Down and Dirty

by Matt B. Davis

  Granted, to prepare for a race, you don’t need to drop everything and dig yourself into hours of training each day. That’s the perfect way to set yourself up for failure because you burn out within a matter of weeks—or days!—and give up. Start slowly: Go for a run with friends, join a gym, or sign up for a boot camp, spinning, or Zumba class. Find something that interests you! Just don’t do nothing.

  Think of it like this: It’s not smart to skip studying before a big exam, right? Just like you need to exercise your brain before testing it, you need to exercise your body to prepare it for several miles of running and climbing over obstacles. Properly preparing will help you feel happier and healthier, you’ll gain confidence in your ability to complete the race, and you’ll be so proud of your accomplishment when you cross the finish line.

  My Training Recommendations

  So how do I do this, you ask? There’s no set formula for how to train for obstacle course racing, but my recommendation to all new racers is to begin mixing in cardio/endurance workout with some strength training. Obstacle course racing is unique because it requires the stamina to run or walk several miles, and also the strength to complete obstacles that require a fair amount of upper body and core strength. If you only run to prepare, or if you only lift weights, you may find that you do not feel adequately prepared for a great deal of what the race will require of you.

  Stretching pre- and post-race can be crucial.

  I say this especially to females, who tend to lack in upper body strength. When I completed the monkey bars obstacle in a race for the first time, I got so excited that I almost hugged the complete stranger next to me! I was elated that I had finally trained well enough to complete an obstacle that, in prior races, I hadn’t been able to finish.

  Many obstacle course races include walls to scale, ropes to climb, sandbags to carry, monkey bars to traverse, buckets to lift, and many other upper-body strength challenges. Weight training, or even body-weight exercises such as planks and push-ups, are a huge help to gain upper-body strength.

  Also, to prepare for an OCR, you need to run, if only a little. It’s been a while since I can remember getting winded after a 1/4-mile (0.4 km) run, but I remember that it’s no fun to be gassed out and feel like you have nothing left in you to give when you still have miles to go. Running combined with some strength training will get you a step closer to a finish you are proud of, and you’ll love the physical results you see as well! Try to shoot for two or three days of running per week, and work in weight training, boot camp, or some sort of strength-training exercises on the alternating days. Trust me, it’ll make a difference.

  I’ve participated in quite a few mud runs thus far in my short career of racing, and I hope to continue running them for as long as the sport is around. One of my favorite things about obstacle course races is that at any event, you’ll see every type of physique imaginable. You’ll encounter people who are elite athletes, as well as those who are considered morbidly obese, but who have finally decided to make a positive step toward a healthy lifestyle. All are welcome in this sport, no one is left out, and all join in the fun.

  “At any event, you’ll see every type of physique imaginable.”

  Another great thing about obstacle course racing is that you can run the events seriously to feed your competitive spirit, or you can walk the entire course if you so choose. Most participants choose to embark with a group of close friends, encouraging and helping each other along the way, completing the course as a team. To me, camaraderie and teamwork are really what obstacle racing is all about. This type of event is not the “every person for themselves” kind of sport. Rather, OCR is built to bring people together in a world that has become so very disconnected and individualistic.

  Some obstacles can not be trained for.

  You may see everything through new glasses after a few events.

  Now it’s time to stop worrying, stop doubting yourself, and sign up for a race. Train a little, or a lot, find some friends who will join you, and enjoy your experience. Be proud of yourself as you push past your fears and conquer each obstacle as it comes. When you finish—and you will finish—celebrate your accomplishment! Enjoy your well-earned medal, your delicious free beer, and the elated feeling that you have just completed something that you were recently too intimidated to even try.

  I encourage you to take this one step further, and tell the world. Post pictures of yourself caked in mud, hands raised, with a huge smile on your face. Let the world know you did something you were unsure about just a few weeks before. You never know, your photo may inspire someone else to do the same.

  DOWN AND DIRTY TAKEAWAYS

  • Sign up. Pull out your credit card and sign up for a race. Don’t wait until you are “ready.”

  • Prepare for greater enjoyment. People of any fitness level can enjoy obstacle racing, but preparing more can mean lots more fun.

  • Find your own path. There’s no set training formula. Find the form of training that works for you.

  • Enjoy the spoils. When the race is over, enjoy that beer, wear that medal, and post pictures like crazy. You earned it.

  Holly Joy Berkey turned herself from couch potato to OCR fanatic in a relatively short time, so much so that now she is known as “Muddy Mommy.” Holly discovered her love of running in 2011, after making the choice to pursue a healthier lifestyle. Through exercise and improving her diet, she lost 50 pounds (22.7 kg)—all while balancing the daily challenges of family and career. She documents her experiences in running, training, and racing on her blog www.muddymommy.com.

  4 FINDING OR STARTING AN OCR GROUP

  The New England Spahtens is of one of the largest and most successful OCR groups in the country.

  Featuring Paul Jones of the New England Spahtens

  Paul Jones calls himself the “Idea Wrangler” at the New England Spahtens. He’s one of the founders of the group, and he’s a very proactive leader. I asked him to contribute to this chapter because the Spahtens are a great example of what being part of an OCR community does for so many people.

  When I was asked to contribute to this book, I thought, “There really is no better way to respond than to ask the New England Spahtens themselves.” So I did.

  You’ll find quotes from active members of this successful community throughout this chapter. For example:

  “Being a part of this team has reminded me that I’m strong…and even when I don’t believe it, someone else around me believes it extra hard for me. And it has given me the incredible gift of being a small part of great people doing epic stuff—all the way from our Winter Death Race champions, to people hitting the podium, to someone finishing their first race—or even just signing up for it.”

  —Jennifer, Spahtens team member

  “Oh jeez, how do I count the ways? Well, I have no family in this state, so this team is pretty much my family. So many of you have encouraged me and been there for me in so many ways. For example, just at the Superhero Scramble, Dennis patched me up, Paul let me use his headlamp for a whim decision in the night heat, Bobby held me up on the mountain when my blood sugar plummeted, Tom held me up when I got off the mountain. I mean, good lawd, I don’t believe there is a way to describe the awesomeness of this team. I’ve been pushed way beyond my comfort zone and found I am so much more capable than I believed. Thanks so much, y’all.”

  —Marcie, Spahtens team member

  My Story

  Personally, I found obstacle course racing “early,” running the second-ever Spartan Race in 2010 with a few of my gym buddies. We also ran Rugged Maniac and Ruckus in the same year. In 2011, life got in the way, and my little team went off to do their own thing. But I was hooked.

  I ran several races in 2011, and by 2012, I was looking for more. Unfortunately, I had no one to run with. My gym mates, other friends, and even my neighbors were all done with racing, and I was left with the prospect of signing up for a race solo. So I got involved with the Spartan Race St
reet Team, and then by extension, the MA (Massachusetts) Spartans.

  Initially, the MA Spartans and their slightly more southern counterparts, the RI (Rhode Island) Spartans, were two very separate groups whose only real priority was the Spartan Race series. Members came from the Spartan Race Street Team, and the main focus was on how they could support and promote the Spartan Race events. A random meeting of minds at the MA Spartan Sprint race in August 2012 brought about a very quick merger of the two groups on Facebook, and the New England Spahtens was born.

  “I’ve been pushed way beyond my comfort zone and found I am so much more capable than I believed.”

  Building a Team

  I was lucky enough to be chosen to be part of the group administrator, initially just to police for spammers. But it turned into a catalyst for something bigger—and much better. Humble beginnings.

  We had a little Facebook group, but we had no website, Twitter account, or even Facebook page. We were just a group of around a hundred people who shared a common interest. We started to talk about creating a logo, and a pretty quick vote in the group settled on the merger of the helmet and anchor to represent our strength and our New England roots.

  Next we started a website, where I blogged about anything and everything OCR-related. Initially, the focus was content. We shared discount codes for upcoming races and gear, race experiences, and stories.

  Once the blogging took hold, two things really helped set us apart from “just another race team.”

  OUR BRAND. The first thing that sets us apart is our brand. We were fortunate enough to have a designer in the team who made our amazing helmet-and-anchor logo. The helmet was a nod to the MA Spartans group, and the anchor was in homage to the RI Spartans. We brought in the rest of New England, and our focus and identity was born. This design ended up going on our amazing drill shirts, which are the highly technical, fitted shirts you see our members wear in races. Those shirts aren’t cheap, but buying a shirt gives our members something more than just a cool piece of clothing. It gives them an identity. Anywhere they wear their drill shirts, they’re recognized as part of something bigger than being just “another guy at a race.”

  OCR is in many ways about teamwork.

  OUR FOCUS. The second thing that sets us apart from being “just another race team” is our focus. I started reaching out to race directors and bluntly asking them to provide a discount code. Don’t ask, don’t get, right? Some race directors declined, but others obliged. Some were shocked by my request, but others seemed excited by the chance to work with our new race community. Smart race directors gave us discounts that would encourage people to join in, and we were excited to promote 10 percent, 20 percent, or higher discounts. Some race directors were a little shortsighted and found themselves missing out.

  When I talked to race directors, the image I tried to convey was that we are a highly organized, driven team with a very clear focus, and that we wanted to participate in and promote obstacle course racing in the New England region. That’s it. Clear, easy to digest. Some race communities try for national or even global status, with differing levels of success, but our regional focus made us successful quickly.

  And we grew. Every race we attended, we wore our drill shirts proudly. We organized using Facebook events in our group. We helped other racers on the course, and we talked to them in the festival areas. Mondays and Tuesdays after races, people joined our Facebook community in droves, after they got back to work and remembered “the guys in the blue shirts with the funny name.”

  As our group grew in membership, we also grew in scope. What was initially just a way to enjoy obstacle course racing with our buddies became more. People joined from all over the New England region, and we started meeting to train in those unique and weird ways we train for obstacle course races. People started meeting to hike mountains or carry logs. People started hosting get-togethers in their yards, and we spent mornings climbing ropes, walls, and rucking (doing runs and workouts carrying some form of weighted ruck), and then we kicked back with a beer and barbecue.

  “People started hosting get-togethers in their yards, and we spent mornings climbing ropes, walls, and rucking.”

  Friendships started to form. We found that we were interested in this sport of OCR, and also that we liked each other. As new people joined, they were quickly absorbed into this all-inclusive community of folks whose only common interest—at least on the surface—was racing in the mud and climbing over things.

  Mudrunfun lives up to their name. Here they carry their team flag through an entire course.

  Suffering through exercises can be more fun with friends.

  I can remember spending Cyber Monday, 2012, at my desk. From the moment I woke up to the moment I went back to sleep, I did very little other than share race information and race gear deals. The smart and organized races made sure they had deals ready to go, and it was a huge task to keep up with them. Many of us nearly filled our race calendars on that one day alone.

  The stories of how our team and community had affected people began pouring in.

  “Before I came aboard, I thought I was in good shape. I always work out. Now that I’m part of this group, I am becoming different. I am regularly doing things that I would have never done before. I am growing and improving. What I once thought was not possible is now becoming routine. Do not accept your limits!”

  —Robert, Spahtens team member

  Posing together for epic photo-ops is more fun as a group, too.

  “Sandy Rhee (unknowingly even to her) brainwashed me with her positive attitude. As for the rest of you Spahtens, well, you are an infectious bunch of fun folks who have unleashed a wanna-be-better streak in me.”

  —Jeanine, Spahtens team member

  “Do not accept your limits!”

  We grew. We now had Facebook communities dedicated to training, a Facebook page, and a Twitter account. Our blog was getting hundreds of unique hits a day, and this was only a few months into our life. The growth of the team was dramatic, and that rosy view I had initially projected to race directors was becoming a reality. We were hitting hundreds of members, and we were well organized.

  In December 2012, I got a message from a venue owner. He told me that he had built the very best fixed obstacle course in the country, and he was holding an endurance race in the middle of January. The race would consist of racers running as many laps as possible in eight hours. In Vermont. In the snow. The owner planned to cater all day, too—with a never-ending supply of bacon.

  On a hot day, you appreciate the little things, like wading across a cool pond.

  It sounded almost ludicrous. I’d never heard of him, his venue, or his race. When I reached out to some of my new race director contacts, even one who grew up in the next town, they hadn’t heard of him either. After one race director checked around for two weeks, he came back with the simple message that yes, Rob Butler of Shale Hill Adventure Farms is legit. Done. Sold. We were in. We brought more than a dozen people to that first event—the 2012 Polar Bear Challenge—taking the biggest team. That same day, we also brought the biggest team of more than thirty people to a second obstacle course race, the Blizzard Blast.

  “Never in my wildest dreams did I think this small obstacle course race support group we started back in the day could and would become a contending, full-on racing team. Not just elites, but supportive enthusiasts willing to help each other, and be there for newcomers. Spahtens, to me, embody what it truly means to be a team. No one is left behind, and no one is put on a pedestal. We all matter!”

  —Nate, Spahtens team member

  At this point, we had a good framework in place, with the following tools available to our community.

  • A FACEBOOK GROUP FOR THE MAIN COMMUNITY CHATTER: Facebook is an easy, handy place for people to chat and discuss things related to obstacle course racing.

  • A FACEBOOK PAGE: We use it to broadcast industry information, such as local race price changes.

>   • A WEBSITE: Over time, it’s grown from a simple blog full of our random opinions and race reviews into a full website, including featured reviews, community sources reviews, expert opinions, motivational posts, a store, training programs, featured athlete profiles, and recipes. If someone asked for it, we tried to find a way to provide it.

  • TEAM GEAR: At every race, we were recognized, and as the races passed, we got more and more familiar with the race scene. This was in no small part due to our shirts. Made by UK Rugby supplier Akuma, our drill shirts are super high-quality, 100 percent printed compression tops. Customized with the racer’s nickname and absolutely badass, the more people who started wearing these drill shirts, the more of a uniform it became. We have since expanded into other team gear, but the drill shirts remain a favorite with the group. They really stand out when other local teams are still writing on cheap cotton T-shirts with permanent markers. Our uniform makes a massive difference in how seriously we’re taken.

  Growing a Team

  The more recognition we got, the more people would look us up after seeing us at a race. It became common for us to run at a race, and then spend the next few days approving people into our Facebook group, picking up a dozen, twenty, or more new members after each race.

  Like any community, no matter how big you become, there is always going to be a core group of folks who are more active than the others. We’ve been lucky that our core groups of people have formed firm friendships, sometimes relationships beyond that, and for the most part are a friendly, rowdy bunch who love being active, enjoy the competition of race day, and come to many events. As the team grows, this central core group is also expanding, with very few personality conflicts.