2014-11-14

Everyone’s an expert these days. Mention that you run obstacle races to a new acquaintance or try and convince a friend to sign up for one and you’ll more than likely get exposed to a few prejudices about our sport gleaned from photos of Tough Mudder and the odd article about mid-life crises in the Sunday supplements. Here are the top 10 myths about OCR – busted!

1. It’s full of macho men posturing

True enough, if you look at the front row at the start line of any OCR there will be more than a smattering of shirtless dudes, giving it large with the aggression and race faces. But look slightly further back and in the later waves and you’ll see row after row of people who look suspiciously normal (at least, as much as anyone can look “normal” whilst up to their armpits in mud chanting “aroo!”). Whilst the quickies at the front make the headlines, it’s here in the crowd that the heart of OCR lies – a pretty much equal split of men and women from all walks of life, young and old, united by a simple desire to push themselves physically and to have fun.

2. It’s dangerous

Fire, ice, high walls – why would anyone want to expose themselves to that? Those things are dangerous, right? Well, they could be. But then again, so can kitchen knives if not handled properly and no one thinks we should stop slicing tomatoes. There is definitely a modern mindset that all risks can and should be eliminated from life and yes, if you subscribe to that, then OCR is not for you. It does involve risks, but then so does crossing the road, driving a car or eating at dubious fast food establishments. And that’s before we’ve even looked at the risks involved in other sports such as rugby and horse riding.

At every OCR I’ve been to, the organisers have had the health and safety of the participants as their number one priority and I have never felt less than safe. Frightened, yes. At the end of my rope physically, yes. But not unsafe.

2. It will wreck your kit

One of the worst pieces of advice I received prior to running my first OCR was to wear old kit as it would get wrecked during the race. This is nonsense – for race day, you need your best kit – the stuff that keeps you comfortable, warm and at the top of your game. Yes, it will end the day filthy, but here’s the secret – mud comes out in the wash! Incredible, I know. As the owner of small boys I can state categorically that mud doesn’t even make it into the top ten of “unpleasant substances I have had to remove from clothing”. Compared to blueberry snot vomit, mud is a walk in the park…

3. People will laugh at me if I fail an obstacle

They just won’t. Your fellow racers will laugh with you as you all try to make your way through the swamp or across the monkey bars. Marshals will cheer you on and try and keep you moving when you’re finding the going tough. Supporters will yell encouragement at as you slog through the mud. It is absolutely impossible to run an OCR and come out without a serious case of the warm fuzzies towards the rest of humanity. Really, if you’re concerned about people laughing at you, it’s real life rather than OCR that you should be worrying about.

5. I need massive upper body strength to complete an OCR

Well, yes of course, it’s useful. But it’s not essential. In fact I would say that it’s probably the area where most OCR participants are a bit deficient, particularly women. Watch the masses go through any monkey bar obstacle in an OCR and you’ll see that the majority ends up in the water. But that’s fine – if we could all nail every obstacle no problem then it wouldn’t be much of a challenge, would it? And there is no greater incentive to increasing upper body strength than coming out of an OCR where you’ve found it lacking. Lack of upper body strength won’t stop you completing an OCR, but you’ll sure as hell go back for your next race with it increased.

6. I’ll have to go through fire

We all have our lines in the sand. For me, it’s electricity. I just don’t want to do obstacles involving it. Thanks, but no thanks. I am entirely happy with electricity doing all the marvelously useful things that it does round my house without it being introduced to my nervous system. Yeah, I’m just weird like that.

And the great thing is that’s absolutely fine and in no way stops me from being an OCR-obsessive because the joy of OCR is that you can pick and choose the types of races you want to do. Don’t like fire and ice? Well, the Wolf Run will deliver a top quality OCR without either of those things. Not so keen on heights? Go for Insane Terrain or Mucky Races where you need never be more than head height off the ground. Not doing an OCR because you don’t like one specific obstacle is as silly as not wearing jeans because you don’t suit ultra-skinnies. Though of course if it’s mud you don’t like then you may have an issue….

7. I need to do it as part of a team

I won’t deny that a significant amount of the enjoyment to be had in OCR comes from the team element and the camaraderie that comes with doing it with a bunch of mates. But doing it on your own is fine, too – plenty of people do it. And whilst you might be running it solo, you sure as hell won’t be on your own. The on-course camaraderie between strangers is, for me, one of the strongest draws of OCR. If you’re out there on your own and having an issue with an obstacle, it will only be seconds before a friendly hand or pair of shoulders comes along to lend support. Just make sure you pass it on.

8. I need to be ultra-fit to complete an OCR

To win one, yes of course you do. The same as competing at the elite level in any sport. But, back in the pack, not so much. Obviously the more you train, the better you will perform and there are some races which really shouldn’t be undertaken without proper preparation and a serious amount of training hours (no one rocks up at the Rat Race Dirty Weekend on a whim…) but if you’re reasonably healthy and of average fitness, an entry level 5km OCR is easily within your grasp. And it’s the gateway drug to a whole new world of fun…

9. I might die

Stop being melodramatic! Yes you will someday but importantly not as a result of taking part in an OCR. Although there is an argument that if your time is called by the man upstairs as you’re crossing the finish line at Tough Mudder, you will at least arrive at those pearly gates with a smile on your face and the feeling that you didn’t leave too much undone on this earth. And finally, the biggest myth of all…

10. Yes, but I could never do an OCR – I’m too old, short, fat, lazy, busy, poor, scared…

You’re not, you know. If you wanted to and if you trained and if you put your heart and soul into it, you absolutely could do it. Just saying.

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