Obstacle Race Magazine Issue 34 - Winter Edition 2019

ISSUE #34 WINTER EDITION

2019 £5.95

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FRONT COVER PHOTOGRAPHER: Rosemary Watts EPIC ACTION IMAGERY

Another year of amazing events and challenges in the OCR market is coming to an end. But as one calendar wraps up it means another is just beginning and is begging to be filled with events.

Check out our bumper sized calendar at the back of this issue.

WHAT DO I HAVE FOR YOU: In this issue I have a great piece to help explain what the newly formed UK Federation has planned for the industry and how it may benefit you.

A race report letting you know exactly what it’s like to take on a whole Spartan Trifecta in a weekend.

A peek at the brand new Inov-8 X Talon 235.

A story of one mans mission to pay back charities for all their help.

See you all in the new year :)

Ca r l

CARL WIBBERLEY EDITOR & CHIEF @CPWADVENTURES @CARLWIBBERLEY CARL@OBSTACLERACEMAGAZINE.COM

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Contents

ISSUE #34 - WINTER EDITION - 2019

FEATURES

TRAINING

10

YOGA & OCR Would adding Yoga to your training help you to be a better racer.

8

STAND OUT PHOTOGRAPHY

The best pictures captured at events.

36

18

RAMPING UP YOUR WARM UP Sammy shares a few tips on getting the most from your pre warm up .

22

TRAINING CYCLES & MENTAL HEALTH Gemma helps you to periodise your training.

10

MUDTREST PAGE

A chance to show off your favourite race pictures.

38

THE FOUNDATIONS OF A FEDERATION

Helping you to understand the plans of the new federation in the UK.

8

62

ORM DIRECTORY

A place to find services and training centres in and around OCR.

64

EVENTS PAGE

Your comprehensive list of events for the year of racing ahead.

50

A NUCLEAR THANK YOU

The Nuclear Races team thank you for an incredible year of firsts.

EVENT REPORT

14

RACE IN PICTURES

We tell a race day story through the power of pictures.

28

ADVENTURE

54

DECENT RACE

A race like no other.

What goes up must come down.

58

A WEEKEND TRIFECTA

Matthew shares his Spartan Trifecta adventure.

44

A MENTALBEARS PICNIC

A crazy bear story with charity at the heart of it.

DESTINATION RACING

KIT BAG

44

KIT BAG UPGRADES

We search for new items to help upgrade your kitbag contents to get you through Winter .

44

A peek at what racing inov-8 options we have further X TALON 235 afield.

We introduce the brand new model in the X Talon line up.

44

NUTRITION

34

RECIPES PAGE

Great recipes for you to try at home.

34

54

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STAND OUT PHOTOGRAPHY THE PHOTOGRAPHER: Name: HARM DOMMISSE Photo group:

HARM DOMMISSE PHOTOGRAPHY

www.harmdommisse.com

Interesting fact:

The very first OCR I photographed was the first OCR World Championship at Ohio in 2014.

Located: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

THE PHOTOGRAPH:

Where was the photo taken?

2019 OCR World Championship at Kelvedon Hatch.

When was it taken?

11th October 2019 Kit:

Nikon D850, AF-S 16-35 F/4, Profoto B10

Why stand out?

Sport is produced and consumed at the same time. So you never know what is going to happen. Ida came across the finish line after 5k and was so exhausted that she laid down on the ground. As a photographer you have a split second time to take this picture before people want the help her to get up from the wet and cold ground. But this photo says everything how the race was, how she gave everything in this race.

It was a tough race, very bad weather and strong competition.

YOGA & OCR

SHOULD YOU ADD IT TO YOUR TOOL KIT ?

So,what is yoga exactly?

Is it a group of middle aged people rolling around on a mat making strange noises and trying to bend their limbs into all sorts of different postures?

Well yes, sometimes but really Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices disciplines which originated in ancient India and are designed to help the mind and the body excel.

A

fter rambling around obstacle courses since 2012 and like a lot of muddy hero’s I get myself injured every now and then. It was one such injury, during a Spartan beast that I reverted to yoga as a form of recovery and strength building. My physio recommended it when she got fed up of hearing my moans every time I tried to touch my toes. Although I had done yoga in the past it didn’t occur to me to align the practice with my current sporting pastime. To my delight I found I wasn’t alone, every class I attend has at least one other runner and gym enthusiast. Realising that yoga did more than just help me recover from injury I kept up the practice and still to this day I can be seen attempting to build strength of character, body and mind at my local Yoga club. Yoga is being used increasingly by multi-disciplined athletes in many sports from running to ballet to rugby training In order to optimize performance and focus the mind, this is where OCR comes into it.

Yoga exercises are a mixture of deep core strengthening, myofascial stretching (whole body stretchers not just individual muscles), balance and proprioception (awareness of the position and movement of the body). Practiced properly they will align your skeleton into the optimal position for function thus improving efficiency and reducing the likelihood of over-use injuries.

This is your foundation. Without strong well-balanced foundations, however hard you train you will never achieve your full potential.

Practicing Yoga can highlight weaknesses and biomechanical imbalances in the body which can then be corrected. This can significantly reduce the risk of injuries and help speed up recovery.

OCR demands agility, endurance, balance, power and mental strength so you may be thinking, how does Yoga do all that? The answer is it enables you to train for those components effectively so that you can perform on race day! If you are running for fun having these skills will enhance your experience. If you are “racing” it might make all the difference to achieving a podium place or qualifying or not! I commonly achieve good positions in races when my training and Yoga align, not just OCR but distance trail running too.

What about Obstacles: Agility/Flexibility: On the weaver good hip and spine range of movement make this obstacle much easier. Yoga stretches lines of fascia running around and through the muscles not just an individual muscle. It allows the body to be flexible and strong at the same time. Another example is the rope climb…a good technique involves bringing the feet up high for the next push up. If you don’t have the flexibility in your back and hips to do this you will have to do more footwork before you reach the top taking more time.

Obstacle Race Magazine 11

Terrain: We all love the muddy hilly OCR terrain, don’t we? I am sure you all agree that there is normally a fair bit of running required at OCR events usually over rough, slippery, hilly terrain that requires good core strength. It is vital to have core strength, stamina and free movement as well as the desired speed on OCR terrain. The varied and demanding set on motions on OCR terrain puts a lot of pressure on hamstrings, quadriceps, IT bands and gluteus (my nemesis).

All the muscle and tendons used need to be flexible, strong and active so that they work more efficiency to power you forwards and reduce the risk of injury and cramp. This will also enable you to stop wasting energy as your movement will be more effective and less laboured. Simple practices such as single leg balance exercises, downward dog and low lunge will help build that strength, flexibility and motion. They can also solve issues with posture, ankle, knee and hip alignment as well as adding that power.

Upper body endurance. If you are a serious racer you will be training, but if you are dong a long or an obstacle heavy race your biceps will tire quickly because they are prime movers, power creating muscles, they are not designed for endurance. Compare the monkey bar technique swinging through using the shoulders to powering through using the biceps, Much quicker and more efficient swinging. The scapula (shoulder blade) stabilising muscles and rotator cuff muscles are the postrave endurance muscles, without good strength and control of these you are increasing the risk of shoulder injuries, These little control muscles require specific strengthening exercises of which we do a lot of in Yoga. Without control of the scapula you will not last as long in an obstacle heavy race.

Explosive power and shock absorption is also important for obstacles like walls, dragons back, carries and hoists. While Yoga exercises don’t directly focus on this element they strengthen the core to enable effective training of these big powerful muscle groups.

Breathing: The breathing component of Yoga can help regain control of the body when it is stressed either physically by hard running or emotionally as you approach an obstacle that scares you.

Regaining control of your breathing will lower the heart rate and calm the respiratory rate, regaining control of your body and mind before you tackle the next obstacle. I have got used to controlling my breathing during an obstacle, which has really helped me focus the mind on each movement rather than worry about the obstacle as a whole. There is a calmness and togetherness that I experience when I slow down at an obstacle, which I maintain throughout the attempt to complete. It is amazing what power the mind can have if you learn to calm your environment.

To me, OCR and Yoga are a no brainer. They complement each other and enhance each other while making you stronger, more focused and more flexible. Increases energy, relieves stress and tones body and core.

Google some of these poses and start practicing: 1. Downward facing dog 2. Low lunge 3. Reclining cow face 4. Reclining pigeon 5. Toes pose 6. Legs up the wall 7. Mountain pose 8. Childs pose 9. Supine hamstring stretch 10. Lizard 11. Plank 12. Side plank 13. Upward dog 14. Chaturanga 15. Crane 16. Extended hand-to-big-toe pose

.............. Namaste WRITTEN BY: ADAM MANGAN OF WWW.KITBRIX.COM

12 Obstacle Race Magazine

Obstacle Race Magazine 13

5 kms, 20 obstacles and the opportunity to race in a truly epic location. What’s not to love about Spartan’s Stadion event. The UK saw its first Stadion take place this Winter and with the hugely positive feedback it’s been receiving, it looks like every racer NEEDS to add this event to the calendar for 2020.

Few start lines can rival this one.

Especially when you add into the mix Spartan amazing start line MC Spartan Phil.

14 Obstacle Race Magazine

I N P I C T U R ES

Getting to explore areas of the stadium that are usually off limits made it a dream come true for any Rugby enthusiast.

A real crossfit style twist is added to the unique obstacles used at the Stadion event.

There was no time for monkeying around on this truly fast and furious paced event. The perfect running surfaces made for some rapid finish times.

Obstacle Race Magazine 15

Although the course was extremely fast paced racers still had to keep their wits about them with one or two technical obstacles thrown in for good measure.

Obstacles like slam balls really broke up racer pace and ensured they didn’t get the chance to get in to a comfortable groove.

16 Obstacle Race Magazine

A dramatic finish line to stand up against the dramatic location its set in.

What an incredible place to earn an amazing medal. The Stadion is one to add to any racers calendar.

Next years event takes place on the 5th of December 2020, and is set within the Twickenham Stadium.

For more information go to:

www.spartanrace.uk WORDS BY: CARL WIBBERLEY PHOTOGRAPHY BY: EPIC ACTION IMAGERY

Obstacle Race Magazine 17

RESPEC T the

WARM UP 18 Obstacle Race Magazine

Training outdoors in cold weather means it’s even more important to ‘Respect the Warm Up’!

Warming up improves performance and decreases the risk of injury.

A decent warm up should be around 5-10 minutes long and should take you progressively from static to make you feel hot and out of breath by the end with an increased Range of Movement. You are preparing your body for the session to come.

The RAMP technique is a good check list to perform, reminding you of all the aspects you need to cover:

R- Raise the heart rate

Gentle, progressive cardio to bring your heart rate up and feel warm. On race day a gentle jog around the perimeter of the main events area is a perfect little boost.

A M- Activate and Mobilise

This is actively using the joints and muscles for the work about to follow, and slowly extending the range of motion. i.e. Walking Lunges - slowly bringing the trailing leg lower to the floor on each lunge, while pushing the hips further forward to utilise all of the joints and muscles you’re about to train.

This gently ‘wakes up’ the larger and supporting muscles, reducing your chances of injury.

P- Potentiate

Potentiation is the last step in a functional warm up, the last step before you begin hard work, so therefore it is important to mimic the type of training you will be doing. Pushing the intensity and firing you up. i.e. If you are doing running, practice some fast starts and exaggerated running form.

Keeping this acronym in mind will help you achieve the best from your workout and stay injury free throughout the race season.

WRITTEN BY: SAMANTHA DOUGHTY of BODYBOOTCAMP

Obstacle Race Magazine 19

KIT BAG -RACE SHOES-

Meet the inov-8 X-TALON G 235.......

First launched in 2008, the X -TALON model range has been the brand’s best-selling of f-road footwear franchise for more than a decade.

Now, with 11 years of worldwide X -TALON success under its belt, inov -8 is bringing evolution to the range with the new graphene -enhanced X -TALON G 235.

200 times stronger than steel, graphene is a Nobel prize winning material that is changing the face of technology.

Collaborating with graphene exper ts at The University of Manchester, inov -8 has been able to infuse it into rubber outsoles, which deliver a pioneering, no-compromise combination of insane stickiness and increased durability.

gs u l 8mm

The inov -8 X -TALON G 235 designed with obstacle racers, trail, fell and mountain runners, as well as orienteers all in mind. It joins the TERRAULTRA G 260, MUDCL AW G 260 and F -LITE G 290 shoes in the brand’s cutting edge premium G-SERIES por tfolio.

Michael Price , C OO of inov -8, who remain the first and only company in the world to use graphene in spor ts shoes, said: “Graphene is ex tracted from graphite rock, which was first mined in the fells and mountains of the English Lake District 450 years ago. inov -8 and the X -TALON were forged in the same fells, albeit much more recently.

“ What we’ve been able to do is bring all this histor y and heritage together, turn rock into rubber, and design the ultimate X -TALON shoe with the world’s toughest grip .

“ With fierce 8mm studs that will retain their length for longer, a protective and lightly cushioned midsole , plus a seamless, one -piece upper that is both flexible and durable , the X -TALON G 235 will give users unparalleled confidence to run fast over all soft ground and ex treme terrain.”

ORM says - We have a pair winging their way to us ready for being put through their paces.

We’ll be sure to give you an in depth repor t on the outcome of the testing in our nex t issue.

T EC H S P E C

inov-8 X-TALON G 235 WEIGHT: 235g DROP: 6mm GRIP: 8mm lugs / Graphene rubber

www.inov-8.com RRP: £140.00

GSeries

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WHAT ARE TRAINING CYCLES? When you look at the year as a whole you want to be able to highlight important races in your calendar. These will be events you’re going to be putting all your time and energy into making sure you’re in peak condition for.

This will then help you to periodise your training calendar to macro, meso and micro cycles.

• Macrocycles are looking at a whole training period and will include muscular and cardiovascular endurance, strength, competition and recovery.

• Mesocycle looks a specific block of training lasting 4-6 weeks and usually has a specific training goal in mind, for example developing your endurance.

• Microcycles focus on a short cycle of training, usually around a week and are very specific in what you’re trying to achieve.

Typically for OCR the winter months are when most competitions and races have finished and it’s time to make the most of the rest period by recovering from any injuries you might have picked up over the season or to have a longer recovery period. Therefore endurance, rest and recovery would make up the majority of your off season mesocycle.

HOW REFLECTION IS A POWERFUL TOOL? When you have completed your last race of the year this is a great time to reflect on what you have achieved and link it back to the goals you set yourself at the beginning of the year.

I always like to reflect on how I’m doing each quarter in the year and make any adjustments that are needed, it’s a good opportunity to check your progress and make sure you’re still on track to achieve your goals.

At the end of the year assess yourself against the goals you set yourself, did you achieve them? If not why not?

These are great questions to ask and sometimes they can be quite hard to do from an objective point of view, but they can help to set up the following year and make sure your performance is stronger than ever.

If you want to analyse your performance over the year further you could do a SWOT chart.

Highlight your: Strengths - What did you do really well at and what felt easy and you were confident at doing.

Weaknesses - What do you need to improve on and what could have gone better.

Opportunities - What external things could you make the most of to get better.

Threats - What external factors do you need to be aware of that might hinder your performance.

Once you’ve gathered all this information you can look forward to the year ahead and start planning for the future.

Obstacle Race Magazine 23

LOOKING AHEAD Once you have looked at what you have achieved you can then start to plan your year ahead and be very focused and driven with what you want to do. When you’re goal setting always use these main principles.

Specific - say exactly what you’re going to do Measurable - be able to evaluate it Achievable - it is possible for you to reach it Relevant - it links to what you want to achieve Time Phased - when do you want to accomplish it by For example you main goal for the year could be to compete at The UK Championships, this would form the main part of your macrocycle. It is specific as it is an event, you can measure it as you’ll know if you raced in it, you could make it more specific by saying you want to place in the Top 10. You’ll know yourself if it is achievable, if you have been racing for a while and taken part in the qualifying events. It’s very relevant if you’re into OCR and want to race and compete, and you have a set time to work for it.

You’ll then want to split your big goal into more manageable chunks, for example if you want to increase your speed you goal may be ‘I want to run a 5k in 25 minutes of under by the end of the month’, your mesocycle for this would then all be focused on speed and running work. Your microcycle (individual/weekly sessions) would look at muscle strength and power.

Another mesocycle goal may be ‘I want to work on my rig technique and not fall off on transitions’ for this you’d be looking at strength, obstacle technique and grip work for the month. It can be a harder one to measure as you want to make sure you’re practising on different rigs so your body doesn’t become too used to the same movements, but you’ll soon find you’re more confident at the transitions and stronger as you hold onto the obstacles.

EXERCISES TO DO IN THE OFF SEASON As it’s back in the endurance phase of training you’re going to want to be doing 12-15 reps and 3 sets of the exercises.

I’ve combined 2 exercises together in this routine as it’ll challenge your whole body through each movement.

HIP BRIDGE AND CHEST PRESS Lay down on your back with your hands at your chest holding the weights. At the same time raise your hips off the floor and your arms straight up in the air. You want to squeeze your glutes to keep your hips level and squeeze your pecs as you push the weights up. Slowly lower your hips and arms at the same time.

LUNGE & ROTATION Hold the weights at your middle, slowly step forwards with one leg and lower down, so your knees are at 90 degrees and your feet are pointing forwards. You need to make sure your torso is upright and you’ll rotate the direction of your forwards leg (e.g if your left leg is forwards, you’ll rotate and turn your chest left.), you’ll then rotate back and step back then repeat on the opposite side. You’ll need to make sure your core is engaged so you keep your balance.

Obstacle Race Magazine 25

DEADLIFT & BENT OVER ROW Have the weight in your hands and bring your shoulders back to keep your back straight, hinge from your hips as you push them back to lower down. Keep your legs straight with a slight bend in your knees as a cushion. At the lowest phase of the movement, bring the weights up to your middle as you squeeze your shoulder blades together to create the row movement. Slowly lower the weights back to your knees and push your hips forwards to stand up straight.

SHOULDER & TOE TAP On the floor get into a high plank position on your hands with arms straight and on your toes. Keep your shoulders, hips and heels in a straight line.

Split the movement into two parts, first by doing the shoulder taps, lifting one hand up and touching your opposite shoulder and returning, do the same with your other arm. Then raise one leg and tuck it underneath you and touch your toe with your opposite hand and do the same with the other leg. Throughout this whole movement you want to keep your body as flat as possible.

WRITTEN BY: Gemma Spackman - Head Coach at Fundamental Sports & Fitness WEBSITE: www.fundamentalsportsandfitness.co.uk

26 Obstacle Race Magazine

A D N E K WEE A T C E F I TR

finishes three to s a h r e c ra a ta Trifec To earn a Spartan or Sprint, n io d ta S e il m 3 a either Spartan distances, e Beast or il m 3 1 e th r e h it e plus one of ecember an 8 mile Super, D t s 1 ry a u n a (J r calendar yea a in a r lt U e il Trifectas m le 30 ip lt u m rn a e n a e world. You c th in re e h w y nt will n e a v , e r e p 31st) , y a d r e p er, only one lap v e w o h r, a e y le g in a sin lishment.� p m o c c a is th rd a count tow

“

28 Obstacle Race Magazine

The Spartan Trifecta in Windsor was my final and very late in the season opportunity to qualify for the OCR World Championships in October and I went into it as a Spartan Beast virgin and with only two previous Spartan Supers and one previous Sprint to my name. The pressure on me was immense and I knew I would be pushing myself to the limit against athletes at the pinnacle of their sport.

At check-in I was handed a package including my headband, wristbands and timing chip which was emblazoned with the warning “There is a real possibility that you may die or be catastrophically injured”. Spartan events are not sold as a teambuilding exercise or a way to make friends and as you would expect from a world championship qualifier the expectations were high in their competitive format. I knew that by signing up for a Trifecta weekend I was in for a gruelling physical challenge competing against some of the best racers in my age category.

To kick things off we began with the Spartan Beast, a 22km loop with no repeated obstacles. Over this sort of distance pre-race nutrition is really important so I fuelled myself accordingly with a last-minute caffeine shot before clearing the wall into the start pen. The Spartan race director Karl Allsop gave us a run-down of the rules and regulations of the course and reminded the racers how to execute acceptable penalty burpees before handing over to the Spartan warrior who prepares each wave with some inspirational words about the battlefields, the shouts and cries of Aroo and “I am a Spartan” resound in the start pen and we’re sent on our way.

My 35-39 year age group category started really strong leading us at a very strong pace into the four foot hurdles that would be the first of 33 obstacles on our route.

Very early into the Beast route the terrain became boggy and technically challenging with copious tree roots, deep holes and muddy sections which required a huge amount of effort to maintain concentration and speed. There were some relatively long stretches of running in the forest with no chance to switch off and enjoy the view; the terrain markers had chosen was unforgiving. The combination of the terrain and the technically demanding running sections and the challenge of the obstacles made this a relentless and very physical race.

One of the elements that makes Spartan so challenging is the difficulty of the carry obstacles which are there in abundance on the Beast course.

Everybody around me on the course had exceptional upper body strength but the carry obstacles demand so much more than strength and maintaining grip, technique, balance and speed over the required distances for those obstacles really separated out the pack.

Whilst it is a competitive race other racers do still find it in themselves to offer encouragement and praise for other racers who have tackled their obstacles well.

The terrain of the Windsor course added an additional element of difficulty to the obstacles themselves. The barbed wire crawl was relentless, not only because of the usual gradient but also because of the uneven forest floor underneath you which was littered with felled trees and branches.

There were no true water obstacles at Spartan but what it lacks in water obstacles it makes up for in pure challenges for the upper body. There are no ‘filler’ obstacles here and each one contains its own unique challenge and demands discipline and technique. There were a number of monkey bar and grip strength variations which proved to be a real test of endurance for the trapezius muscles and deltoids. There are also the signature Spartan obstacles that you get nowhere else like the Spear Throw, Twister and Hercules Hoist.

“Whilst it is a competitiv e race other still find it in racers do themselves t o offer encour and praise f agement or other rac ers who hav e tackled their obstac les well.�

Obstacle Race Magazine 31

These might all be straightforward on their own but after a punishing Beast lap they are a true test of physical strength and determination.

After 20km of the unforgiving terrain, I headed into the Spectator Arena I was really feeling the exertion I had endured in my legs with cramp starting to set in. It was encouraging to receive some supporter encouragement for the final few obstacles, even if the exhaustion did result in some careless penalty burpees towards the end.

Some great spectator and volunteer support carried me over the fire pit and over the finish line. The atmosphere at this event all comes from the event village; there’s no spectator route as such and there are huge stretches of the races where you only have marshals and volunteers for support as well as fellow racers. This made the final stretch of each race even more special.

ally “ I had to re nd the fi o t p e e d g di ring the b o t h t g n e str ded e e n s a w t a speed th I felt d n a e c a r s into thi races o w t s u o i v the pre gle in every sin cle. � a t s b o y d o upper b The Beast has distance, pace, technically demanding obstacles and some of the most challenging carry obstacles on the circuit, paired with some very technical upper body obstacles. It requires decisiveness about technique and 100% commitment to obstacle completion otherwise the penalty burpees will kick in and physically drain you. It would have been a big achievement to complete this race on its own but the joy of a Trifecta weekend is that you know at the conclusion of this colossal effort that there are two more races to face.

The next day I was recharged, rested and felt ready to face the Super.

The course shared the same starting obstacles as the Beast, with a large central 8km stretch containing only 6 obstacles, and a final 4km including a massive 16 obstacles.

The same discipline was required, but the challenge was so much greater because of the way your legs are fatigued from the day before. The marshals and volunteers are firm but fair and committed to ensuring that everyone faces the same penalties and ends up with a fair time, making it a hard and intense shift for them compared to other races they may volunteer at. This was probably one of the most enjoyable races of the weekend and an opportunity to perfect any shortcomings in technique from the previous day. Medium distance, fasted paced and a great selection of obstacles over tough terrain. What more could you wish for ?

“ A Spartan Trifecta is not to be entered half-heartedly, especia lly not if you plan to co mplete over a single weekend ” The final race of the Trifecta was the Sprint. I had to really dig deep to find the strength to bring the speed that was needed into this race and I felt the previous two races in every single upper body obstacle. Although the Sprint is only 5 Km’s with around 20 obstacles scattered across the course, its 40 minute average completion time tell you all you need to know in terms of its intensity. The unique challenge of a trifecta weekend is that when facing some of these obstacles for the third time you have to really summon up all of your mental and physical strength to bring the technique needed to complete the obstacles as well as the stamina to push your body after the ordeal it has faced over the previous couple of days.

I was fortunate to achieve OCRWC qualification from my Windsor Trifecta and this was hard earned. A Spartan Trifecta is not to be entered half-heartedly, especially not if you plan to complete over a single weekend, but there are very few races offering such a fantastic range of tough, technical and enjoyable obstacles combined with some truly technical running and combining three of these races in one weekend really tests out your training and determination. The armful of five weighty medals you take away to recognise your efforts is truly deserved.

WRITTEN BY :

MATTHEW RIGBY

PERSONAL TRAINER AT DW SPORTS FITNESS

PHOTOGRAPHY: EPIC ACTION IMAGERY

Obstacle Race Magazine 33

RECIPES CHICKEN & CHORIZO RAGU A Perfect mid week dinner for all the family. Especially on the colder days and nights.

PREP: 15 MINUTES COOK: 40 MINS YIELD: 4 SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS • • • • • •

120g cooking chorizo, chopped.

1 red onion, chopped.

2 garlic cloves, grated.

1 tsp hot smoked paprika.

80g sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped.

600g skinless and boneless chicken thighs.

• • • • • •

400g can chopped tomatoes.

70g Olives.

150g New Potatoes.

100ml chicken stock.

1 lemon, juiced.

Chopped parsley and sour cream, to serve (optional).

383kcal 44g 16g 15g

Calories Protein Carbs Fat

METHOD 1. Boil new potatoes for 12 minutes until tender. Heat Fry the chorizo over a medium heat in a large saucepan or flameproof casserole dish for 5 mins or until it releases its oil and starts to char at the edges. Add the onion and fry for 5 mins more or until soft. Tip in the garlic and cook for 2 mins before stirring in the paprika and sundried tomatoes. Add the chicken thighs and fry for 2 mins each side until they are well coated in the spices and beginning to brown.

2. Pour in the chopped tomatoes, olives and stock, and turn the heat down. Cover and cook for 40 mins until the chicken is falling apart and the sauce is thick. Stir the lemon juice and new potatoes through. Serve by piling spoonfuls of the ragu into a bowl with parsley sprinkled over and a dollop of sour cream to finish it off.

RECIPES DRUNKEN NOODLES WITH CHICKEN Toss the takeout menus and whip up an easy 30-minute recipe for restaurant-worthy Drunken Noodles with Chicken.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE SAUCE: 3 Tablespoons oyster sauce 3 Tablespoons soy sauce 2 Tablespoons fish sauce 3 Tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon white pepper 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1 Tablespoon cornstarch

METHOD

FOR THE STIR-FRY: 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil 1 pound chicken breasts, thinly sliced 2 chilies, thinly sliced (optional) 1/2 cup thinly sliced onions 2 cups broccoli florets 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 12 oz. fresh rice noodles (See Note) 4 spring onions, chopped 1 cup loosely packed Thai basil

PREP: 20 MINUTES COOK: 10 MINS YIELD: 4 SERVINGS

416kcal 41g 13g 21g

Calories Protein Carbs Fat

NOTE: Fresh wide rice noodles can be purchased at Asian specialty markets.

If you cannot find them, you can substitute any other variety of noodle, such as tagliatelle or linguine for a less authentic but equally as delicious noodle dish.

MAKE THE SAUCE: In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the sauce and set it aside.

MAKE THE STIR-FRY: Add the vegetable oil to a large sautĂŠ pan or wok set over high heat. Once the oil is smoking, add the sliced chicken and cook it until it is browned and cooked through.

Push the chicken to one side of the pan, then add the chilies (optional), broccoli, bell pepper and onion. Stir-fry the ingredients together until the onion is translucent and the broccoli is fork-tender.

Push all the ingredients to one side of the pan and add the beaten eggs. Lightly scramble, stirring, until they are cooked through, then push all of the ingredients to one side of the pan and add the noodles.

Cook the noodles, stirring constantly, until they are slightly browned on the edges then add the sauce and basil and stir together until sauce heats through and thickens slightly. Garnish with spring onions and serve immediately.

Obstacle Race Magazine 35

MUDTREST WALL

36 Obstacle Race Magazine

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Obstacle Race Magazine 37

THE

F O UNDAT IO N S OF A

FEDER ATION ORM Says: If you don’t know your association from federation or your

governing body from Olympic community then this could be just the piece for you. After the newly formed UK Obstacle Sports Federation reached out to us hoping to let people know about the opportunity to take part in their new coach development program. We said why don’t we go the whole hog and let people know exactly what the federations plans are for the future of the Sport as they see it in the UK. So they graciously they put together this expansive piece to help guide you through the minefield of acronyms and labels.

The UK Obstacle Sports Federation (UKOSF) is the National Governing Body (NGB) for the sport of Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) in the UK. The definition of ‘sport’ is contained in the Council of Europe’s 1992 European Sports Charter (as revised in 2001): “Sport means all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim at expressing or improving physical fitness and mental wellbeing, forming social relationships or obtaining results in competition at all levels.”

As with UKOSF, many NGBs originate as a voluntary coming together of athletes with a common purpose to encourage and enable people to enjoy and progress in their chosen sport…

In a nutshell it’s “Governance of the athletes, by the athletes, for the athletes.”

• • • • • • •

Providing the only pathway to the top level of international sport, including official International championships and multisport games.

Giving a voice and vote to the athletes.

Providing a platform for athletes to influence and shape their sport.

Providing regulations that ensure safety and fairness in competition (safety standards, anti-doping, officials, referees, judges, ...)

To help make the sport more accessible (development) and cheaper (safer, lower liability and insurance costs).

Membership of the international federation and continental associations.

Providing the ability for athletes to represent their sport all levels as democratic, federative, and not-for-profits.

In order to be a recognised NGB, UKOSF will have to show required levels of organisation and governance via a recognition process that is designed to enable the UK Sports Councils to assess whether UKOSF is performing the expected role of an NGB. There are 2 steps in the recognition process where the following are assessed:

Step 1 – pre-application • • • • • •

A definition of the range of OCR sporting activities covered by UKOSF. Organisational history where UKOSF have been in operation for a minimum of two years as evidenced by certified or appropriately signed off accounts for the last two financial years and the minutes of the last two years’ Annual General Meetings.

Constitutional structure showing the UKOSF memorandum and articles of association and having robust management and governance procedures with a full list of Board members.

Affiliation to the European Obstacle Sports Federation (EOSF), and World OCR, the Fédération Internationale de Sports d’Obstacles (FISO).

UKOSF must demonstrate it is the leading body for OCR, that it has influence throughout the sport, and that it is working in co-operation with other organisations within OCR. Membership Numbers where the minimum requirement is 1650 in the UK.

Step 2 – full application • • • •

•

UKOSF governance standards with evidence statements on anti-doping, safeguarding, equality, complaints and conflicts of interest. Measures to minimise and control risk to participants and has in place appropriate policies to manage the risk.

OCR must be unique and not be a variation of an existing recognised sporting activity.

The UKOSF strategy for the development of its organisation and has structures in place to maintain its effectiveness as an NGB for OCR. UKOSF’s sport development plan with focus on the sport of OCR, its development and levels of participation, serving the whole sport, not just its membership base, and creating links with informal participants. The plan includes development pathways for participants, coaches, officials and volunteers.

Controls for OCR competition structure that enable participants to compete at local, national and international levels.

UKOSF have been around since summer 2019 and now have a number of plans for 2020 and 2021 designed to meet the NGB recognition via a number of commissions and committees.

Development & Technical Commission • •

Commission Chair: Shaun Wilde and Chair of the FISO Development Committee Vice Chair: Dave Peters leading on junior development

The World OCR Coach Development Programme is aimed at increasing participation and guiding athletes of all abilities to fulfil their potential. In addition to their core coaching role, it is this workforce that influences an individual’s personal development by educating them on ethics, beliefs, fair play, and values, through quality coach-athlete partnerships from grassroots participation to elite performance. As a coach gains experience and additional training there is a skill development pathway through 3 levels: • •

•

World OCR Level 1 Obstacle Sports Coach aimed at people who coach recreational and club athletes. UKOSF are running pilot courses in the UK in January and February 2020.

World OCR Level 2 Obstacle Sports Development Coach aimed at people who coach competitive and age group athletes. UKOSF are running a pilot course in the UK in June/July 2020.

World OCR Level 3 Obstacle Sports Specialist Coach aimed at people who coach elite and professional athletes. UKOSF are planning to run this in 2021 along with a para athlete coaching module that can be operated at all 3-levels of the programme.

Obstacle Race Magazine 39

The World OCR Officials Development Programme is aimed at training officials to ensure fair and safe competition for athletes. The training and certification processes promote a serious and professional approach to officiating and will demonstrate an officials commitment to excellence. As an official gains experience and additional training there is a skill development pathway through 4 levels: • CAT1: Officiating at world-level events and international events.

• CAT2: Officiating at continental-level (e.g. European) events.

• CAT3: Officiating at national events.

• CAT4: Officiating at local and regional events under supervision and then after assisting in a minimum of 2 events within 12 months and undertake CAT3 training and assessment, they then progress to become a UKOSF CAT3 Official. The CAT3/4 programme will be rolled throughout 2020 in readiness for future UK championships and races.

Anyone interested in accessing the coach and/or officials development programmes contact: shaun.wilde@ukosf.org

OCR Junior Development Programme (JDP) Whilst OCR as a recognised sport progresses, the foundations for a sustainable progression pathway have to be created, part of this is encouraging participation by juniors and bringing them into the sport.

To do this UKOSF need to create systems and processes which ensure that coaching practices, training facilities and races are safe and created at the correct level for entry level through to elite juniors.

Work is currently being completed around systems and processes for teams to work towards, including safeguarding, behavioural standards and coaching standards for juniors. Many of these systems will be available as templates for junior teams to download in due course.

The JDP in the UK is not a UKOSF product, however it is being used as a benchmark for best practice, is setting the standard for coaching and developing juniors within OCR. The JDP was born out of a recognised need to provide a structured and specific development platform for juniors within OCR by Emma Waring, Dave Peters, Robin French & Jane Grant. It has been in operation for 12-months and so far there have been successes and podiums at the OCR European Championships, as well as qualifications for Spartan Kids WC, Spartan European Championships, Spartan World Championships and OCR World Championships. In addition to this, there have been a number of new juniors who have also grown in ability and enthusiasm with some also qualifying for championship events too. Above all, friendships have been formed and support networks created at the same time as receiving safe and effective Junior coaching which is appropriate to each of their abilities and their developmental stage.

In addition to the work already being done externally of UKOSF there are many plans in progress for the juniors within the sport. In January the Junior League will be launched, there will be wildcards announced for the European OCR Championships, this will ensure that capable juniors who have not had the opportunity to race one of the very few junior qualifier events, will kit be overlooked.

UKOSF are working hard to encourage participation of juniors as well as having systems in place to recognise and develop the future stars of the sport.

40 Obstacle Race Magazine

UKOSF 2020/21 membership costs will be published soon on the UKOSF website and we also plan to introduce a family discount. In order that we can accelerate the membership numbers towards our NGB recognition target, we are offering 2020 membership for free for athletes and clubs that pay up-front for 2021.

• • • •

Senior athlete membership and is a requirement in 2020 to participate as an athlete in the FISO OCR World Championships.

Junior athlete membership Club membership Coach and Officials membership and included in the 2020 development programmes.

Competition & Safety Commission • • •

Commission Chair: James Burton Athlete Committee Chair: Becky Rendell Safety Committee Chair: Please contact james.burton@ukosf.org if you would be interested in applying.

FISO OCR World Championships As a member of the Fédération Internationale de Sports d’Obstacles (FISO, World OCR) UKOSF will be responsible for selecting the team to represent the UK at the FISO OCR World Championships (September 17-20 2020).

The event will be at the site of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, in Sochi Russia, located in the beautiful Caucus Mountains by the Black Sea. Event formats include 100 m Sprint OCR (10 obstacles), 3 km OCR (20+ obstacle) and standard distance 12+ km OCR (40+ obstacles) cross country obstacle course race. There will also be a National Team Race. Qualification to the elite or age group competitions must be gained through the UKOSF. A UKOSF Athlete Selection Panel will select all athletes for the 2020 FISO OCR World Championships. Those wishing to be considered for selection should complete the Athlete Application Form.

Please visit www.ukosf.org/fiso-ocr-world-championships for more information.

National UK Championships There will be no UK National Championship in 2020. The aim is to secure a location for the start of the OCR season in 2021. If you are a Race Director interested in hosting the Championships, please contact shaun.wilde@ukosf.org

National League There will be no Senior UKOSF OCR League in 2020. We encourage you all to take part in the Mudstacle UK OCR League that has been running since 2014. UKOSF will run a Junior OCR League organised by the Youth Commission chaired by Emma Waring.

For updates on progress, please follow the Facebook page, or for general enquiries, please email Venessa.moffat@ukosf.org

Obstacle Race Magazine 41

KIT BAG -IMMUNITY BOOSTS-

SU N CH L O R E L L A There’s often a fine line between training hard to achieve your best results and going a little too hard and compromising your immune system and getting ill. Immunostimulating properties of compounds found in chlorella such as specific polysaccharides and glycoproteins or protein/ polysaccharides complexes can help with this.

Chlorella is a kind of green algae, which grows in fresh water and can be harvested and dried to create a food supplement. Studies on the algae have shown it could have powerful and positive effects on exercise performance, including improving the efficiency of the body’s energy production and lactate removal systems, improving VO2max and reducing the impact of intense exercise on the immune system.

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BIO - S YN ERG Y S U PER 7 S U PER ARM O U R The Keeping your body in peak condition, especially when training hard, is crucial to making the gains you want, but leading a hectic lifestyle can sometimes get in the way. Super Armour delivers a power formula of essential vitamins and minerals including vitamin A and a range of B-vitamins as well as vitamins C, D, E and many others. When used alongside a healthy diet and regular training regime, Super Armour can keep your immune system in top form and helps you stay in shape by missing fewer training days due to illness. You’re also likely to feel more energised and ready to smash each workout.

Available from: 42 Obstacle Race Magazine

W W W.BIO-SYNERGY.UK

B O O ST YOUR IMMUNIT Y If y ou are o n e of th e th ous a n ds of p e o pl e w h o are b attl i n g a del u g e o f g erm s & nast i e s tha t a re tr ying th eir b e s t to b eat th ei r way th ro u g h o u r defen c e s A KA i mmu n e system, th en this is th e p erfe c t arti c l e fo r y o u .

Si mpl e chang e s to your d iet a n d a fe w tw eaks to y o u r su ppl em ents an d y ou can rea lly turn your im m un e s y s tem i nto y o u r v er y o w n s p e c ial fo rc e s t rai n e d to d ea l with v ir us e s , b a c teria an d p aras i te s .

O ur i mmun e system is a n a maz in g ly c l e v er s et u p; fi rs t i t determ i n e s th e pre s e n c e of a foreig n sub sta n c e tr y i n g to make i ts way aro u n d y o u r b o dy , an d t h e n u sing its e v er- rea dy w h i te bl o o d c el l s to tu rf i t o u t. That, o f c our s e, i s a simp le expla na tion o f w hat i s an ex hau s ti v ely c o m pl ex pro c e s s .

S o e xhausting in fa ct, tha t it w ou l dn ’ t h u rt to g i v e y o u r i m m u n e s y s tem a h e l pi n g han d.

B o o st i n g your im m unity is a pro c e s s , n o t a s p e e d s en s ati o n . It take s c on s c i ous effort with pre c is e a ttenti o n p ai d to fo o d, exerc i s e an d re s t to make a las ting o v era ll imp re ssio n .

FO OD It ’s almost imp ossible to g et r id of the notion that ‘you are what you eat ’. Dietitians re commend a diet that is r ich in nutr ient-dens e fo o ds such as ve g etables, fr uits, healthy proteins, complex carb ohydrates and g o o d fats. Avoid sugars and fats which tend to suppress the immune system and ke ep alcohol, which has a tendenc y to inhibit the w ork of white blo o d cells, to a m inimum.

PR O BI O T I C S The gastrointestinal tract is probably the most imp or tant defence me chanism in the fight against sickness and dis eas e. Its contains s ome 60 p ercent of the cells of your immune system and is in charg e w ith the imp or tant task of abs orbing the nutr ients you ne e d while ke eping out damaging mole cules.

Probiotics, which are g o o d bacter ias, live in your gut and assist the immune system in cor re cting deficiencies and increasing the numb er of cer tain fighter cells. Yo gur t and s ome che es es are a great way to b o ost your probiotic intake.

E X E R CI S E Consistent, mo derate exercis e helps to b o ost immunit y by encouraging the efficient transp or tation of thes e valuable white blo o d cells around the b o dy.

SL E E P Most of us push past our bar r ier of sle ep in order to take care of our busy days.

How e ver, sle ep is ess ential for the b o dy to re coup, repair its elf and gather strength.

Inade quate sle ep is ass o ciate d w ith a re duction in the numb er of cells that fight dis eas e and a low er immunit y system function.

ST R E S S Chronic stress has a detr imental impact on the immune system’s abilit y to deal w ith sickness and dis eas e. L ong p er io ds of extreme stress can e ven low er your white blo o d cell count, make your T-cells sluggish and force your immune system into slow er resp ons e times. Find ways to de-stress by including exercis e, yo ga or e ven just a relax ing bath in your day.

A

M

S R A E B L A ENT C I N C PI

In the beginning I wasn’t always a bear….

I

started out as a normal fundraiser, run of the mill runner for charity. I ran because my world was turned upside down at 17 when I had a life changing experience and this was my driving force to raise money for charities. For the last 10 years I’ve been doing what I can to help make a difference to smaller local Charities, after all it was one such little charity that helped me when I needed them, so I guess its my way of paying it forward.

In 2017 after I came across a small local Coventry based charity called Zoë’s Place at an obstacle race called Mudnificent 7. It was that day that I choose them to be the charity I wanted to help in the year ahead. They were perfectly suited and well deserving of my efforts. Local and small scale, I knew every penny I raised would be put to good use.

In 2016 I managed 87 races and 1750 miles in fancy dress. It was a year full of laughs. How would I top that ? Then someone suggested that I ran dressed as a bear, the mascot for my selected charity Zoë’s Place. So Mentalbear the mud loving bear was born.

The Start.......

After countless hours of scouring the internet I finally found the costume I was going to run all my miles and take on all my challenges in. A bargain at £15 each, I placed my order for 10 and I was ready and raring for my Spartan challenge of completing 10 trifectas.

Like with anything in life nothing worth doing is ever smooth sailing. It wasn’t long before my first preparation mistake reared its ugly sweaty head. I failed to check exactly what my costume was made of when I was ordering. I’d only gone and ordered a furry suit, so in this suit I started my journey, the Spartan venue of St Clair in a heat wave covered head to toe in a furry bear suit. It was tough going but on that day many friendships began and the laughter never stopped. The bear suit was gaining the attention I had hoped. One thing I learnt while on this journey is we’re not just a community in OCR we’re a family.

So The Spartan Challenge had begun, here’s the list and fast review of each one of the events that led to my Trifecta challenge completion: • • • • • • • • • • • •

St Clair, UK(Sprint): Hilly run, RED hot.

Aston Down, UK(Sprint/Super): Brutal Valley of death.

Barcelona, Spain(Sprint/Super/Beast: 40+ degrees and so hilly.

Paris, France(Sprint/Super): The race with a lake, fast course and really wet.

Morzine, France(Sprint/Super/Beast): The Spartan of nightmares, so tough.

Edinburgh, UK(Sprint/Super/Beast): The perfect race. Fantastic weekend.

Poland(Sprint/Super/Beast): The party weekend Marston Lodge, UK: My home town race, its a real magical place.

Mudnificent 7: You have to have fun after all.

Trol, Austria(Sprint/Super/Beast): The best weekend of a trifecta. Helicopter wow.

Czech Republic: hell hell hell but collected trifecta number 6 Windsor, UK: A royal muddy mess and trifecta number 7. This was the end for Mental Bear. I’d pushed my body a little too far and had to have a hernia operation.

So I get asked all the time by runners how did I get on in the bear suit on the same courses that people in perfect running gear struggled on. Well my average beast time was about 7 hours, and with my hernia and bear suit you can imagine those were very long hours. Oh and yes I did have to stop in many places for the bear to go in the woods.

Furry mammal kit list: -One bear suit 20+kg when wet and muddy -An average of 3 bags of ice the ones you pop to cool down -Food, mainly lots or jerky and fruit for fuel -Water, lots and lots of water -Baby wipes -Shoes, shorts and T-shirt to help with chafe and other damage the water and mud tried to do to me in the suit.

My top 3 stand out moments: 3- The beams in Poland. Look up the videos of them, cracking obstacle 2- The mud at Windsor, its was amazing 1- River at Morzine, a truly unique experience and a place we are very fortune to have ran.

It isn’t over until its over Although I had to rest the Mental Bear while I had the hernia op and a little family time, I never really stopped planning my next outing. Once I could, I started to train again and had the plan to bring the bear back in 2019.

The 365 miles challenge After a meeting with the amazing team at Scotty’s Little Soldiers I chose them as the charity who I would work hard for in 2019. The plan of action was to run 365 miles in January as the now affectionally known Mental Bear. I was glad to be back. It was so hard but once again the family of OCR got behind me and started donating. Each and every donation was a little extra fuel to my fire as I headed towards my 365 target. Then as the end of January came and went I sort of did a Forest Gump and just kept on running. The new dream goal was 2019 miles in 2019.

Over the 3 years I’ve been running these crazy challenges I’ve gone through 24 pairs of trainers spread across racing and training. In an effort to soften the financial blow of all these shoes I tried to push every pair to its limit, but this was a mistake because I picked up a foot injury due to the shoes literally falling apart on my feet. I sign up for The Nuts Challenge and my goal was to do as many laps as I could, but with only two laps under my belt, a foot that was failing me and no running mojo I was done. Next up was the Coventry Half, this one was real fun as I ran it with my OCR family, the mojo was starting to come back a little. Then followed lots of bear runs, good old fashioned training runs where I’d just run and run to clock up the miles. Lots of long hard and hot miles ranging from 12 right through to 50 miles followed over the next few months. I was flying thinking nothing was going to stop me now when my foot injury reared its ugly head during one of my favourite races as the bear, The Elements. It’s a fantastic event and really does have it all.

After a little R&R it was time for the Spartan season to start up again. In the process of clocking up more muddy miles I killed yet another pair of trainers and hurt my foot in the process. The goal of 2019 miles was getting further from my grasp with each set back my foot was causing. As I put the bear head down and put on my sensible head I knew it was time to give my body a rest. Long term I was able to do so much more for charities if I wasn’t broken. I may not have hit my 2019 mile target but I had been on an epic journey and with the help of all my generous donators we’d done so much good for worthy causes. All that remained of the mentalbear were 5 heads, because for some reason these survived really well, but the bottom halves were another matter with them all suffering much the same fate as my race shoes.

So the challenge had come to an end but the friendship and lessons I had learnt as mentalbear will last a life time, I thank you for all the support and I’ll see you as myself in the mud sometime soon. Matthew Balding AKA Mental Bear.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: EPIC ACTION IMAGERY

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R A E L NUC R ACES

U O Y K N A H T

NUCLEAR RACES THE MOST AWARDED OCR IN UK

Winners of 20 Mudstacle Awards since 2014 & BEST OCR 6 times THANK YOU NUCLEAR FAMILY FOR VOTING & SUPPORTING US

We are an incredibly proud team at HQ. We’re grateful to everyone who regularly helps make the Nuclear awesomness happen but especially this amazing lot: Rob Jelly MC, warm-up Kate S2Fitness, Sophie & SV Therapy, Matt & Njuko chip timing, marquee Peter & Chris, Christie’s embroidery, Bob’s carpark team, medic & watersafety team, Paul the engraver, Jo & Tony Tog team, portaloo Paul, David at Runactive, My sports &more, Julie at PBD, Lou & Lee sound team, Matt & Chris, H&S team, Jess & his mule, teamleader squad, Wildforest, Nuclear & Phoenix teams, Snap charity, Holly & Kev race control, Ned, Barney, Al, Colin, Dennis, Kev, Michelle marshal ops. If we’ve missed you please don’t be offended ;-)

2019’S BEEN FULL OF 1sts

020/

We introduced our new Nuclear3 Team event We built 7 slides for Rush racers We added ziplines/slip n slide & Rookie Rigs for kids We introduced a 150m obstacle sprint at the Summer party We opened our first superhero wave at Nuclear Blast We included a photo recognition service We had our first Nuclear League winners We opened a Little Deathslide at the lake-zone We made our Dryrobes blue Nuclear Highropes joined the Family AND We hosted the OCR World Championships for the second & last time!

www. nucle

ent/r

ar-rac

es.co. uk/ev

Rush has got bigger & better!

Staying over just got real Glamping opening soon!

Introducing our first full on FREE evening party at Nuclear Rush Weekend 2020. Keep following for exciting updates #trustnuclear

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RAC 54 Obstacle Race Magazine

E

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NE S LOP E

One of the world’s most daredevil sporting events saw runners race down The Hahnenkamm, know as the worlds most notorious ski slopes.

Brave runners from all across Europe plunged down this near-vertical ski slope on the legendary Streif – a slope on the Hahnenkamm mountain in Kitzbuhel (Austria) that has a gradient of 80% and is regarded as the toughest on the world cup ski circuit.

The second staging of the annual race was held amid an alpine rainstorm, making the already insanely challenging course extremely muddy. Most runners used special graphene-enhanced shoes provided for free by race sponsors inov-8 to get tougher grip in the slippery conditions.

Photograph By: Michale Werlberger

56 Obstacle Race Magazine

The men’s winner was Markus Wiltschnigg who, despite suffering a shoulder injury, proved to be the master of the downhill mud. The 27-year-old trail runner from Styria (Austria) claimed the €300 cash prize and said: “I ran as fast as I could and took chances. I have no regrets at all. What a race!”

Entrants of all abilities started at one-minute intervals from the iconic ski house on the mountain summit. They then weaved their way down the hill, on a 350m course marked by ski flags.

Each runner completed it twice, with their times added together for the overall results.

Markus flew down in 58.54secs and then 56.87secs for a combined winning time of 1min 55.32secs. Fastest woman down the treacherous slope was Carina Polzer, who made it look easy with times of 1min 22.40secs and 1min 21.24secs. Her combined time of 2mins 43.64secs put her ninth overall.

Photograph By: Michale

The 23-year-old Austrian international orienteer, who is studying medicine in Innsbruck, also won €300. She said: “It was my first downhill-only race. I was nervous, but once I jumped out of the start-house I found my legs and shoes capable of handling the demanding course. I was able to switch off my head and just follow my feet down the hill. I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to do it all again!”

Werlberger

The race was organised by Georg Uberall, an outdoor sports retailer from Kitzbuhel, who said: “The conditions were certainly special, so I was all the more pleased that so many came to race and that everything went well.”

Lee Procter, Communications & Ambassadors Manager for inov-8, added: “Everyone got to grips with the muddy course and demonstrated both skill and bravery to tame the world’s toughest ski slope. We loved seeing everyone play dirty in the mud, share in the camaraderie of the day and, in some cases, overcome fears. We look forward to returning to Kitzbuhel in 2020.”

Photograph B

y: Michale Wer lberger

Results (top-3). Men: 1. Markus Wiltschnigg (1:55:32), 2. Daniel Hauser (2:12:33), 3. Moritz Mayer (2:18:06). Women: 1. Carina Polzer (2:43:64), 2. Lisa Kroll (2:57:00), 3. Lena Sulzenbacher (3:48:40).

The inov-8 Descent Ra ce was first staged in 2 018.

More details : https ://d escent.inov-8.com Photograph By: Michale Werlberger

DESTINATION

RACING

INferno RUN 58 Obstacle Race Magazine

In the upcoming issues we’ll be sharing with you suggestions of events that have Caught Our Eye but are maybe a Little a little further afield than the usual UK based races we share. These are perfect for the more adventurous travellers among our Readers. We have a whole host of races that are just a short plane, train or car journey away. Our hope is that you may see something that you want to get your teeth into to keep that OCR spark alive......

As obstacle racers there’s nothing we love more than a challenge, and the undisputed challenge that’s fiercer than any other is……of course the elements and mother nature herself.

The Inferno gives you the opportunity to face three such challenges. Snow, Water & of course Mud. These three race themes are spread across three events which give you the opportunity to complete the Inferno series and earn the mefistofelica medal. All that stands between you and this unique challenge is a little trip over to Italy. Italy is a huge growth area in Obstacle course racing with 50,000+ racers taking part in events throughout 2019. Beautiful landscapes and culture are a huge bonus of making the trip out to this amazing country.

Saturday 18th of January 2020 the doors of Italy’s most adrenaline-filled and entertaining event Inferno re-open. This event is designed to set itself apart from other ‘runs’ by being a true challenge. You’ll face your limits with a smile, rediscovering your determination and energy.

To overcome the challenging natural and man-made obstacles present on the Inferno course you’ll need strength, speed, agility and lashings of resistance. But the secret to reaching the finish line will be above all the mutual support that the open participants will be able to give and receive along the way in. Climbing walls, climbing ropes, crossing traverse ropes or suspended structures, hanging from pegs and rings, just scratch the surface of what you’ll face.

Tickets for 2020 Inferno Run events start at €45 Read more about the Inferno event series beginning on the 18th of January 2020 at: PRATO NEVOS O, CUNEO, ITALY 60 Obstacle Race Magazine

www.infernorun.it/en

INFERNO SNOW

The Series will start Saturday the 18th of January with Inferno Snow from the snow-capped Maritime Alps of Piemonte, more precisely from the charming ski resort Prato Nevoso in the province of Cuneo. At 1500m above sea level the brave will have to face running 7 km with 200m of elevation and 20 obstacles. Right from the start line you’ll face an uphill struggle.

Waiting racers will be walls of snow and a ramps of ice to climb, but also stretches of white mantle in which to crawl, weights to carry or drag. This one’s going to be a chilly one.

INFERNO WATER

Saturday the 9th of May, the Milan Idroscalo will be the scenario that will host Inferno Water. In the 8 km ring that will cross the temple of outdoor sports, 25 obstacles will separate the racers from the finish line. Racers will have to tackle swimming stretches and also a breathtaking dive from a bridge. Prepare to get a little damp during this one.

INFERNO MUD

Saturday the 3rd and Sunday the 4th of October the grand finale of the season will be celebrated in Figline Valdarno, in the province of Firenze, with Inferno Mud. Among the vineyards and the Chianti hills, the Norcenni Girasole Village will host the traditional 12 km muddy edition with over 30 obstacles. On Sunday the 4th of October racers can take on the Short Course of 5 km and 20 obstacles. Prepare to get caped in mud.

OCR DIRECTORY OUTDOOR TRAINING CENTRES CLIFF LAKES OCR

Tamworth, Midlands, B78 2DL 07725 544667 www.clifflakes.org Facebook: @ClifflakesOCR

FORTITUDE FITNESS CENTRE Cambridge, CB23 7NX 07876635134 www.fortitudefitnesscentre.co.uk Facebook: @fortitude-fitness-centre

FIT 4 OCR OCR Hertfordshire 07720882611 www.fit4ocr.com Facebook: @fit4ocr

OCR Play Park

Redhill, Surrey, RH15QL 07802 754624 www.obstacleplaypark.com Facebook: @ocrplaypark

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BOOTCAMP STYLE TRAINING BE MILITARY FIT

Outdoor Sessions In 140 Parks nationwide www.bemilitaryfit.com Facebook: @bemilitaryfit

MK FITNESS

Larbert, falkirk 07783157685 www.mkfitness.org.uk Facebook: @M.K.FITNESS

IMMORTAL FITNESS

Marlow / Hambleded / Henley 07792881255 www.immortalfitness.co.uk Facebook: @immortalfit

INDOOR TRAINING CENTRES

OCR KIT RETAILERS

RUMBLE FITNESS OBSTACLE TRAINING CENTRE

MY SPORTS AND MORE

Milton Keynes, MK19 07769351968 www.rumblefitness.co.uk Facebook: @RumbleFitnessandSportsTherapyCentre

FUNDAMENTAL SPORTS AND FITNESS Nottingham, NG2 7LE 07756637129 www.fundamentalsportsandfitness.co.uk Facebook: @fundamentalsportsandfitness

www.mysportsandmore.com 07805387782 mysportsandmore@gmail.com Facebook: @Mysportsandmore

TOTAL SPORTS AND SUPPLEMENTS

www.totalsportsandsupplements.co.uk

07769311502

Info@totalsportsandsupplements.co.uk Facebook: @Totalsports&supplements

Obstacle Race Magazine 63

Events Diary

WINTER/SPRING 2020 PLANNER For a more comprehensive events listing go to: www.obstacleracemagazine.com/events

4th April Invncbl - Spring

11th January Nuclear Wild Forest

20th March

From £30 Brentwood , Essex www.wild-forest.co.uk

From €1490 Marrakesh, Morocco www.runmageddon.com

From £45+

26th January Brutal Bagshot

21st March

5th April Wolf Run - Spring

From £26.50 Camberley, Bagshot www.brutalrun.co.uk

From £35 Penkridge, Stafford

From £45+

Facebook.com/khhhospicestafford

www.thewolfrun.com

5th January The Pukka Challenge

21st March Nuclear Wild Forest

11th April Nuclear Wild Forest

From £20 Ipswich www.pukkaraces.co.uk

From £30 Brentwood , Essex www.wild-forest.co.uk

From £30 Brentwood , Essex www.wild-forest.co.uk

15th February Nuclear Wild Forest

28th March Battle of Lansdown

18th April Brutal 10

From £30 Brentwood , Essex www.wild-forest.co.uk

From £20 Bitton, Bristol www.dbmax-ocr.events

From £26.50+ Aldershot, Farnham www.brutal.run

29th February Brutal 10

28th March X Runner - Wild Mud Run

18th April Spartan - South East

From £26.50 Bordon, GU35 0NF www.brutal.run

From £50 Ashbourne, Derbyshire www.xrunner.co.uk

From £40 Pippingford Park, East Sussex www.spartanrace.uk/en

7th March Winter Nuts Challenge

4th April Wolf Run - Spring

19th April Spartan - South East

From £46.99 Dorking, Surrey www.thenutschallenge.co.uk

From £45+

From £40 Pippingford Park, East Sussex www.spartanrace.uk/en

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Runmageddon Global Sahara

Extreme Warrior

Leamington Spa, Warwickshire

www.thewolfrun.com

St Brides, Super-Ely

www.invncbl.co.uk

Leamington Spa, Warwickshire

25th April Rocket Race - Apollo

24th May Spartan - Ireland

13th June Brutal 10

From £40 Henstridge, Somerset www.rocketrace.co.uk

From £40 Co. Kildare, Ireland www.spartanrace.uk/en

From £26.50+ Fleet Ponds, Fleet www.brutal.run

25th April Hero Challenge

30th May Elements

13-14th June

From £40 Driffield Camp www.herochallenge.co.uk

From £40 Honnington Farm, Kent www.theelementsocr.co.uk

From £60 Midlands, UK www.toughmudder.co.uk

9-10th May Tough Mudder

6th June Superhuman Games

13th June

From £60 London West www.toughmudder.co.uk

From £70 Ashton, Bristol www.superhumansports.com

From £60 Midlands, UK www.toughmudder.co.uk

16th May Nuclear Races - Rush

6th June Rocket Race - Orbiter

20-21st June GoFeral

From £68 Brentwood, Essex www.nuclear-races.co.uk

From £20+ Salisbury www.rocketrace.co.uk

From £30 Huntingdon, Cambs www.goferal.co.uk

17th May Nuclear Races - Rush

6-7th June Wolf Run - Summer

20-21st June Spartan - Wales

From £68 Brentwood, Essex www.nuclear-races.co.uk

From £45+ Lutterworth, Leicestershire www.thewolfrun.com

From £40 Glanusk Park, Wales www.spartanrace.uk/en

17th May

7th June

Nuclear Races - Oblivion From £125 Brentwood, Essex www.nuclear-races.co.uk

Superhuman Games RX Race

26-28th June Total Warrior

From £45 Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol www.superhumansports.com

From £45 Bramham Park, Wetherby www.totalwarrior.co.uk

17th May Nuclear Races - Team Relay

7th June Mud Monster Run

27th June Hell and Back

From £88 Brentwood, Essex www.nuclear-races.co.uk

From £35+ East Grinstead, West Sussex www.mudmonstersrun.co.uk

From €59 Co Wicklow, Ireland www.hellandback.ie

Tough Mudder

EU Toughest Mudder

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4th July Invncbl - Summer From £45+ Usk, Abergavenny

www.invncbl.co.uk

4th July X Runner - Water Wipeout From £50 Nottingham www.xrunner.co.uk

4th July

25th July Rough Runner - North East From £40 Durham www.roughrunner.com

26th July Rough Runner - North East From £40 Durham www.roughrunner.com

15th August Brutal 10 From £26.50+ Hawley Lake, Camberley www.brutal.run

5-6th September Wolf Run - Autumn From £45 Leamington Spa, Warwickshire

www.thewolfrun.com

5-6th September

Rocket Race - Challenger Games

1st August Nuclear Summer Party

From £65 Henstridge, Somerset www.rocketrace.co.uk

From £?

Brentwood, Essex www.nuclear-races.co.uk

From £60 North West, UK www.toughmudder.co.uk

4-5th July

1-2nd August

5-6th September

Tough Mudder

Tough Mudder

Summer Nuts Challenge

From £60 Scotland www.toughmudder.co.uk

From £60 Yorkshire, UK www.toughmudder.co.uk

From £46.99 Dorking, Surrey www.thenutschallenge.co.uk

11-12th July Splat Quack Go

1-2nd August Beach Ballistic

12th September Aztec Race

From £21.62

From £8+

www.splatquack.com

From £35 Balmedie Beach, Scotland www.beachballistic.com

11-12th July Spartan - Midlands

8th August Mudnificent 7

12th September Nuclear Races - Blast

From £40 Marston Lodge, Leicestershire www.spartanrace.uk/en

From £35.50 Fillongley, Coventry www.mud7.com

From £65 Brentwood, Essex www.nuclear-races.co.uk

18th July

15-16th August

12th September

Zeus Races - Reborn From £17.50 Nottinghamshire www.zeusrace.com

Tough Mudder

Nuclear Races - Blackout From £65 Brentwood, Essex www.nuclear-races.co.uk

Woodbridge, Suffolk

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From £60 South West, UK www.toughmudder.co.uk

Tough Mudder

Nottingham

www.aztecrace.com

19-20th September Spartan - Scotland

24th October Brutal 10 - Halloween

21st November Brutal Spider Hill 10km

From £40 South Queensferry, Scotland www.spartanrace.uk/en

From £10 Farnham www.brutal.run

From £28.50 Aldershot www.brutal.run

19-20th September

24th October

Tough Mudder

Rocket Race - Discovery

5th December Spartan Stadion

From £60 London South www.toughmudder.co.uk

From £40 Henstridge, Somerset www.rocketrace.co.uk

From £60 Twickenham Stadium www.spartanrace.uk/en

2-4th October

31st October

OCR World Championships From £40 Vermont, USA ocrworldchampionships.com

Nuclear Races - Fallout

28th December Brutal Longmoor

From £59.50 Brentwood, Essex www.nuclear-races.co.uk

From £28.50 Aldershot www.brutalrun.co.uk

3rd October Hell and Back

31st October

From €59 Co Wicklow, Ireland www.hellandback.ie

From £90 Brentwood, Essex www.nuclear-races.co.uk

10th October Spartan - Windsor

7-8th November Wolf Run - Winter

From £40 Bagshot, Windsor www.spartanrace.uk/en

From £45

11th October Spartan - Windsor

7th November Turf Warrior - Ireland

From £40 Bagshot, Windsor www.spartanrace.uk/en

From €55 www.turfwarriorchallenge.com

17th October Invncbl - Autumn

15th November Rocket Race - Atlantis

From £45+

From £40 Buckland, Surrey www.rocketrace.co.uk

Traherne Estate, St Nicholas

www.invncbl.co.uk

Nuclear Races - Challenge Cup

Lutterworth, leicestershire

www.thewolfrun.com

Galway, Ireland

To add your event to our online and magazine calendar for FREE please contact: Carl@obstacleracemagazine.com Obstacle Race Magazine 67