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Ohio Obstacle Course racing
PETE GLADDEN
Pete’s World
Published: March 20, 2023
Are you thinking about dabbling in an athletic event that’s a bit on the wild side this year, like an Obstacle Course Race?
Well, if you’re game I’m going to give you a peak at the current 2023 Ohio Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) schedule and I fill you in on the kind of fitness you’re going to need to compete in these crazy events - such that you’ll finish with a large piece of your pride intact.
Now if you’ve been wondering what an OCR entails, let me give you a quick primer.
An OCR is basically a cross-country running race interspersed with a series of obstacles.
And understand that every course is different, but suffice to say the contestants are usually running up and down muddy off-road courses, climbing over walls and barricades, jumping across/into water pits, carrying sandbags, rope climbing, moving through hand-over-hand traverses and even crawling under barbed wire.
And those are just a few of the challenges that can be encountered in an OCR.
Most races are in the 5K to 10K range, but some of these gruelathons can entail 10-13 mile’s worth of obstacle running.
There are Spartan races, Tough Mudders, Savage Races, Battlefrogs, Warrior Dashes and Rugged Maniac races to name but a few.
Okay, so if you’re contemplating an OCR, my advise is simple: Be thoroughly prepared.
It’s not enough to be a good runner, though running is what you’ll spend the majority of your racing time doing, you’ll also have to be fit from a calisthenics standpoint - muscular strength, flexibility, dexterity and balance.
If you’re weak in calisthenics you could very well flame out on any number of the obstacles - no matter how fast your are.
And just one obstacle debacle can sabotage your whole race.
Thus, if you’re contemplating a spring event now is the time to begin training for it. That gives you a solid two months of event specific prep.
So let’s go over the muscle groups that play a crucial role in an OCR, and more importantly, how to address them.
Number one on my list is core musculature.
Virtually every obstacle you encounter is going to involve some semblance of core strength and stability, from crawling to climbing to carrying to jumping.
So having a strong core - all the way around, front, back and side - is essential. That’s why I suggest core be at the top of your training list. Various types of planks, hanging knee-up twists, weighted glute bridges and back extensions will tackle the whole enchilada.
You’ll just need to choose the exercises that best reflect your current state of core fitness.
Next up are the hips. Strong hips help in jumping, running and carrying (sandbags, rocks etc.).
Now when I say hips, I’m talking about a lot of muscles, yet you can address most of them with several comprehensive exercises like lunges, squats and banded walking and shuffling.
The upper back is another biggie.
Those lat muscles need to be strong, flexible and resilient enough to surmount barricades, climb ropes, hang from bars, pick up and carry payloads and crawl across the ground.
And one of my all-time favorite lat exercises is the pull-up. Yup, the pull-up is grueling, precisely because it requires excellent upper back strength and flexibility and they also require a modicum of forearm grip strength.
But mark my word: You get proficient in pull-ups and you’ll crush many of those obstacles.
Then there’s the shoulders. Building sufficient shoulder strength and stability is going to aid in any kind of weighted carries, not to mention overhead traversing and obstacle surmounting.
Now if you’re not into doing presses you can do dumbbell work and perform exercises like the IYT, which tackles a lot of shoulder musculature.
And finally, I’d highly recommend a mix of calisthenic exercises like push-ups, burpees, mountain climbers, and jumping jacks as a part of your training routine. They’re highly aerobic and they require strength and stamina.
Okay, now let’s take a look at the Ohio race schedule. In May, 2023 there’s the Rugged Maniac 5K Obstacle Course in Columbus; in June there’s the Cincinnati Spartan Trifecta Weekend, the Savage Race in Zanesfield and the Terrain Race in Cleveland; in July there’s the Bubble Run in Cleveland and the Gauntlet Mud Run in Greenville.
So if you’re thinking of an OCR, now’s the time to get over that first critical barricade: the training.