked as I tried my best to be nimble, and just at that point I hear the splash of someone falling in. Where was that finish line? More mud, more hills and I could now see it - I just couldn’t quite work out the route I would have to take to get there!

The last obstacle may have been the 50th but it wasn’t the last obstacle of the race!! A steep rope climb up a wooden frame and then a belly crawl under a sheet of corrugated iron, which nearly went very wrong for me!

I felt something catch on my leggings by my bum and quickly reversed! I was finishing this race no matter what but preferably with my trousers intact if at all possible!! I can just about remember running around some trees trying to keep my pace up, telling myself that it was less than a k left to go. I came up to a slide and as I reached the top and looked ahead, there was the finish line.

I dug deep and managed a sprint finish. As I come crossed the line, David Stump was there beaming from ear to ear - loving watching everyone’s victory runs into the finish. He cheering me in and I got to hit this big golden bell!

I was knackered but almost sad now that it was all over!

David started to ask how I was and what I thought of the course but he worked out pretty quick that it was going to take a minute for me to get my breath back let alone be able to string a sentence together.

Nuclear rush had been no walk in the park! But I had loved it. The feeling you get after a race is amazing! You feel a little invincible. I staggered over to collect my medal and a cuppa tea. I don’t normally drink tea but I wasn’t going to turn down the chance to hold something hot in my hands. I put my face over trying to use the steam to warm my nose up. A quick finishers snapshot and a helpful guy took my timing chip off my shoe for me and I was back over to the finish line, to shout in my friend’s Binty and Bolly!

David laughed and commented that it hadn’t taken long for me to get my breath back! I snuck in for another group finishers snapshot. Both photos of which I closed my eyes for it turns out... and then it was over to wash down area.

You get 2 choices here! A pressure wash hose down (a job I keep meaning to volunteer for!) or a troff style bath tub! With no chance of giving all the mud I had acquired back, I did the best I could and then went to get those warm fluffy socks back on! Binty was proudly wearing her new dryrob she had brought from obstacle kit. Which me and Bolly were a little jealous about! After we were all dressed and sort of dry it was straight to the cup cake tent! Walking around after, it was great to see so many people. There were people getting ready to start and people that had finished and were trying to get warm and regain the feeling in their feet. Everyone was smiling and happy though. I spotted some amazing fancy dress, my next target may well be to win in fancy dress! I’m very intrigued to find out how the rear of the theatrical horse made it around the course…

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RACER REVIEW LAURA DUDLEY

Laura has somehow managed to fly under most people’s radar until recently, although she has managed to clock up some really impressive results. When introduced to this fantastic young woman we simply couldn’t believe we hadn’t noticed such a raw talent waiting to be discovered.

But that’s enough from us lets finally give Laura the lime light she deserves.

So … tell us a little about what you’re doing when you aren’t getting muddy on an obstacle course?

I’m quite a spontaneous person. I love trying anything that takes my interest. I first heard about OCR while working on a ski season in France. I’d never skied or snowboarded before I went out there, but it seemed like a cool idea so off I went. A very kind friend gave me a ticket to try indoor surfing last week which was fantastic. I would love to live by the sea one day and be a surfer dude. When I’m not doing something random I’m normally training to get muddy at an event. I go to a great boot camp, fitMK and have a few pt sessions with a guy called Neil Webb. Hockey was one of my first sports I started playing at school and I still enjoy it

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today, I’ve got some awesome hockey festivals coming up this year which I’m looking forward to. I live close to some beautiful woods which are great for running around and walking my dogs Jess and Pip. They used to run with me but are getting on a bit now - bless them. I also have 3 cats, 2 chickens and a rabbit at home to look after. If I’m not doing any of the above or working, I do like a beer or two with mates.

What is it about OCR that makes you keep coming back for more?

I love what OCR has done for me. I put on nearly 4 stone while out in France, I had watched some of the videos advertising Spartan races and they just looked awesome. I told everyone I would enter one as soon as I got home, but never quite got round to it. 2 years later - I had been losing the weight bit by bit and trying to build my fitness back up, when I met a guy Sean at a hockey festival who did OCR. It didn’t take much before I was buzzing at the idea of entering a race, and as soon as I got back home I entered my first OCR - Rock Solids 5k.. I didn’t think I would be fit enough for the 10k and I placed 3rd. I still had mud in my ears 3 days afterwards! It was awesome.

have a race. I can still remember standing at the finish line and having a few people come up to congratulate me. It was amazing.

Where do you see the sport of obstacle racing going in the future?

It is just booming at the moment. A lot of races are recognizing the need to adapt the course so they both challenge the elite runners whilst still making it achievable for the fun runners. There are a few meetings that are going to be held to talk about how to take the sport forward and make it official. Which I am very excited to be a part of.

I’ve even heard a few whispers about trying to get it into the 2024 Olympics which is crazy exciting and of course there’s the first world championships that are being held in Ohio. The sky seems to be the limit for this sport at the minute, and I love that I am a part of that.

What does a Laura Dudley race day breakfast consist of?

Pancakes!! Not sure this is the best breakfast to have before a race. My diet is the next thing I really need to look into if I want to keep improving so this may well change!

I’d felt like I was getting into a boring lazy way of life and this really gave me a kick up the backside to get going with something. I sometimes hear people talking at races saying “omg its ridiculous how many hills there are” or “I’m not doing that it’s too muddy” or its too heavy, too far, too cold or too wet. This makes me laugh as these are all the things that make me love OCR. I think that’s what gives me the edge over the everyday road runner. The log carry, cold water, muddy swamps and killer hills are the reason I keep going back to this sport. It’s because it is not easy and It does hurt.. You do get OCR kisses, it is cold and wet and the ground isn’t a nice even level surface. I can really push myself; find out what I’m made of and it’s so far from the boring plod of day to day life!! It’s exciting and I get such a buzz from it.

What races are you most looking forward to this coming season?

We see that you have just been named as an Obstacle Kit - race team member. That’s super exciting. Has it put even more fire into your belly to win now that you are part of a team?

Don’t say you will get fit and then enter. Enter one and get fit for it! I never thought I would be where I am now and if I had not got back from that hockey festival and just entered one straight away without thinking about it, I may not be writing this now! If you look though the OR magazine racer comments, the same thing comes up again and again from everyone. From elites to fun runners. Do it because you love it and for the fun of it! whether you want to push yourself to find your limits or run it in crazy fancy dress with a team, when you cross that finish line you will have such a sense of achievement you will be planning your next one! I’ve seen every age and sizes of person cross that finish line and all with a smile on their face. There was one race when a guy who must’ve been in his 50s over took me and as he did, he had a little chat... he did most of the talking and I managed to pant out one word answers and then he ran off into the distance. Anything is possible - you just have to try to find out.

Tim is really supportive. His first requirement is to have fun, and then to do the best we can. I get on really well with Faye Caley so I can’t wait to be on a team with her. It’s such a great feeling to be wanted. I can only see that it will help progress me and I want to work hard and do well for Tim and the team.

What did it feel like when you won your first race? Was it a real shock or did you feel confident in your training?

It was a total shock when I won my second race - the 12k Fallout at nuclear. This is when I knew I really wanted to focus on the sport and I had the potential to be good. I lead most of the way round the course and all the marshals cheered me along telling me I was the first lady. Which was the best feeling in the world - so much so that when the results came out and it showed me as placing second, I didn’t mind. I would rather have been 2nd and 1st over the line with all that support, than 1st but 2nd over the line.

(People are let off in waves so it’s always possible a person in a later wave may beat your time but very unlikely) As it turns out I was first, the lady that won had pulled out last minute and gave her chip to a guy to run with so he could

I love the Nuclear races so I can’t wait for them. I had my first win with them and they have been great supporters of mine. I’m entering my first Dirty dozen and Spartan race this season too. I really want to try a dirty rat race weekend as I’ve heard good things about them. But it would also be fun to find a great race to do in fancy dress as a laugh, with the kind of obstacle you want to get out and do again and again.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone new to obstacle racing what would it be?

So what would you say has been your toughest challenge while racing?

Blackout, at one point on my last lap I started walking up a hill and I remember shouting out loud at my legs to keep running, and getting quite a few weird looks! It had 10 out of 10 for mud, it made running relentless, and the cold really got to me. By the end of the race I didn’t care

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id even won. I just wanted to get warm again! Pretty sure I flashed a few people in the car park trying to get dressed as quickly as I could.

So what would you say is your must have kit list for race day?

I’m a nightmare! I don’t do travelling light, and would probably bring the kitchen sink if I could. But main things would have to be shoes! Race shoes, flip flops and wellies.

You can borrow a towel, buy some food and drink, but it’s very unlikely you will be able to find someone with the same size feet willing to lend you their shoes. loo role and Fluffy socks are a good one to remember too.

What would you say is the secret to getting good results in races?

You have to be willing to train for it. Fitness isn’t something you can build up and store, you have to use it or lose it. You have to be willing to want it more than you want a lie in, or more than you want to stay in rather than go out in the rain or more than you want to be sat in with a take away under a cosy blanket with friends. It’s not a sacrifice as the results are so rewarding. Head space is also a massive thing and underestimated a lot. If you can deal with the pressure and believe in yourself, you are half way there. A friend of mine gave me a little talk before I won my fist race, she said I was amazing and I was built to do this. She is my oldest friend and her words went round and around my head thought the whole race, blocking out all the pain that was telling me to stop. I really do believe she helped me win that day by making me believe I could be great.

So Laura If people want to keep up with your racing adventures where can they follow? do you have a blog?

I have twitter LDudders3, and will soon be added to the obstacle kit blog.

LAURA DUDLEY, 26, OUTDOOR EDUCATION INSTRUCTOR NO. OF OCRS TO DATE: 8 FAVOURITE OBSTACLE: DEATH SLIDE YOUR KRYPTONITE: MONKEY RINGS BEST RACE RESULTS: 1ST LADY BLACKOUT

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OCR TRAINING ON HOLIDAY

By Coach Michael of Wild Forest Gym

TRAINING ON HOLIDAY

is a great opportunity to break away from your sometimes rigid routines and bring some change and variation into your training.

Whether it’s a winter holiday in the sun or in the Alps there is always an opportunity for training.

Plus, for those of you who are gym based it is a good opportunity to train outdoors‌the optimum place for obstacle race training. This year, once again I went back to the idyllic and remote parts of Ibiza where I could get lost in the hills, coves and pine forests and train in this incredible oasis!

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ADAPTING Not having my normal forests to train in I had to work with what was available to me. For me the fisherman’s boat huts were my first point of call. Such a hard ordeal having to workout by the clear blue waters on the beach and its 28 degrees!

But that’s exactly what was presented to me. I didn’t book it or buy it. I used what was available to me.

So here’s some inspiration for your holiday.

HORIZONTAL BEAMS & TREE LIMBS Having checked the upright and horizontal beams were secure I was able to use the horizontal beams to do upper bodywork.

•Straight body hangs •Leg raises to the front and side.

•Body hang and straight leg raises to 90 degree.

•Chin ups and pull ups using various hand grips •Monkey hand and foot crawls •Traverse up and around tree limbs.

•Tree climbing.

SAFETY WARNING – Do not climb unless you are supervised, experienced and have saferty equipment.

LOGS AND STONES Now is the time to go multilateral. Don’t do 3 sets of 12 reps. Instead change the range of movement with every lift. This way you develop your muscle and your mind to be multilateral. Which means that when you get to an obstacle when racing you have the ability to adapt to the needs of the terrain or an obstacle. To develop this change the grip every time you lift. Similarly, change your position, your angle and the dominant hand.

•Lifts – dead lift, lapping, clean - up to shoulders, Jerk from shoulder to above, clean & jerk, push press •Carrying and dragging •Throwing techniques – chest, waist, shoulder, side swing, backward overhead and caber toss SAFETY WARNING – Do not lift unless you are supervised and experienced and only use weights that you can lift securely.

THE BEACH White sandy and pebbly beaches. Oh yes!

• Crawling techniques – Hand n’ foot, Inverted Crawl, and Lateral Crawl.

• Frog Jumps – Great for developing fast twitch explosive leg muscles and core strength.

• Sand Running – Really offers great resistance training. Plus develops your ankle, foot and toe strength and dexterity particularly when running barefoot.

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THE SEA • Swimming – Look out for jellyfish. I got stung this year!

• Aqua jogging – great resistance training.

Also an excellent way to rehabilitate from leg injuries.

• Underwater swimming to increase your lung capacity.

• Pebble collecting in the shallows to improve on multitask and breathe holding techniques.

TRAILS COSTAL CRAGGING

Explore the hills forest and wilderness and take your running and orienteering skills on to the next level. Slowly experiment with barefoot running depending on terrain.

Great opportunity to develop your hand & finger strengths, co-ordination, agility, balance and overcome fears. Also great for orienteering skills and endurance training.

DANGER WARNING – It is dangerous to go unsupervised cragging. Dangers include falls, rock slips, dehydration and fatigue. Always let someone know your route. Every hour stop for 10 minutes to text your coordinates to your friend, drink and have energy snacks.

Take an OS Map, compass, signalling mirror, knife, paracord, whistle and common sense.

GENERAL TRAINING ADVICE WHEN GOING OFF THE BEATEN TRACK Always take water with electrolytes (salt mix), energy snacks, charged mobile, a map, compass, signalling mirror, knife, paracord, whistle and common sense.

Always let someone know your route and when you are returning. Don’t forget to consider insect repellent, sun block, sun hat and sunglasses.

NEED MORE IDEAS?

Then go out explore and find them. It is your playground, your natural and wild gym. Seek out, enjoy, train hard and most of all have fun!

We want to know about you adventures and training holidays so email them to

INFO@WILDFORESTGYM.COM and we may publish it in the next issue of ORM.

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To enter, simply send your designs to comps@obstacleracemagazine.com

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Hey folks a lot of you may not know me but chances are if you’ve done an OCR in the UK then you know my team RP Combat Conditioning or RPCC as we are known.

Well I’m the RP! My name is Rich Pringle and I’m the head coach of RPCC Elite and founder of RP Combat Conditioning.

I’m really proud to have been asked by the guys at Obstacle Race Magazine to start contributing to this amazing OCR “bible” and I’ve been set the task of inspiring you to be awesome!

I’m very lucky in my job and in my background that I’ve worked with all levels of OCR athlete from your Elite’s to the fun runners who make this sport what it is. The one thing I can say with certainly that we all have in common is that we all get nervous, we all feel little bit of fear before a race.

We probably all know that feeling well. It really kicks from the time we pull into the venue.

I say “we” because I race regularly and I can assure you that I experience the same feelings as everyone else! The butterflies, the regular toilet trips, the checking of those laces over and over (ok the last one might be just me)

I’LL LET YOU INTO A LITTLE SECRET THOUGH GUYS: It’s OK to be nervous! In fact it’s good. Our bodies are designed to be put through the challenges that make us a little scared. That takes us out of our comfort zones. That makes us feel alive!

This is why we do what we do. We love OCR because we experience all of these feelings. We feel the fear and we do it anyway.

I’m very lucky in a sense that I’ve done other sports.

I’ve competed in martial arts and fought in MMA (Mixed Martial Arts). I’ve experienced all these emotions in the build up to a fight. The fear and the self doubt. I’ve asked myself the questions “am I ready? Have I trained enough?”

These are feelings I get now with OCR but just remember the one thing I always tell my self is…

IT’S OK TO BE NERVOUS! You see fear in itself should never be a deciding factor as to whether you go onto achieve something great in life or not. Fear should never govern your decision - making judgement and it should never be seen as a negative emotion.

Fear is a perfectly natural feeling - just like feeling hungry is natural, feeling thirsty is natural and feeling happiness is too.

After we have completed a race the feeling of accomplishment we all experience is amazing. It’s what keeps us coming back for more. The accomplishment comes from overcoming those obstacles. Getting over them, under them or swimming through them. What we should always remember is the first obstacles we need to overcome are the nerves, the anxiety and that starts way before the start gun fires. In life people end up fearing fear itself. What obstacle racing does for all of us is it puts fear right out there. It’s right in front of us!

Realise this - Everyone gets scared. Everyone gets nervous. The people who go on to achieve great things in their lifetimes are the ones that embrace the fear and accept that in life fear and nerves are ever present when you are pushing yourself to the limit.

At the start of your next race, look around you for a moment and remember that you are all feeling the same.

You are all nervous and it’s the one thing that unites you all.

You are all in that amazing group of people who won’t let fear dictate what you go onto achieve in your lifetime.

That my friends is why OCR is so amazing and why you are all so amazing for doing what you do…..

Richard Pringle BA (Hon) Founder and Head Instructor at www,rpcombatconditioning.co.uk Head Coach of RPCC Elite Team UK Coach Advanced Personal Trainer Nutritional Adviser

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THE MUDNIFICENT SEVEN MUD7 is the first multi OCR organization event ever hosted. We’ve invited 7 of the best obstacle course racing organizations to put on a kilometer of the course each creating a unique 7km race with 7 different zones and 7 sets of the best obstacles the organizers can offer – all in one race!

Naturally every single one of these OCR brands will want to make a lasting impression and so you’re guaranteed a unique experience at MUD7 full and bursting with the obstacles you love.

Obstacle Race Magazine had the challenge of finding a location which could do such a unique race format justice. We wanted to set our amazing event up in a place that anyone coming from all the four corners of the country could easily get to. Also any of our international readers could be tempted to as well. We’re very pleased to announce that we’ve found such a spot!!

The Heart of England Conference Centre located in Warwickshire is a 160 acre site with tons of woodland and

rolling hills. It’s situated in Meriden – the most central point in England and is extremely close to the M42, M5 and M6.

Heart Park, which was made famous for an amazing ‘beach’ that they created at the location couple of years ago, really does have everything you could want from an OCR. We can’t wait for next summer to come around.

Obstacle Race Magazine is also going to host an expo at the same time for all you obstacle racing fanatics and so it was important to find a venue that could accommodate this also. Heart of England Park is currently used as a conference centre as well as a 4x4, Off Roading, quad bike, corporate event and paintballing site. It really is perfect for The MUDNIFICENT 7!

We have so far revealed three of the seven race organizations who will be putting on a kilometer of the 7k race. Month one it was Airfield Anarchy, Month two it was The Reaper Run and month three we announced Spartan Race. These three alone will make it a race you don’t want to miss out on.

THE RACE ENTRY PRICE INCLUDES FREE ENTRY TO THE EXPO. FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.OBSTACLERACEMAGAZINE.COM OR CHECK OUT THE LATEST NEWS ON THE FACEBOOK PAGE ORM MUDNIFICENT 7 & OBSTACLE RACE EXPO.

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24KM SUPPLEMENT ARSENAL FOR FISHERMAN’S FRIEND STRONGMAN RUN Nürburgring, Germany

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When you think of Germany’s Nurburgring, the older amongst us will think of Jackie Stewart’s epic win in the rain and fog of 1968, the younger will remember Sabine Schmitz driving Richard Hammond around the track in a transit van for Top Gear but for Obstacle Course runners it’s the home of the Fisherman’s Friend Strongman Run. The strongman run is 7 years old and has been held at the Grand Prix Nurburgring for 4 years now which coincidently is the amount of times I have taken part. Each of these years I’ve been appointed team captain of a group of eager, willing and slightly nervous participants as we take on the 24 kilometre, two lap course encountering 1300 metres of altitude with 34 cramp inducing obstacles.

It’s known as the world’s largest obstacle race due to the sheer amount of participants and we’re talking 12,000 mad screaming often fancy dressed, Europeans.

The association with the throat clearing lozenges is to convey the idea of strength and to attract a younger, cooler audience to a brand usually associated with, well…Fishermen. Last year, I came 22nd but that was off the back of a 3.05 London marathon and this year my main concern was dealing with my new-born daughter so training took a back seat to be honest. Luckily to make things easier, instead of having to push and shove to get as close to the start as possible I was given a ‘Top 50’ wrist band which let me get right to the very front.

The atmosphere in this race is like no other. 12,000 runners are crammed into the finishing straight of the German Grand Prix whilst heavy rock music is blasted out with a rock mc singing and geeing up the crowds as random fireworks and confetti are fired out of cannons is definitely a huge highlight of the event.

Big countdown, even more fireworks and we’re off hurtling down to the first of the many corners of the race track. To space the masses out, the first 2-3 miles have us running along negotiating the odd lines of hay bales varying in height before we meet the first real obstacle.

Each year the route is pretty much the same with a real bastard of a climb about half way round which you have to save energy for and that needs bearing in mind when you’re crawling and climbing, sliding and scrambling over the epic obstacles. In between these, the course has you running up and down the concrete steps that lead to the spectator areas along the motor racing circuit…it’s called the Strongman Run for a reason.

Another highlight of the event is the waterslides. We’re all kids at heart and adults of all ages love nothing better than sliding down a 15 metre wide structure that has a huge water pit at the end to stop you with a big splash however the 10th of May was a very wet and cold day so instantly as you exit, your mission is to get warm which is not as easy as it sounds but hey, what’s a challenge if it isn’t challenging?!

Cold, wet and breathing like an excited asthmatic puppy you find yourself crawling under a wire lattice doing your best not to get stung by the dangling electric wires that resemble jelly fish tentacles. Last year I got ‘stung’ and I honestly thought someone had punched me in the back of the neck until I realised there was no one within 10 metres of me, so this time my body was kept low and my eyes were searching for the best route out.

On most motor racing tracks they have areas called gravel traps which are designed to slow down a speeding racing car or bike from certain impact, well they certainly help slow down many of the tired and weary strongman runners beautifully. If you’ve never run on one of these and why on earth would you, I can only compare it to a mix of running on sand and pebbles, your feet sink but also your

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ankles wobble and you resemble a drunk guy running for the last bus.

It soon comes to the nasty hill nicknamed ‘Mount Neverrest’…Genius! My mission every year is not to rest and walk up it. I pass this onto the rest of my teams as advice or as a challenge to test their mental strength. This year the organisers had a timed section along the final part where the fastest would win a t-shirt. On the 1st lap I saw a few people fly past me in an attempt to win it and bend over double immediately after…race over I thought sniggering to myself whilst I gasped for breath too.

Once you’ve conquered A- frames and mounds of earth, crawled through mud and clambered over cargo nets at approximately 10km you meet the 40 metre long, ice cold deep pit of murky water. Some dive in, some jump and a lot scream for their Mum in German. There’s no avoiding it, well there is but you’d be choosing the ‘pussy lane’ that looked like endless zig zagging on top of another gravel trap.

Dragging yourself out, dripping wet with loads of cheering spectators you find that ahead of you is another gravel trap, a hill that requires you to pull yourself up with a rope and the final three obstacles before you’re able to start your second lap.

Not long into the second lap I start catching the back markers and some of the fancy dressed wishing them luck as I sped along to the very familiar obstacles ahead. The second time round was more challenging too as I had to weave in and out of the other runners sometimes having to apologise for the occasional nudge as the race was on with the other second lappers within my vicinity. My goal this year was to finish in the top 50 so I had it in my mind that we were all racing for that target too.

With the finish line in sight, we had to re-encounter the final three obstacles, which included more jelly fish tentacles but on a larger scale with punch bags in the way too, the small matter of 3000 tyres, cargo nets, iso-containers and a final 30 water slide. I was pleased to have finished so well that when I saw our official photographer Steph, I had to do ‘The Bolt’.

Crossing the line 44th in 2 hours, 2 minutes, I felt proud but also relieved that I could get out of the brutally cold weather and enjoy the free beer whilst waiting to hug and congratulate the rest of my epic team.

If you want to make sure your part of it next time, you should pre-register today on www.strongmanrun.de! On the official homepage you can already register for the second German event on August 30th in Ferropolis, near Berlin.

PRE-REGISTER TODAY ON WWW.STRONGMANRUN.DE

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STUART AMORY RACE NAME: FISHERMAN'S FRIEND STRONGMAN RUN LOCATION: NURBURGRING GERMANY DISTANCE: 24KM NUMBER OF OBSTACLES: 34 SORT OF TERRAIN: GRAND PRIX TRACK, OFF ROAD, HILLS. LEVEL OF MUD: ADEQUATE OR 4/10 DIFFICULTY LEVEL(1-10): 8 Issue 4 | Obstacle Race

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YOUR LETTERS

SEND US YOUR LETTERS! Thanks for your mudtastic letters and photos, we always look forward to hearing what you OCR fans are up to.

We’re just sorry there isn’t room to include them all, but here’s a selection of our favourites.

If you would like to get a letter on to this page then please send 100 words and a picture of you in action to letters@obstacleracemagazine.com

sponsored by Nuclear Races

Hi.

Hi there ORM Here is hoping you will print this picture of my daughter as I dragged her along to her first obstacle race at the nuclear rush on Sunday 11th May 2014. Niamh tackled the 30ft death slide no problems, zipwired across a lake and loved it... but these fireman poles were her kryptonite.

So proud of her and all the day before her GCSEs began.

Many thanks Jules Harriss ( Niamh’s mum )

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I'm Mike Vella and have just recently completed the awesome Judgement Day. It was tough and I finished with quite a few obstacle kisses. I've only the MH Survival of the fittest and tackled the Dirty Weekend last year, but since subscribing to your magazine wanted to experience the variety of obstacle races that are out there. So far this year I've completed the Major Series in Leeds (muddiest so far), recently Judgement Day (awesome) and in a couple of weeks Xrunners Mad Monk. Followed by Total Warrior, Pain & Suffering (10 mile), Tough Mudder and all the Spartan races (hopefully getting the Trifeca medal in October), and finishing the year with Judgment Day the second coming! I've definately got the bug :-) It would be great if you consider my pic from Judgement Day for the Mudtrest.

I love your magazine, so glad you've brought it out, I will be regular subscriber for sure!

Kind Regards, Mike

Hello!

After breaking my ankle at mile 3 of the Henley Toughmudder, I am hoping I get the sympathy vote and you publish my letter! Based on the number of people in the medical tent that day, I cannot be the only one to come out of an OCR with a broken bone so I am writing on behalf of me and all the others out there on months out from training and OCRs to ask for some articles regarding returning after injury. It will be needed as much to the horror of friends and family I have already bought my ticket for the 2015 Toughmudder, so I will be back!

Karen Bureau P.s had to include a picture of me out of action rather than in action!

Hi ORM, I’ve just subscribed to your magazine from issue 3 after picking up the OCR bug in 2013, I was surprised & very chuffed to see a picture of myself and some of the boys in your Mudtrest section. Between us we have completed 3 RockSolidRaces, 2 X-runners and Judgement Day and often go dressed as superheroes as in the picture!

I’ve included a couple more examples for your amusement!

Keep up the good work, great magazine!!

Mike Greathead Dads Do Lycra

Hey ORM, Me at end 10km Xtreme wet run in Derbyshire March 29th 2014. Very muddy but $900 raised for Papworth Hospital :-) Regards Paul Teare

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OCR TRAINING Written by Russell Parrington (owner of Endure Health and Fitness Ltd and avid OCR racer) Photography by Mark Holmes

Every OCR requires the following aspects of fitness

RUNNING ENDURANCE FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH EXPLOSIVE POWER BALANCE CORE STRENGTH 72

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Every OCR differs but all have similar aspects and require the same energy systems and muscular functions. If you know exactly what to expect of a course and you can train specifically for that event for example Tough Guy (where the obstacles are set out all year round) then you already have a head start at preparation, however many events hold back information on obstacles (Surprises/top secret) and also constantly change courses to add to the challenge, so let’s look at how you can get in the best physical condition to handle these (sometimes) extreme events.

Running Endurance - OCR’s are Endurance events you are required to be out on a course for a long period of time the majority of courses even for the elite guys are over an hour long and for some they will be out there for many hours, essentially the majority of any course is taken up by running there is usually a long run from the start to break up the field and avoid the dreaded cues and then from there on out it is intervals broken up by obstacles.

Running training is the biggest part of doing well at these events, heres four different aspects of run training you should add to any program The Long run - Time on your feet - steady running has many benefits you are building your base (building your engine) so your long run should be as long or longer than the event you have entered try and pick hilly off road routes with plenty of mud these runs will not only improve your lung capacity but they make you strong.

Long reps - You are preparing for a stop start event you usually have a few minutes in-between each obstacle so long reps are the most beneficial type of training in my opinion not only are they specific to the event this is the best way of building your VO2 Max increasing your maximal Oxygen uptake - Long reps should range from 2minutes to 6 minutes and a general rule of thumb is to run these for approximately 20-30 minutes (working time) with a resting time of 1-2 minutes between each rep Short reps - Shorter work will help to sharpen you up for your long reps, they also help with filtering that lactic acid burn, you are best using these in interval form so instead of stopping after a rep try jogging in-between it’s good to mix up random sprints in a run this is known as fartlek (Swedish for speed play) or if you wanted it more set and progressive work on 30 seconds to 1 minute sprints for a total of 10mins (working time) - Hill sprints are highly beneficial too most distance runners avoid speed training but speed makes you a better endurance athlete Mo Farah ran a British 1500m record whilst in training for the marathon don’t dip on speed!!!

Race or Time trial - it would be great to race every weekend ;) but unfortunately for most it isn’t affordable so pick several distances to time trial at on the weeks you aren’t throwing yourself around a course pick shorter distances than your race as you are already getting a long run in try 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 mile time trials or jump in a 5k every now and then to get that feeling of competition too these will help with your cruising speed at the event and will show you your progress.

Functional Strength - all OCR’s require you to pull yourself up and over obstacles although a few you can wing it with good technique and many get help off team mates it is important to work at heaving your bodyweight around. Find a facility with a functional frame preferably with monkey bars and suspension straps, (Like my gym ;) ) Try and build up the following - Pull-ups, inverted rows, push up variations, dragon walks, over hang climbs and monkey bar practice - Try doing these in-between your long rep running work to get your body used to using your upper

body muscles when all your blood has been pumped in to your legs this will make your heart work extra hard using peripheral heart action.

Explosive Power - is needed to jump high or long to reach the top of that wall or clear that ditch, you do derive leg power from the hill sprints and short reps in your running but to be more specific try some plyometric work bounding and jumping as well as mixing that with compound moves like jump squats/lunges you can bring weights in here too by adding some deep squat push presses and clean to presses main working on depth to really get the legs firing Balance - you need balance and control on many obstacles and let’s not forget your legs are probably resembling jelly when you get to them, some simple balance drills are good to add in to your training try balancing on a balance beam or even a long thin length of wood directly after doing your power drills you’ll still be recovering but it gets your body ready for these tricky and sometimes time consuming obstacles.

Core Strength - Getting your core strong will help no end with OCR not only will it keep your running technique efficient your middle is brought in with any strength related obstacle getting a strong core will save you energy and keep you dynamic - try and attend a good core class twice a week or add in Planks,Leg drops, leg raises, situps and crunches in at the end of your sessions.

Putting a training schedule together High cardio explosive circuit involve jump squats, jump lunge, standing broad jumps, burpees, mountain climbers, and squat thrusts work on 1 minute intervals do each exercise twice in the rest periods practice balance beam work. Follow this with 10-20 minutes of core work.

Long reps - 6-8 x 800m - 4-5 x 1000m - 3-4 x 1 miles all off 1.30-2minute recoveries (try instead of resting adding in press-ups or pull ups/inverted rows) Rest

Short speed interval runs - 10 x 1minutes off 1 minute jog recoveries - 20 x 30 seconds off 1 minute recoveries - 20-30 minutes fartlek, 15-30 short hill sprint (100-200m) followed by functional work rope climbs, pull ups, overhang climbs, monkey bar runs, dragon walks press ups also add in clean to press, and push presses. Follow this with 10-20 minutes of core work.

Rest

Race or TT alternate 1mile - 2miles - 3miles 4miles Long run unbroken steady state running 1hr+ try to pick woodland trails and hilly routes to strengthen the ankles and prepare for the tough courses

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RAT RACE DIRTY WEEKEND REVIEW NATHAN TURNER RAT RACES DIRTY WEEKEND BURGHLEY HOUSE 20 MILES 200 OBSTACLES MULTI-TERRAIN LEVEL OF MUD-8 DIFFICULTY- 9 76

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So its 8.30 am and its hammering it down with rain but it cannot dampen my spirits. Im just about to run, jump, climb, swim and crawl my way through the biggest event on the OCR scene. Billed as the worlds largest assault course with 200 obstacles over 20 miles it was going to take some completing especially as I’d had a look at the last obstacle the night before....and yes it looked much bigger than in the pictures!

I make my way up to the event village which was buzzing with fellow racers - some looking excited and some looking not so... I had already gone through a very smooth and professional registration the night before so was all ready for the off. Watching the last of the previous wave go off and my wave started to gather. Pleasantly I spotted a few familiar OCR friends to chat to (one with a yoda on his back) and then it was time to go through the pepp talk and a quick warm up from some very yellow suited PT’S. The orange haze of the dutch mud mens and chicks smoke surrounding us, we headed off to the cheers from the crowd and with me trying hard not to look at “that” last obstacle, we thundered across the grass to the first of the obstacles.

The first of two hundred go smoothly with a few single bales of hay and some barriers to hurdle followed by some familiar rat race obstacles like up and over a lorry trailer, and through a car door and out the boot. Everyone’s still smiling as we come to the last obstacles of the school daze zone - an inflatable walk way and slide with a bash from a padded up marshal. On exit and over the first of many walls, we head off to the next zone. Into some woods for the runners world trail zone crawling under a net and over some huge felled tree’s, we wind our way through the forest until we pass some anti tank barricades and the start of the war zone where a sand bag carry awaited us. A two storey walled obstacle to get over before the obligatory barb wire crawl where we can now hear shouts and screams ahead.

This is a sure sign that something “challenging” is near!!!

Over some wooden frame and finally see what all the noise was about, a crawl through the blackest, stickiest mud ever which you are forced to get almost face down to get under and through the obstacle. Luckily we weren’t muddy for long as it was time for a dip in the river rat race zone.

Through a large portion of the lake it was easier to swim than walk in the the thick mud on the lake bed and with a large inflatable to dive under it was soon time to scramble up the bank, over some huge tree trunks, to the road crossing where marshals saw us over safely to the welcome sight of the first fuel stop.

Refeulled it was off to the mud run zone and it certainly lived up to its name! An orange like mud covered everything ... including us, as we all clambered up the first of many walls in this section. A few mounds of the clay and some balance beams, one over water, which a guy just in front of me dismounted via a handstand, so no pressure! On my shakey pigeon step effort. After a crawl through a muddy trench and under a net, I then came to the muddiest, trickiest tyre wall i’ve encountered - after which came another tricky wall where a log at the top awaited. With no idea how I managed to get over them, it was onto the construction zone via the first of a few and familiar to me, scaffold towers to pick our way through. In and out of a some muddy ditches followed then up a ladder to the top of a large tower which we then had to work our way down and then down through the middle of some large tractor tyre’s.

Running on i headed to the lake again for the water wipe out zone, probably the one zone I was most looking forward to. We waded through a section where we came out briefly to put on a buoyancy aid and back into some deeper water where we were faced with several energy sapping floating platforms to drag ourselves onto before jumping off back into the water. I quickly adopted the “seal” technique to get myself out of the water where

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by - you shoot out of the water on to one’s belly then in a seal, flapping on its belly motion, inch your way onto the platform until enough of you is on and you can stand up! (its not pretty but it does the job) On reaching the last platform, there was a short hang tough style obstacle to exit the lake. A quick glimpse of the walk the plank tower and we’re off running, winding our way towards it through some mud. Quickly deciding to go for the high jump, it wasn’t long before I was on the edge and jumping into the water....Awesome!! I would have really liked another go…

Off out of the water, down to a double storey wall that became evident was the top of a water slide to enter you back into the lake, a short swim wade you come out via a slippery spiderman wall - it was time to stop swimming and start running again....BOO! We were now heading back into some forests and the zones of logatron which were made up of log hurdles, rope traverse and balance beams before heading up into the tree canopy for ewok village, that required a certain amount of crawling, swinging and climbing to negotiate our way through. Once down from theses impressive wood structures I went off running once more out of the forest and into some farmland - past some out buildings signalling that we must be in the farmer giles zone! Over some hay bales and into the mighty deerstalker zone onwards to what looked like a water slide but the marshal ushered us past to a log carry then round the corner to another closed obstacle due to a fellow runner being seen to by paramedics. `We carried on running until we came to a river crossing made of kayaks and planks where we could also see the entire length of the monkey bars! Biggest, baddest and boldest they most certainly were! After hop, skipping and jumping my way over the kayaks it was soon my turn at the monkey bars.

I managed three sections before my hands gave up and I was soon jumping over the hurdle forfeit and then making my way under a huge net crawl and up several tiers of hay bales where it would have been rude not to take in the views of the beautiful surroundings!

After a quick hop around a tree in a sack (yeah - so what if maybe i enjoyed this more than i should have) it was time to hit the mens health survival of the fittest section and having run a few of these events I was really at home winding my way through, under and over the scaffolding routes, crawl through a tunnel and negotiate some up n over scaffolding and soon I was coming up against the wall of fame where again i was reminded of how hard the last obstacle was going to be! It was time to then wade a river up a hill into the Burghley horse play and mystery zone

AFTER HOPPING, SKIPPING, AND JUMPING MY WAY OVER THE KAYAKS IT WAS SOON MY TURN AT TO TACKLE TO INFAMOUS BARS 78

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WE ALL KNEW WE WERE NEARING THE END AND FELT A PANG OF SADNESS...

where went over some wooden structures and a centuries old wall that I cant help but think the builders would never of guessed thousands of OCR racers would ever be using it as an obstacle! Along a muddy trail into the otters pocket - a muddy knee deep dyke that lead to another spiderman wall into a small pond to wade across. Setting off running again through bush whacking we headed into the got wood zone and as I knew this was where a friend was marshalling I also knew we were only 4 ish miles from the end, so through this zone of wooden obstacles there were some balance beams, a see saw and some hurdles to climb over then came a large wooden A frame to climb..

Although it wasn’t an issue for me, clearly the height of this thing was troubling some but with the encouragment of everyone, no one around me skipped it.

Leaving this zone it was time to carry on running for the final push. We went through some muddy trails and small dykes before coming to the wall! - a huge slated wall that you could climb (luckily like a ladder) before coming across a large inverted wall, where i gladly accepted a boost up from a fellow runner. I got over and ran back round and returned the favour. With energy levels dwindling, we ran and carried on running back again through the river and over a metal fence to the fun bags zone right into a large paddling pool with a crawl under in the middle of the water. It was out of there to jump up onto a 6 ft platform, down into chest height water, then back up another 6 ft platform out of the water. Jumping down from here it was then into some inflatable walkways, across three trampolines into an inflatable tunnel and a slide ending this zone. We soon came to one of the previous scaffold towers that we had to crawl under in the crossing zone. We all knew that we were nearing the end and felt a pang of sadness as the thunder of fellow OCR racers charged over our heads. We also now knew that it was time to face that last obstacle in the form of three 8 ft walls!

After 20 miles all that stood between me and the finish was an 24ft monster! I ran up to it and duly boosted up a couple of people then a group of four lads all in green T’s came up. I looked at them, they looked at me, I looked at them with puppy dog eyes and they said you want a boost....YES! So they boosted me and I helped pull them up and we did that twice more to finally reach the top. I turned round and punched the air! I had made it thanks to my fellow green shirted runners! and it was was a fairly easy descent followed by a final 8 ft drop, I was running down the final furlong to claim my medal and can finally say “ I AM A FILTHY MUCKER!”

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HAVE YOU GOT AN AWESOME PICTURE YOU WANT TO SHARE? To get your picture on to our mudtrest wall send it to letters@obstacleracemagazine.com with your name and a description.

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DASH OF THE TITAN In its debut year of 2014, Dash of the Titan aims to make its mark on the mud circuit, with its back to nature theme set within beautiful but challenging surroundings on the Thoresby Estate, Nottinghamshire.

DOTT will take place on both Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th September, with the added benefit of overnight camping on the Saturday for those who want to take on the

CIRCUIT The course is a minimum of 5 mile or 10 miles, structured as a double or quit challenge. You decide which challenge you take on, on the day.

The circuit snakes through thick wooded areas, ponds and a scattering of tree lined alleys for open running with surprises included. The ground loves to hold water, so any rain that comes is going to make it slippery, muddy and boggy!

OBSTACLES The team aren’t going to give too much away at this stage, but they really do aim to please.

One obstacle that’s raised some eyebrows is the paintball zone. Although you can’t train for such an obstacle as such, they recommend building up your sprinting ability to get in and out of there as soon as possible!

Alongside the obstacles, they will be staging a variety of ‘pain points’ designed to test a Titan’s mental and physical strength. Do not underestimate these as they will push all to their personal limits.

TRAINING Many competitors still jump into these events without the focused training that experienced marathoners or triathletes go through endure, and this could result in a negative experience or injury.

If you’re new and want to have a try at an OCR run, then Dash of the Titan is a great opportunity to get started. With the help of Custom Fitness UK (www.custom-fitness.co.uk) we’re holding regular, dedicated OCR training sessions at

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challenge of both days or simply relax and enjoy the after party that evening.

Dash of the Titan’s origins lie in competitive OCR racing.

However, the aim is to also make an event for the whole family, a day enjoyed by runners with the spectators also having plenty to keep them entertained within the event village or on the course spectator points.

a training facility in Lincoln. These are catered towards all levels of fitness and are a great starting point in preparation to race.

AFTER PARTY, CAMPING AND FACILITIES The event village will house an array of food, beverages and a fully licensed bar, with a main party marquee for the evening’s entertainment as the focal point. There will also be a variety of OCR themed retailers, so why not treat yourself to something new?

Camping and parking are both available on site, plus toilets and cold shower/wash facilities in the event village.

WHAT DO YOU GET FOR YOUR MONEY? In addition to all being offered above, all participants on completion of the course will also receive a tech t-shirt, a variety of sponsor products and a finishers medal designed by one of you with Swift Medals. There may also be a few surprises chucked in for you.

For further information or to book your place visit www. dashofthetitan.co.uk and use SUMMER10 for all OCR magazine readers to obtain a limited time discount To be in with a chance of designing the medal that will be given to every finisher of Dash of the Titan and also a prize bundle worth over £100, SEND YOUR MEDAL DESIGN OVER TO COMPS@OBSTACLERACEMAGAZINE.COM BEFORE THE CLOSING DATE OF 31/7/14

To enter, simply send your designs to comps@obstacleracemagazine.com

RACE WEEK TRAINING PLAN The week leading up to your race is an important part of your race plan and race preparation for an ‘A’ Race. Your ‘A’ Race is one of 2 or 3 races that your seasons training plan has been structured around so that you are peaking in your performance. Where as in ‘B’ & ‘C’ races fit into your training plan and replace workouts.

RPE

DESCRIPTION

0

Full recovery

0

Stationary

1

Recovery

6,7,8

Very, very light

2

Extensive endurance

9,10,11

Very Light Fairly Light

SO GUYS AND GIRLS DON’T BLOW JUST BEFORE YOUR RACE! The race week training plan is about taking your volume and intensity down to a level that allows your body to recover, yet still keeps it turning over in preparation for your race.

3

Intensive endurance

12,13,14

Somewhat hard

4

Threshold

15

Hard

Here is an insight to what our TEAM OCR Elite Athletes at TEAM Wild Forest Gym Training Plans use for their race week.

5a

Threshold

16

Hard

5b

Anaerobic endurance

17,18

Very hard

5c

Power

19,20

Very hard

THE LAST 10 DAYS It well understood within the field of athletics and general running that any workout that you undertake takes about 7-10 days to reap the benefits of the training session.

RPE - Is rate of perceived exertion. Scale 6-20. 6 Represents no exertion at all. 20 is maximum, all out effort with absolutely nothing held in reserve. 6=heart rate 60 beats per minute(bpm).

20=200bpm

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TRAINING PLAN FOR A SATURDAY RACE DAY

TYPE

DURATION

WORKOUT

Monday

Yoga/Stretch/ Day off

90 mins

Flexibility, balance & agility

DESCRIPTION

INSTRUCTIONS

ZONE

Yoga or sports yoga class will increase your range of movement especially hamstrings. Great way to get your body ready for a race.

Z1-0

WU 1 mile jog 5 mins dynamic stretches 5 mins strides

Tuesday

Run

80 mins

Endurance Workout

Extensive Endurance

MS Run (25 mins/Z2) Run/exercise/run 35 mins (Z5c) With a stopwatch set timer for 60seconds (equivalent to 250m).

1st set is 15 mins of 60s runs followed by 30s exercise and so on.

Take 5 mins full recovery. 2nd set is 15 mins of 60s runs followed by EXAMPLE EXERCISES - burpees, crocodile stalk, hand n foot crawl, inverted crawl, step up, jump over, jump up, pull up, single leg balance on log/stump.

Z2 & 5c

IMPORTANT - Make sure you pace yourself so that you can maintain the same pace for the entire workout.

CD 1 mile jog 10 mins stretch muscles used WU 8-10mins jog 5 mins dynamic stretches Wednesday

Functional Natural Movement

80mins

Balance, climb & core

Functional Natural Movement

MS Rope Climb -10mins Crawling techniques - 10mins Core Abs - 20mins

Z5a

CD As above WU As above

Thursday

Run Session

60mins

Endurance / Speed Workout

Extensive Endurance & Pickups

MS Extensive Endurance (20mins/20s)(Z1-2/Z5c). Used for aerobic maintenance and endurance training. Stay primarily in Z1 and Z2.

Pickups - Insert 20s accelerations to faster than 5k pace. Recover for several minutes between these. Check cadence - 30 right foot strikes in 20 seconds, aware of posture, deactivate unnecessary muscles.

Z1-2 Z5c

CD As above WU As above Friday

Run Session or day off

30mins

Recovery Run

Speed Skills

MS 6 x (20s)(Z5c) 6 x 20 second sprints.

Z5c

CD As above Saturday

Race DAY

Race for your life!

WU As above Sunday

Recovery Run

100mins

Recovery Run

MS (60mins)(Z1)Check cadence - 30 right foot strikes in 20 seconds, aware of posture, deactivate unnecessary muscles.

Z1

CD As above

TRAINING PLAN FOR A SUNDAY RACE ON NEXT PAGE

›

DAY

TYPE

DURATION

WORKOUT

Monday

Yoga/Stretch/ Day off

90 mins

Flexibility, balance & agility

DESCRIPTION

INSTRUCTIONS

ZONE

Yoga or sports yoga class will increase your range of movement especially hamstrings. Great way to get your body ready for a race.

Z1-0

WU 1 mile jog 5 mins dynamic stretches 5 mins strides

Tuesday

Run

80 mins

Endurance Workout

Extensive Endurance

MS Run (25 mins/Z2) Run/exercise/run 35 mins (Z5c) With a stopwatch set the timer for 60seconds (equivalent to 250m).

1st set is 15 mins of 60s runs followed by 30s exercise and so on.

Take 5 mins full recovery. 2nd set is 15 mins of 60s runs followed by

Z2 & 5c

EXAMPLE EXERCISES - burpees, crocodile stalk, hand n foot crawl, inverted crawl, step up, jump over, jump up, pull up, single leg balance on log/stump.

IMPORTANT - Make sure you pace yourself so that you can maintain the same pace for the entire workout.

CD 1 mile jog 5 mins Stretch muscles used WU 8-10mins jog 5 mins dynamic stretches Wednesday

Functional Natural Movement

80mins

Balance, climb & core

Functional Natural Movement

MS Rope Climb -10mins Crawling techniques - 10mins Core Abs - 20mins

Z5a

CD As above WU As above

Thursday

Run Session

60mins

Endurance / Speed Workout

Extensive Endurance & Pickups

MS Extensive Endurance (20mins/20s)(Z1-2/Z5c). Used for aerobic maintenance and endurance training. Stay primarily in Z1 and Z2.

Pickups - Insert 20s accelerations to faster than 5k pace. Recover for several minutes between these. Check cadence - 30 right foot strikes in 20 seconds, aware of posture, deactivate unnecessary muscles.

Z1-2 Z5c

CD As above WU As above

Friday

Run Session

60mins

Endurance / Speed Workout

Extensive Endurance & Pickups

MS Extensive Endurance (20mins/20s)(Z1-2/Z5c). Used for aerobic maintenance and endurance training. Stay primarily in Z1 and Z2.

Pickups - Insert 20s accelerations to faster than 5k pace. Recover for several minutes between these. Check cadence - 30 right foot strikes in 20 seconds, aware of posture, deactivate unnecessary muscles.

CD As above WU

As above Saturday

Run Session or day off

30mins

Recovery Run

Speed Skills

MS

6 x (20s)(Z5c) 6 x 20 second sprints.

CD

As above

Sunday

Race DAY

Race for your life!

WU As above

Monday

Recovery run

100mins

Recovery run

MS (60mins)(Z1) Check cadence - 30 right foot strikes in 20 seconds, aware of posture, deactivate unnecessary muscles.

CD As above

Z5c

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There are people out there who like Star Trek or Star Wars or being a guy - but wearing women’s clothes. At obstacle race magazine, we respect you all but we really want to focus on the people out there who like to chase down a finish line, over come obstacles and get down in the mud.

Just like Dave (who at weekends – prefers to be called Mandy) Obstacle Race Magazine recognises that not everyone wants to share their love of OCR (or any other kind of activity – wink wink) on regular social networking sites.

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introduce themselves and say hi, before contributing to the hot topics of the day.

TALK MUD wants to know what you think. We want every walk of life from anywhere around the globe to know that there is always someone on TALK MUD who wants to chat about OCR. We want you to add links, add photo’s and make friends.

TALK MUD is all about creating an umbrella community for the fantastic OCR family.

“TALK MUD” is a special place created by Obstacle Race Magazine for everyone nuts about OCR to be able to talk about it without all your normal – clean, couch potato friends thinking that you’re far too healthy or a little bit strange.

TALK MUD is still quite new and basic but growing day by day and will continue to evolve too. By the end of MAY this year, we will not only have a strong Canadian following but also an Aussie and UK presence too. The rest of the world will soon catch up.

We have some great debates already live on TALK MUD about various elements of OCR. Folk are chatting about the best race organisations, events, kit and training.

There’s even a thread simply there for everyone to

So what are you waiting for?

JOIN UP AND JOIN IN TODAY AND SAY G’DAY!!

VISIT WWW.TALKMUD.COM JOIN UP AND JOIN IN

RACER PROFILE ELLIOTT MEGQUIER Written by James Fowkes, Obstacle racing newbie and chilli pepper addict @jamopepper

Apart from OCR what other ways do you like to keep active?

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The first time I met Elliott was on a trip to Costa Rica.

We were introduced in San Jose and on the first night I didn’t get to chat to him straight away. In the morning we jumped into 4x4’s heading into the rainforest to dump our giant rucksacks, assemble mini backpacks and started a three hour plus trek into the private La Danta Salvaje rainforest reserve. Within minutes, Elliott had disappeared running ahead of the entire group. He returned hours later with a large rock! It turns out he had done the entire trek and come back for more.

As I would come to learn this terrain was in fact a perfect Spartan training ground. Later on as we ate dinner under the stars, Elliott was wearing a Spartan Race T-Shirt. When I asked what the race was about, as he explained what was involved, so began my own personal journey into the world of obstacle racing. Together with UK Obstacle Race Magazine I am happy to bring you this interview with my friend Elliott. Get to know the man who currently has competed more Spartan races than anyone else in the world to date… eighty seven so far with no signs of stopping!

I run everywhere! I’m always taking the stairs, if I do have to take an escalator I run up it and I feel so lazy when taking an elevator is necessary, it feels like cheating. I like to do push ups, pull ups, and other body weight exercises for strength workouts.

So Elliott, tell us a little about you? What do you do when you are not racing?

Although most of most of your OCRs are Spartan races do you have any other OCR events you enjoy taking part in?

I am very laid back and easy going when I’m not racing.

I was born in Connecticut, moved around the first seven years of my life when my dad was in the US Navy. When he retired we settled in Maine and I would live in the same house all through college. I was always an active child getting grass stains and mud on my school cloths before school so I usually had to change and had special “play clothes.” My hobbies are sports. Although I only played football “soccer” competitively (save for a year of track my senior year in high school) I loved playing all kinds of sports. I am an active New York Yankee, Giant, and Knick fan. My hockey team is the Bruins. I can’t call myself a true Premiership fan, but if I had to pick a team it would Manchester United.

I have noted a superhero scramble race on your Facebook feed… I have done six Tough Mudders, the 2011 World’s Toughest Mudder, one Superhero Scramble, two Warrior Dashes, two Mountain Mudder’s, and a few other small local OCRs. Tough Mudder is fun and challenging, but it’s not competitive and timed so I lot of them I was winning by major by gaps and left wanting more.

Obstacle Race | Issue 4

How long have you been running and where did your journey into Spartan Racing and Obstacle Racing begin?

I ran my first Spartan Race in June of 2011. My buddy Ross Montfort found out about Tough Mudder so we signed up to give it a go. We ran Tough Mudder in May 2011 had a great time, but we were looking for more of a challenge so we then we tried out Spartan races where I’ve now done 87 different Spartan Race events!

Did you ever imagine that you would be an obstacle racer?

Not really, I always was active but there wasn’t the sport when I was growing up as a kid.

What would you say has been your toughest challenge when racing so far?

Climbing big mountains for hours and hours. You have to stay hydrated and avoid cramping by eating proper nutrition.

Which obstacle do you find the hardest?

The tarzan swing in Killington, Vermont, at the Spartan World Championship. It is halfway through the race. You have to climb out of the cold water climb a rope, and then swing across another set of ropes to a bell without falling.

I have failed it all three attempts.

Have you had any weird experiences while racing?

All kinds, haha, far too many great moments to mention.

Travelling you see all kinds of crazy things and people.

I have seen a few videos of you and Hunter McIntyre training together. How and where do you usually fit your training around your work?

Yeah I was lucky to train with Hunter for about 10 days last summer in preparation for the Spartan World Championship. You make time whether it’s waking up before work or after. When I was active duty Army it was easy because the first thing we do every day is workout for 90 minutes.

Do you have any tips for people who want to train towards their first OCR race?

Inov8 X-Talon 190’s. New Balance 110 Trail Shoes are another favourite.

Apart from Giordano’s Pizza who would be your ideal sponsor?

I would love to be sponsored by a shoe company such as Inov8 or Reebok since I’m constantly going through running/racing shoes. Also someone that can give me spandex and clothing to race in. An airline sponsor would be amazing too haha.

Which elite racers inspire you?

Hobie Call. He is the Godfather of Spartan Races. He is a humble family man, the most giving person, an intense competitor, and he is so awesome with fans.

Do you have any ambitions in world of OCR? It would nice to be the best and win every race.

Would you like to come over to the UK and challenge any of our emerging group of elite racers like Thomas Blanc or Jonathan Albon?

Start running, walk in between if you have to just getting moving. Incorporate strength work so you are able to push, pull, climb, and move your body through all the obstacles.

Start eating healthier and if necessary lose some weight. It’ll be easier to climb obstacles if you’re at a healthy weight.

I would love to come to the UK. I’ve never been and I like to travel and check out new places especially when it involves racing too.

On to the important topic of nutrition, we know that you are a fan of Giordano’s Pizza and I have seen first hand how you have earned one of your nicknames of ketchup boy but can you tell us about your training nutrition?

Check out my Spartan Page if you have got questions or want to know anything else about me. I’m an open book and I like to help people out if I can.

I try to eat healthy and have gotten better. I avoid processed food when possible and try to cook all my food so I know what I’m eating. Lots of fruits and vegetables are important. I love meat so I’ll never be a vegetarian though.

Drinking lots of water each day is important too!

VPX provide you with protein supplies to keep you fuelled.

When and how do you take your protein, are there different types you prefer?

I eat a protein bar before and after races. I like Protein Rush (similar to Muscle Milk) after a race or with my lunch. VPX makes a good recovery drink called Synthesize that I like to take after a hard workout. I like Whey protein powder, but I’m lazy so 99% of the time instead of making a protein shake I’ll just have an Impact or Life Lift Bar after a workout.

What gear do you go for in summer and also in winter cold races?

This is an area many racers can’t decide on a particular combination. For most races, my spandex shorts/under wear. A pair of thin socks and my racing shoes usually Inov8 X-Talon 190’s, but I just did two races in the TrailRoc 150 and I liked them.

Winter/cold races I’ll wear running tights, and a spandex long sleeve shirt. Also if I know there is a tyrolean traverse I will always wear a thin spandex long sleeve shirt to avoid rope burn since I now traverse on top of the rope.

Selection of shoes is also a hard choice for racers with a very wide selection that won’t be suited to every race condition. Do you have a favourite shoe or brand you keep coming back to?

Finally is there anything else you would like to say?

www.facebook.com/pages/Elliott-Megquier-SpartanRacer/161604850660945?ref=hl

ELLIOTT MEGQUIER, 25, US ARMY OFFICER FAVOURITE OCR: SPARTAN RACE FAVOURITE OBSTACLE: CARRYING OBJECTS SAND BAGS, WATER JUGS, LOGS, YOU NAME IT ILL CARRY IT! YOUR KRIPTONITE: THE SPEAR THROW SOMETIMES IT MAKES ME MONEY, OTHER TIMES IT GIVES ME 30 BURPEES NUMBER OF PODIUMS: 40 SPARTAN RACE PODIUMS

Issue 4 | Obstacle Race

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A PLACE TO TRAIN FORTITUDE FITNESS CENTRE We get questions here at the magazine all the time about places to train, which will give people a chance to have a little taste of what they are in for on race day. So we set out to find the best training locations around the United Kingdom for you to fine tune your skills.

The first location we wanted to share with you was Fortitude fitness centre which is situated in Cambridgeshire.

When you first arrive, you get a full view of all the awesome obstacles these guys have built. All we can describe it as is the feeling you got as a kid when you arrived at the park. Rather than us just telling you our opinion of the course we asked Mark Allen who has been a regular there for a while what he felt were the benefits of somewhere like this.

A fellow Spartan introduced me to the guys at Fortitude Fitness Centre at the back end of 2013 and having come out of a busy OCR season feeling pretty good, I arrived at my first session and assault course challenge maybe a bit too confident. I’d taken on and conquered the almighty Spartan Beast so coping with a half mile assault course challenge was literally a stroll in the park - I thought. ..

Arriving on site for the first time I saw the lap challenge leader board and felt confident that I could do something to challenge those times. I was so wrong, I think my first lap was over a minute off the top 5 and to this day I am still as far off the board as the leaders also continue to improve their times.

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Obstacle Race | Issue 4

So half a mile, it doesn’t seem a lot does it? But stick in over 20 obstacles that include parallel bars, a 7ft wall, tyre carries, cargo nets, A-frames, balance beams, monkey bars and more and you are punished for that half a mile.

It’s intense.

A session at Fortitude Fitness Centre is not only about the assault course challenge, it also includes a fitness session built in and normally finishes with an assault course challenge that can see people pairing up or working in teams. Training at Fortitude is hard but rewarding; the lap takes it out of you for sure. They also do obstacle technique training allowing people time to practice race techniques, an opportunity not to be missed. I mean how many people get to practice monkey bars or parallel bars prior to an event. I recently saw a group being taught how to get over a wall, as a team. Forewarned is forearmed so they say.

Since I have been training at Fortitude I have been able to develop hands on race techniques which have helped me in other OCR races, it has helped build confidence and even for a seasoned OCR runner still taught me a thing or two.

Oh and to mention the other mistake I made on my first session with the Fortitude guys was to agree to do a lap in a 10kg weighted vest, not something I’m rushing to do again!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS MARK AND WE CAN’T WAIT TO DO A LAP WITH YOU AGAIN SOON.

> FOREWARNED IS FOREARMED SO THEY SAY Issue 4 | Obstacle Race

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INTRODUCING THE RIVER RAT RACE LONDON’S FIRST WATER OBSTACLE COURSE

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Obstacle Race | Issue 4

Rat Race Adventure Sports, in partnership with the charity Shelter, are delighted to announce that they will be holding London’s first ever aquatic obstacle course ‘The River Rat Race’ on Saturday 16th August. An Incredible challenge that will raise vital funds for homeless charities.

The 10km water course will see participants run, jump, swim, kayak and climb their way around The Docklands in East London.

Entry to the event starts from £48, with a minimum of £10 from each entry going to Shelter to help people across the country struggling with homelessness with further money going to the charity through the sponsorship funds raised by each participant.

The race will start inside The ExCel London with participants facing a quick fire barrage of obstacles before they head out on to the dockside. From there, they will run west towards the Emirates Air Line, tackling more obstacles as they go. This short run will provide a good warm-up ahead of the first dip in to the water. Participants will then enter the Royal Victoria Dock via a water jump which will be followed by a short swim and then an energy sapping, thigh deep wade on to an urban beach.

Back on dry land they will then head east with a mixture of jumping, swimming and wading required, before the running kicks in again to lead them on to the kayak section.

From here it’s homeward bound, but as it’s a Rat Race event it won’t be that simple… participants will be faced by more challenges and a few surprises before they cross the finish line. This will include the centerpiece obstacle of the event a towering confidence jump, plummeting them 20 feet into the water below.

Jim Mee, Rat Race MD and creator of The River Rat Race, said of the upcoming event: “We’re looking forward to showcasing The River Rat Race event in Docklands and are delighted to be teaming up with Shelter to help raise as much money for the charity as possible.

“In previous years we have held the event in Glasgow and Stockton but we wanted to bring the event to the UK’s most iconic river setting. Participants need just enough fitness to get around the 10km course and all you need is a pair of trainers, some old clothes that you don't mind getting wet and muddy in, and a willingness to try something new.”

As growing numbers of people struggle with soaring housing costs, the charity has seen a rise in demand for help from people fighting to keep a roof over their heads.

The River Rat Race is set to raise thousands of pounds to fund Shelter’s work helping people facing bad housing and homelessness.

Campbell Robb, Shelter’s chief executive said: “We’re thrilled to be part of the incredible River Rat Race that will help raise vital funds for Shelter.

“With so many people in England fighting to keep a roof over their heads, this challenge will be an amazing opportunity for people to get fit and test their endurance, as well as helping us provide a lifeline to families up and down the country – and that makes everyone a winner.”

Shelter helps over three million people a year struggling with bad housing or homelessness and campaigns to prevent it in the first place. They’re here so no-one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.

The River Rat Race is produced by leading adventure sports company Rat Race who organise the largest selection of adventure races in the UK. They are operating 18 events in 2014, catering to over 70,000 participants.

TO ENTER ONLINE PLEASE VISIT WWW.RATRACE.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SHELTER PLEASE VISIT WWW.SHELTER.ORG.UK

OBSTACLE RACE MAGAZINE DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR DOOR 6 ISSUES FOR THE PRICE OF 5

WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE ON LINE

VISIT WWW.OBSTACLERACEMAGAZINE.COM FIND US ON Subscribe before 20th March to start receiving from issue 2 96

Obstacle Race | Issue 4

CAPTION COMPETITION

WIN TWO OF OCR’S MOST WANTED BOOKS

SEND YOUR CAPTION FOR THIS PICTURE TO COMPS@OBSTACLERACEMAGAZINE.COM FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A TWO OF OCR’S MOST WANTED BOOKS LAST ISSUES CAPTION COMPETITION WINNER WAS Last issues caption competition winner was Rick Burgess with “Go on I dare you. It’s just like when you licked a battery as a kid” You’ve won yourself an awesome pair of inov-8 x-talon 190’s

Terms and conditions apply

Closing date for entries is the 1st of August 2014. Entries will also be taken on the Obstacle Race Magazine Facebook and Twitter pages when this picture is posted.

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EVENTS LISTING SATURDAY 21ST JUNE

SUNDAY 6TH JULY

X Runner -Water Wipeout

Nottingham

xrunner.co.uk

Insane Terrain

Peterborough

insaneterrainrunning.com

Blood Sweat and Tear – Run For The Hills

County Tyrone

bstextreme.com

The Obstacle

Suffolk

theobstacle.co.uk

Brutal 10 –12-- Hr Enduro

Hampshire

brutalrun.co.uk

Total Warrior-- 10km

Leeds

totalwarrior.co.uk

Tough Guy --Nettle Warrior

Midlands

toughguy.co.uk

Dirty Dozen –12km

South West

dirtydozenraces.com

Tough Mudder

Midlands

toughmudder.com

Tough Guy --Nettle Warrior

Midlands

toughguy.co.uk

Tough Mudder

Midlands

toughmudder.com

North West

badassmudder.co.uk

Stratford St Mary

pukkaraces.co.uk

Tough Mudder

Yorkshire

toughmudder.com

Total Warrior

Lake District

totalwarrior.co.uk

SUNDAY 13TH JULY

SUNDAY 22ND JUNE Go Insane

Cambridge

insaneterrainrunning.com

Back 2 The Trenches

Surrey

back2thetrenches.co.uk

Total Warrior—10Mile

Leeds

totalwarrior.co.uk

Dirty Dozen – 6km

South West

dirtydozenraces.com

SATURDAY 26TH JULY Badass Mudder SUNDAY 27TH JULY

SATURDAY 28TH JUNE Pain and Suffering --5k 10k

SATURDAY 12TH JULY

Rockingham Castle

thesufferingrace.co.uk

Pukka Races—Only Fools Ride Horses SATURDAY 2ND AUGUST

SUNDAY 29TH JUNE Pukka Races --World War Run

West Sussex

pukkaraces.co.uk

Pain and Suffering – 10 mile

Rockingham Castle

thesufferingrace.co.uk

SATURDAY 5TH JULY

SUNDAY 3RD AUGUST

JCB Mud Run

Staffordshire

thejcbmudrun.co.uk

Tough Mudder

Yorkshire

toughmudder.com

The Obstacle

Suffolk

theobstacle.co.uk

Total Warrior

Lake District

totalwarrior.co.uk

FOR A MORE COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF UPCOMING EVENTS GO TO WWW.OBSTACLERACEMAGAZINE.CO.UK/EVENTS