Jump over an eight foot wall? No problem. 
Crawl under 300 feet of barbed wire? Bring it!
Run 3,000 feet up and down mountains? Love it!

Mud, water, cold, heat - so many words could describe the world of OCR (Obstacle Course Racing). My favorite of the obstacle races are Spartan Races. These races range in category from “Sprint”, 3-5 miles plus 20-23 obstacles. the “Super” which is 8-10 miles of running plus 24-29 obstacles, the “Beast” which is
12-14 miles of running and 30-35 obstacles and the “Ultrabeast” defined by 26 miles of running and 50+ obstacles.

I got my first taste of obstacle racing after one of my best friends from college got me to apply for the NBC Spartan TV show, which we ended up doing together. After having a blast filming the TV Show (a team event) I was ready to tackle some courses on my own.

Being a former professional triathlete, the running was my strength but the obstacles - especially the ones requiring grip strength, was a huge weakness. I worked extremely hard over the last eight months building my grip strength and learning as much as I could about OCR racing including how to train, what to
eat, and what to wear. The clothing is a huge piece - you are constantly crawling, running and climbing. On hot days a sports bra with arm warmers to protect your arms is a great choice, and if the weather is cold and a tech shirt is required it needs to be tight as once it's wet, it can drag / hang and get caught on the
obstacles.

Socks - a key for sure. I absolutely have to have my Point6 socks. Your feet are getting wet, then you are climbing and descending a mountain and you want to have the confidence that your feet wont blister. Point6 socks give me the comfort and protection I need no matter what the elements are like.

With 10 Masters (40+) podium finishes in 2016 I am looking very forward to the World Championships that I have qualified for to be hosted in Lake Tahoe this October.