Gees it's been a busy time!

Wow i have been REALLY bad at this whole blogging caper! But with some big training loads coming up and an adventure filled 2016 on the horizon I will be more active....I hope...


Well, what's been happening over the last 6 or so months?! 

A S&*T LOAD!!!! 

I'm not going to go in to heaps of detail but if you want to ask anything questions or want any more info just let me know!



First things first.....

TRUE GRIT 24 HOUR ENDURO
The culmination of close to 10 months of dedicated training found me 2 hours outside of Sydney facing the starting line of an 11km course with 30 obstacles I would be wandering around in for the next 24 hours!
I knew i had the km's in the legs, my gear was checked and i was primed to go. I felt REALLY good for the majority of the race and was averaging 2.5-2.75 hours per lap and was sitting in the 10th-12th spot for most of the event. I was enormously proud to be leading the charge for Team OCRL SA with ex Olympian Brad Jamieson. Unfortunately 3 of our team encountered early injuries which put them out of action but they will be back!
At about lap 7 (ish) my left knee developed a REALLY bad pain every time I faced a downhill section, and, with an ammo carry and sandbag carry up and down a 300m loop on the side of a hill was agony. At the end of lap 8 i changed my shoes and socks for the 1st time thinking that this may provide some relief but there was nothing. The ice cold of the mud mile was nice but coming straight out of that to the sandbag carry i knew i couldn't get another lap in. 

I had always set myself the goal of 10 laps, 100kms and the last lap was going to be my "dad lap" to honor my father who passed away unexpectedly in December 2014. I took with me his silver necklace that he never took off. I was going to wear this on my last lap, for him. 

Coming out of the sandbag carry on lap 9 I knew I wasn't going to do it. I was distraught coming through the back section of the course walking at barely a shuffle and coming down sideways at the steeper decline sections. 

When I returned to the transition section and saw my pit crew (my wife) I used every piece of self control I had left to keep myself together. Barely able to put weight on my left leg and completely unable to bend it I made the hardest decision to finish there, 9 laps and 99km in. Asha pleaded with me to push for that next lap, members of my team who had changed, eaten and were comfortable offered to get back out there and chaperon me on the final lap but not knowing the extent of the damage to my knee I snapped back that I was done. 

nervous anticipation. Jeff looking cool as!

Team SA! Great group of athletes right there

Team OCRL SA

My final walk through the transition area. Flanked by Brad Cook

The whole crew! Athletes and Support team

Facing the reality it was over after this lap. This was at the 3/4 mark of the last lap

Crushing the monkey bars early on

I took some time to gather my thoughts and then explained to them my situation. I refueled, changed and sat by the camp fire in quiet reflection and took in the enormity of what I had accomplished, trying to push to the side the gutted feeling of disappointment and failure for my Dad.  

I finished this event in 11th place. Out of over 200 competitors. 

The fact I didn't accomplish the "Dad Lap" haunts me every day. Unfortunately due to this event falling on my daughters birthday in 2016 i will be unable to attend and atone for the disappointment of this year. 

In 2017 I will make amends for this. 


Task Force #1
After Enduro it took me close to 3 months before I was able to do any running or weighted leg work. I had a severe case of Patella femoral inflammation. 
As part of my gym, Base Camp SA, they set up a military style training group titled Task Force. Of course I was going to do this!
TF1 saw us meet at the crack of dawn at Chambers Gully conservation park. In true military style we were to follow a set list of instructions to certain way points, complete various exercises and meet our instructors back at a rendezvous point. After 5 hours we all made our way back, as a team with everyone in tact. We were presented with a Task Force t-shirt and an invitation to Task Force #2.
TF2 started this week but due to various factors, none injury related for once, I ruled myself out. This week long, early morning beach session workouts look to be fantastic and there is a strong contingent representing there!

Obstacle Course Training with Matt Murphy, Ryan Atkins and Jon Albon
Launched 3 weeks ago this web based training program developed by one of Australia's best Obstacle Course Racers and star of Search for Hurt, Matt Murphy with 2x Worlds Toughest Mudder winner Ryan Atkins and 2x Spartan Race World Champion Jon Albon offers either a 4 week beginners program or a 10 week advanced program. I have enlisted for the 10 week course and at the start of week 3 I am feeling great. I can definitely feel the benefit of an increased running volume but I am learning some great technical and data skills to improve my overall performance. I am really looking forward to phase 2 of this in the next week or so. 
I am still aiming for 5 OCR/Strength based workouts per week but trying not to let this impinge on the OCT side of things.
I'm loving the interaction on the private FaceBook group from the 3 superstars. Makes the average person feel like one of the elites.

It's all a balancing act!



Want more info??? Check out www.obstaclecourse.training 

and finally.....Next years goal

2016 Spartan Race Trifecta
Just today, with the support of Asha, I have signed up for an annual pass for Spartan Race.
Basically what the season pass gets me is the following...

An ideal gift for any Spartan contender, the Season Pass package comes in a branded presentation box including a Spartan 300 Tshirt, a trifecta holder for that swag of 2016 medals and season holder VIP card for access to Stadium Event VIP areas and 10% off all Spartan merchandise. And of course you’ll get access to all 2016 races including free Ultra Beast entry.

BOOM! Done! 

My big goal for 2016 is to get my hands on the coveted Trifecta. Basically this means completing the following

• Spartan Sprint. 5+ kms and 15+ obstacles 
• Spartan Super. 13+ kms and 20+ obstacles
• Spartan Beast. 21+ kms and 25+ obstacles

There is also the enormous Spartan Beast which is 42+ kms but this is held on the same day as the normal Beast so this will have to wait. The trifecta is what i am after. 

My 1st race i have registered for is the inaugural Spartan Stadium Sprint at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, QLD in February 2016. 

Check out www.spartanrace.com.au for more info!!! Use code "burrows" for a 10% discount off the registration costs!

Well that's about it! I will do my best to post a little more often! yes i have said that before...but this time i REALLY mean it!

True Grit South Australia 2015

Yes once again i have been quiet but enduro training has been kicking my ass at the moment! If i am not at home i'm at work, if i'm not at work or home i am training! Crazy but i'm feeling good for it and definitely getting nervous! 

TRUE GRIT 2015

Well True Grit Adelaide 2015 has been run and won in perfect weather this past weekend! This event continues to go from strength to strength with innovation, course changes and have been very fortunate that the weather gods have been on their side for the past 3 editions.

Hosted at the spectacular Caudo Vineyards right on Hogwash Bend on the banks of the mighty Murray River close to 3000 people took on the 12.5, 36 obstacle course through trails, sand hills and compacted tracks.

This is the 3^rd year that I have run the event in Adelaide and was stoked to achieve my bronze medal in a new initiative that the True Grit organisers have launched. 3 events you get bronze, 5 events you get a silver medal and 7 events you get a gold AND free entry in to ANY True Grit event in Australia!

3 time Gritter

All about the constant Search 4 Hurt baby!

This looks to be a great idea on the surface so let’s hope that the event continues but to ensure this Adelaide needs to get behind it!

Taking on the 3 hour drive from home the fam and I headed off at 4:30am in rain and win south of Adelaide! As we drove further north the weather didn’t improve! I was starting to get a little anxious as I was really looking forward to a dry course and fun times camping! Thankfully about an hour from Caudo the weather was brilliant as the sun rose and the temperature increased beautifully.

As we drove into the area I was a buzz with excitement, nerves and anticipation!

We quickly set up the tent and I wandered off to find my Obstacle Course Racing League SA brothers at the OCRA tent! handshakes, high 5’s and bro hugs were exchanged. For those competing in the race wave the nerves were palpable especially considering the wave looked to be considerably smaller than last year.

Despite being in reasonable form I elected early on when I registered that I would not be competing in the race wave. Having a bigger goal being the endure event in 5 weeks I was mindful about my lack of self control when it comes to competitive events and despite me promising to take it easy I didn’t want a case of white line fever to take hold once the gun went!

I watched the race wave head off, shouted words of encouragement, heckled a little then went back to my tent to start my prep with about 60mins to go until my start time of 10am

Down the hatch with a new pre-workout (mmm all the face tingles!) a couple of ibuprofen and on with my innov-8 X-talon 212’s. My wife was also running in this wave but was with 4 other girls which was great as it allowed me to do my own thing. I absolutely loved sharing the experience of running with her last year and she has made amazing strides in her running, fitness and OCR technique. I pushed her pretty hard last year so this time it was about making sure she had the opportunity to enjoy the event but without me!

As we started I found myself at the front of the field before the 1^st obstacle which was the fallen logs. No trouble there so I set off for the trail run sector. In previous years this has been approximately a 1km awesome trail run with 1-3 obstacles along the way. This year however they shortened this extensively which was not ideal as when we reached obstacle 4-5 the field was bunched! We had caught the preceding 2-4 waves within 5 minutes of us leaving! I was ropable! I had to wait 4 mins to begin the twin towers. Once over that I took off way faster than I wanted to but I was convinced I had to make up that time, although who was I racing?

New this year was a “swim leg” which turned out to be a hand over hand around a pontoon. The water was a little on the chilly side but that early on to be getting wet certainly threw up something different! Wet feet with still 9kms to go!

Out of the water then on to the cargo A frame and the wall climb. a 2.8m ish wall which typically would offer little resistance but 30sec removed from the water this was tough! Many of the race wave failed and copped their 30 burpee penalty. I managed to get over this, but it wasn’t pretty. I scraped my left knee up a little but thankfully it didn’t hurt until afterwards!

After this it was up the hill, a small rope climb to the vineyard area and a nice 800m trail run. This is where I hit my 2^nd bottleneck which was crawling under a heavy cargo net on a sand mound. Another 4mins lost here! GRRRRRRR

Off on another run leg. This was great for me as it allowed me to pull a gap on the field and some of the teams running together. The next 20mins or so were not eventful.

Crossing the road and into the desert side was another story! just after hitting this section we had to complete a 200m ammo box carry. 2 boxes, 10kg each which is fine but trudging through the heavy sand is a leg killer! I managed to jog this section more so to overtake some people and get a bit more of a gap.

Back on to the semi compacted trails before a solid 40mins in the sand hills! This hurt! up and down and walking through freshly graded sand! My legs were heavy and my HR was about the 184 mark for most of this section (my MHR is 188) but surprisingly I still felt like I could give a bit, even if it was just a shuffle!

The overs & unders walls were on a slight incline hill which was suckful but being 188cm has it’s definite advantages!

Crossing back over the road to the hard trails was good as I could get my cadence back. A quick scale of the vertical rope climb and I was on my way back to the arena area!

The pontoons that they have set up are great! it is sprinting across  4 floating pontoons from one side to the other without slipping or diving in to the water! I am yet to fail this one!

Monkey bars completed with little trouble or protest from my injured shoulder.

Last but not least is the mud mile! 600m of SLUDGE and mud moguls before taking the final water slide in to the Murray! under the finish arch and DONE! my adjusted time, taking out holds ups was 1hr 21mins. A PB for me on that course. I felt that I ran at about 85% which is what I was aiming for. Overall I was happy with my run, I got through it injury free and didn’t aggravate any pre existing injuries! Winning!

That is a quick overview of the course. The obstacles are tough yet manageable and definitely caters to everyone.I elected to not take my gopro as I didn’t want the distraction. A good friend of mine did have 2 garmin cameras going so if you would like a link to that footage just let me know!

Now for my overall thoughts
Honestly I think this is one of the best events on the calendar however I feel this year they pandered a little to the vocal minority that may have thought last year was too difficult. Yes TG did promote it as a 12km event last year but was found to be 15km. Big deal!

I didn't agree with shortening the running, just promote it as 15km or give a short and long course! The great wall was removed. I liked this as, again, it offered a chance for a field split.

The biggest issue I had was the fact that I was held up at 2 events where early on in the event this shouldn't happen. They either had to lengthen the times between the waves or limit the wave numbers.

True Grit and Caudo host a fantastic weekend and they are certainly are not as strict as some of the other promotions so I guess you have to take the negatives for the positives.

The festival area is fantastic and the whole event atmosphere is family friendly and inviting.

At the end of the day this is a challenge! People need to be prepared for this!

This event really is for everyone. The serious racer has the chance to smash themselves on a shortish course, the PT and fitness groups can put those goals on the line for that one 12.5km lap and, the crazies can get dressed up in every conceivable outfit and the people just beginning their fitness journey can put a stake in the ground. One thing's for sure it will never be a "oh i'll just do this one event". No. just no. it is something that hooks you, it draws you in by the raw nature of the event but also the people that make it such a great community and sport.

Massive shout out to the OCRA SA State Managers Brad and Jeff along with the league members both SA and interstate who were at this event.

Big props to the whole True Grit organisers and most of all the vollies without whom these events would not be possible!

Camping fun

Weirdos

I was feeling pretty crappy coming in to this event. Not from a physical perspective but a mental one. A definite crisis of conscious and ability. Seeing the amazing amount of training and gains that some of my guys were putting in is/was definitely inspiring but at the same time made me, and continues to make me, doubt myself. I’m going to be dedicating an entire blog to that issue for me and other athletes so stay tuned suffice to say a bro hug from my boy Robbie W and some encouraging and reassuring words from Scumbag Jeff and Luke went a long way. Thanks bros.

The support from the OCR community is 2nd to none. 

Finally big ups to my wife! She absolutely smashed the course and completed EVERY obstacle on the 1^st attempt! With limited study time due to a pretty much FT job, massive study requirements and a family you constantly amaze me!

So proud of you babe! Keep pushing yourself and stop the doubts and 2^nd thoughts! yeah that’s a bit rich coming from me but you are a superstar and my motivation.



Check out True Grit for a list of upcoming events and details on the 24h Enduro in June!

Keen to know more about the Obstacle Racing League? Well just click here!

Till next time peeps! Drop me a line if you have any questions!

In the words of Hunter McIntyre “Stay Macho”!

“Victory is reserved for those willing to pay the price”

OCR Traning facilitiy...Basecamp - South Australia

Finally South Australia has a dedicated Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) Training facility to call our own with the recent opening of SA Base Camp!!

Base Camp is located in the Western suburbs of Adelaide, about a 15-20min drive from the CBD. Set up in a fantastic warehouse the premises takes up over 2000sqm of floor space with 18+ obstacles, a 100sqm + Free weight section, ergos, spin bikes and cardio area. They have even incorporated their own cafe!

Some of the obstacles that are included on site are

- Run against an 80+kph wind tunnel
- Australia's only purpose built travelator (think back to the gladiators TV show...)
- Vertical rope climbs
- Barbed wire sandpit crawl
- Giant hay bale pyramid

Owned and operated by Luke and Nikki Williams they have put their heart, soul, money and arses on the line to get this venture off the ground. 

Luke is ex army and has personally fabricated the large majority of obstacles at BaseCamp, this way they retained control of what was there and could scope each one the way that they wanted. There is nothing out of the box about this place! They have spent many countless days and nights at the centre planning each infinite detail of the obstacles, the set up and locations to ensure that you are getting the best work out and sports specific training possible.  

BaseCamp are passionate about making this place the "best of breed" in Australia. They want this to become the athletes choice of training facilities and they most certainly have the drive, facility and base to make this a reality. There are some super exciting things in the works!

Luke and Nikki are keen to work with the local OCR community in South Australia and are currently working towards True Grit Adelaide and also the Enduro in June. They are helping by hosting weekly sessions increasing in time. 1st week was a 1 hour do an obstacle then run 500m or 1km depending if you chose the A or B course. The week after it was split 1hr and 2 hour. Each week the time will be increasing to a split 3 or 6 hour! EPIC! 

To keep you pumped up (and possibly to block out the pain) the sound system in this place is amazing! Turned up it even drowns out that silly little voice in your head that tells you to "stop" or "this hurts"!

Want to see what BaseCamp is all about. Well get your asses down there and give it a go! if you can't make it there just yet check out this link to get an insight and check out their website for a full breakdown of the facilities, obstacles, costings and more!

BaseCamp SA Video

BaseCamp SA website

There are plans in place to do a split 7 and 14 hour session for us crazies taking on the True Grit Enduro! 

Unfortunately at the 1st OCR group session i severely sprained my ankle on the tyre run within the first 10mins of the hour long event. Visibly shaken and limping on my next Luke was straight over to try and render some assistance but was quickly brushed off by me. I had paid my money and driven 45mins to get there, like hell i was stopping!
The next 50mins was uncomfortable to say the least. Nikki trying to convince me to stop, rest, ice, elevate but i had done the damage, why stop now!?
I actually managed to come equal 1st on the B course which was crazy! We all sat around for a while after and reflected on the morning and regaled the brilliant facility that we have on our doorstep. 
To be expected my ankle blew up like a balloon and now 2 weeks on i still have brusing on my toes and running still provides a little pain but it's getting better.  

This is the type of place that will eat up quite a significant amount of my time and you know what, i'm ok with that! Yes it is a little more expensive than my Jetts gym membership (which i currently have on hold) BUT for the small increase in membership at BaseCamp the facilities it provides is so far and above anything that Jetts has or any other gym in Adelaide. 

Adelaide is a funny place though. People get so excited about new things, events, businesses or whatever it is but when time comes to take the plunge suddenly 99% of these people go missing! If we want facilities like this we need to get around them and support them! I for one will be taking a leap of faith with Luke and Nikki in some small way and signing up for an annual membership ($17per week over 12 months) because i believe in what they are doing and if i want to operate at the best of my (limited) abilities then i need to train sports specific! What better place to do it at!?

Stay tuned for some BIG announcements, training details and maybe even a special guest running a weekend camp which will help you find some Hurt that you have been Searching for.....

Want more info? 
Give them a call 
(08) 7226 0533

Drop in and see them 
2 Brandwood street, Royal Park, SA, 5014

Facebook them 
Base Camp - South Australia

Check out their website 
www.sabasecamp.com.au/

Even send me a message and i'll try and point you in the right direction


i am not affiliated with BaseCamp in any way, shape or form, i am just a passionate OCR Competitor, fitness enthusiast and really just love what these guys are trying to do.

LED Lenser H7.2 Headlamp Review

After committing to the True Grit 24hour endurance race in June of this year I decided I need to start checking off things on both the mandatory and advisable equipment lists. One of the mandatory items is a head torch.

Knowing that I would be able to test this out in a shorter race at the recently held Dirt Wars Survivor race I managed to wrangle a head torch on to my Christmas list to Santa and I must have been a good boy throughout the year because come Christmas Day a LED Lenser H7.2 awaited me!

Not being familiar with this style of equipment and also not wanting “santa” to spend up too much I spotted this model in the Anaconda catalogue and after some research the specs seemed to stack up pretty well for an entry level head torch.

The H7.2 is rated at 250 lumens output with a maximum of 60hours burn time. It is powered by 4 x AA batteries which are located in a comfortable housing at the back of the head strap. It is also waterproof up to an IPX4 rating which is middle of the road  but suitable for most OCR/Trail run conditions. The quoted weight, with batteries, is 165 grams which is noticeable but comfortable when worn.

When I first looked at the unit I was a little unsure of the comfortability and stableness of it without having the over skull strap but these worries were quickly alleviated when after a couple of strap adjustments it was securely placed on my noggin. The strap provides an adequate amount of padding both at the front and back of the head where the major components of the torch are located.

The torch offers a low and high beam with the ability to adjust the scope of the beam wider and narrower dependent on the conditions and trails that you are running in.

Taking it out for the first run at Dirt Wars Survivor night run recently was a surreal experience. My night runs previously were road based and relied solely on the ambient light provided from the street lamps and cars. I hadn’t ventured off road in the night before. The LED Lenser H7.2 performed really well but I did find it difficult at the start to get used to running in the artificial light. The beam itself was strong and ensured I had a good view for my footing when running through the trails and was safe when going through the obstacles. It got to a point where I didn’t even notice that I was running with a head  lamp (this could have been fatigue related)and the unit remained secure throughout the race despite 100m slides, up and over multiple cargo nets, through tunnels and over fences.

The LED Lenser H7.2 offers the helpful functionality of being able to adjust the beam from wide to narrow which is helpful along a myriad of different trails, roads and Obstacles. It is easy enough to adjust just by twisting the outer casing (the grey bit) of the LED surround.

Below are some photos showing the light, granted not taken in the best place but you get the idea.

1. No light

2. Low beam

3. High Beam

I am confident about running with this head torch at True Grit Enduro and can see this being part of my kit for NF100 in 2016.

I will have to remember to bring a spare set of batteries along with any event that I attend just to be safe.  

                                

Dirt Wars Survivor - Heat Wave 2015

Well lets get this out of the way first. WHAT A GREAT WEEKEND!

Dirt Wars Survivor Heat Wave was held at Loveday 4x4 adventure park which is about a 15-20min drive from the town of Barmera in South Australia.

I wouln’t have heard about this event had I not been involved in the SA Obs Racers facbook group and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to get to this. There didn’t seem to be much commentary around the place that I could research and the website didn’t give a lot away so I was really flying blind, which was a little disconcerting to say the least as I am one that likes to know what is coming!

As we approached Loveday from our just over 3hour drive from home I was amazed at the set up that was there. The property is MASSIVE with mounds upon mound upon MOUNDS of dirt tracks, jumps, moguls, manmade creek beds etc etc. Some of the ramps were massive! Scattered amongst the 4x4 track I spied a cargo net a-frame,  a small vertical wall and some monkey bars...what else was out there that I couldn’t see?!!??

We set up our camp site then decided to go for a wander around and see what was out there!

There is an old hay shed (I think) that has been converted into the “Loveday Tavern” which seemed to be a meeting point for the locals and racers together. What stuck us immediately was the fact that there were 4...that’s right 4 jumping castles! Sweet kids are sorted! BUT wait there’s more. Dirst Wars offered a “Tacker Attack” course which is an obstacle course specifically deigned for kids! for a nominal $15 per child they were able to access the jumping castles and the approx 800m kiddie course which was amazing! A fantastic initiative and one that I would like to see more events incorporate. The kids loved jumping, climbing, crawling and swinging but by far their own “mud mile” was the highlight for kids big and small.

Dirt Wars Survivor also offered a “glow stick” night run. This included a 5km obstacle run, leaving at sun down, with the course marked by glow sticks! A head torch was almost a must for this but I did hear of people completing it without it but it would have been VERY difficult to do! Last Christmas I scored a LED Lenser 7.2 head torch in preparation for True Grit Enduro so it was awesome to give this a good hit out and it sure performed.

The course, at night, was amazing. Such a different feel out there and the artificial light makes it so much more challenging. The 2 highlights of the night course were the 100m water slide and the maze that had been built, in the dirt! I started the night run strongly and found my way to the front part of the group which was a little surprising. I did find that the crisp night air played havoc with my breathing which I hadn’t encountered before. When we got to the waterslide we were instructed to take our shoes off in order to preserve the plastic for the run in the morning. Trouble was I couldn’t get mine back on easily and being that I was in the top 3 I elected not to waste time and decided carrying them was the best option. Throwing them over verticle cargo nets and crawling through piping with them was not ideal! Somehow coming out of the maze I found myself in 2^nd place which I managed to hold through to the finish! decent result!

After a less than ideal sleep (damn campers making noise!) *shakes fist angrily* I rocked up for the elite race rave at 0630 only to be told our start had been delayed due to repairs on the slide. Apparently the dogs had been running on it. At 7:05 Tony yelled “GO” and we were off, dodging the swags scattered on the grass which I can only assume were the after effects of the bar closing at 2am, we hit the start and over a dirt hill and BANG straight in to the mud (think mud mile at TM but not as difficult) The first section of the course was up and down the previously mentioned mud hills A-Frames and cargo nets. These obstacles didn’t prove difficult per say but were taxing on the legs. Couldn’t imagine taking a 4x4 up there!

After the conclusion of the front course I was comfortably running in the top 4 and had a decent gap on those behind. I managed to pace myself along the bloody annoying sand run then took 3^rd through some of the vertical nets and pipe crawls. The back half of the course is more obstacle based with softer sand and gravel running.  Luckily doing the maze in the night run I was able to navigate this with little trouble. The “worst” and I mean worst in an OCR sense of being a taxing but necessary obstacle was the 100+m of 2-3m high soft sand dirt moguls. These blew my legs to pieces! By this stage 2^nd place was in the distance as this guy was a 13 year old whippet! I had him on the obs but he gapped me comfortably on the runs. ohhh to be young! Coming in to the final 1.5km there were some tyre runs, a hay bale climb and balance beams before making your way to the monkey bars. Somehow my young friend in 2^nd took a wrong turn so I caught back up to him. I put him back on track and allowed him to take the front position which he earned, until the next obstacle which was monkey bars. I blitzed this and entered the last obstacle which was a cargo net climb up on to the back of a flat bed truck, across a balance beam on a wall then DING DING DING! Ring the bell and your done! 8.89kms in 1:07 for 2^nd place in the race wave! Another guy, Robbie, did a 57min lap to claim overall, relegating me to 3^rd, but he didn't run in the official race wave so I’m claiming 2^nd! Robbie, who claimed the quickest course time is an absolute machine and has been smashing the training and you can see it really paid off at the event. 

Absolutely stoked with my runs especially with the fact I am yet to own a dedicated pair of OCR shoes so I am constantly scrounging for something and I have also been battling some painful tendonitis in my left foot from Tough Mudder in December.

After I completed the course I was able to spend some time talking to Tony Whately who owns Loveday 4x4 and stages Dirt Wars. He is extremely passionate about improving this event and building the profile of it up. This is a “no frills” event. If you want massive headlining obstacles, marshalls at every ob, medals etc you won’t get that here! If you want to push yourself in a fantastic course that boasts 55 obstacles across an 8km course which will test you physically and mentally then this is for you! Tony’s team are laid back and encouraging, always willing to yell support, and heckle at times. Loveday have the potential to expand the course and diversify it at each event so it becomes a little like Forrest Gump, “you never know what you’re gonna get”.  For me, I rated this course as harder and more enjoyable than Tough Mudder....oOOOOOO controversial! Big call I know but there were many others that I spoke to who had the same opinion! OCR events can no longer rely on 2-4 headline obstacles and  the fact that they feel they have the market cornered due to their global size. This will force all events to continually evolve in order to not just grow but primarily maintain their market share.

It was great for me, being a new comer on the OCR scene, to meet so many wonderful and passionate athletes who are always willing to give hints and tips and most of all support to anyone who needs it! Egos are pushed to one side.

I really didn’t want to rub it in to Beast as I know that he was extremely disappointed in not being able to attend but this was a brilliant event with a well thought out, tough, enjoyable and testing course. Overall I give this is 8.5/10. Cant wait for the next one!!!