Men\'s Health UK - 10.2019

MEN’S HEALTH 41

A

MATTERS OF COURSE

Once strictly for fun and games, obstacle course racing

is now a gruelling sport. These are the ABCs of OCR

WHAT

SHOULD

I AVOID?

Injury stories have

long dragged OCR

through the mud, but

disasters are rare and

the best races have

on-site paramedics.

Most of the injuries

come from climbing

obstacles. “Remember

the ‘three points of

contact’ rule,” Moore

says. “Never have less

than two hands and

a foot, or a hand

and two feet, on the

obstacle.” It’s not easy

• but that’s the point.

WILL IT GET ME RIPPED?

You don’t have to crawl too far under

the cargo nets to grasp OCR’s calorie-

burning and muscle-building potential.

Your training will incinerate fat, while

hauling your entire weight over

obstacles and trying not to fall over

will target your upper body and core

• helping to sculpt a physique that
  looks good and performs even better.

DO I NEED ANY

SPECIAL KIT?

“There are two pieces of kit

that regular OCR racers are

well acquainted with,” says

Moore. “The Dryrobe (£128

dryrobe.com) keeps post-race

hypothermia at bay, while the

KitBrix (£59 kitbrix.com) is

a robust bag primed for

adventure.” Those who want

to take their training to the

next level can construct

garden rigs, installing monkey

bars and rings. Bulldoggear.eu

has all the gear you need.

06_

WHO’S IT FOR?

If you’re bored of cardio, this is

your next challenge. We’re not

talking about a frolic around the

odd Tough Mudder here: OCR is

a chance for triathlon enthusiasts

and trail runners to get their hands

dirty and truly test their mettle.

02_

03_

04_

IS THERE A SIGNATURE

MOVE TO MASTER?

Each race is different but, at some point,

you’ll almost certainly be hauling heavy

objects. Prepare your grip and

arm strength with the suitcase

carry. Your feet hip-width

apart, stand between two

challenging weights

• dumbbells, or literally
  suitcases. Descend,
  inhale, then deadlift the
  weights. Walk forward
  for 20m with an upright
  chest, then place the
  weights back on the floor.
  Repeat four times.

01_

WHERE DO I START?

Alan Moore of UK OCR decribes the sport as a “tough-nut

challenge” in which “borderline hypothermia is almost

guaranteed”. In other words, nothing compares to

learning on the job at events such as Spartan Race. Moore

recommends training up with trail running, while honing

your grip and forearm strength at a local bouldering wall.

WANT TO TEST YOUR

STAMINA? GET DOWN

AND REALLY DIRTY

RAISE

THE BAR

Do it the hard way

with our pick

of the world’s

toughest events

SHALE HELL

Shale Hill in Vermont

is a permanent

course with 80

obstacles. Each year,

“Hill” becomes “Hell”

and challengers

complete as many

laps of the 10km

race as possible.

NUCLEAR

RUSH

This looks like an

ordinary race until

you reach the 119m-

long set of “gorilla

bars”, which only one

person has ever

completed under

race conditions.

Do you feel lucky?

RAT RACE

DIRTY DOUBLE

As the name of this

race suggests, two

laps awaits each brave

participant. All in all,

you’ll overcome 400

obstacles over 64km,

then fall in a heap.

Remember: no one’s

making you do it.

OCR WORLD

CHAMPIONSHIP

Though you’ll face 50

obstacles over 15km

of tricky terrain, the

most daunting thing

about this race is

going up against the

hard-as-nails elite

competitors from

more than 65 nations.

05_

TREND

SECRETS

OBSTACLE

COURSES

KEEP CALM AND

CARRY... ER,

WORDS: AARON TOUMAZOU | ILLUSTRATION: BEN MOUNSEY | PHOTOGRAPHY: SPARTANSUITCASES

22

MUD, SWEAT,

NO FEARS

23

BEST OF

THE TESTS