“When people start discussing a scandal, it’s hard to talk about anything else” – Dave Kovic, acting as President Mitchell in Dave (1993)
When I was on my honeymoon, my house was robbed. When I came back from my trip to Kenya and Tanzania, no one asked about the elephants, giraffes, lions, and lion kills I witnessed or the beauty of the Island of Zanzibar. All people asked about was my house and what had happened. It was as if the trip had never happened.
What does this have to do with obstacle racing and the World Obstacle/UIPM OCR World Championships that happened this past weekend? There were some amazing races by some amazing athletes, but once issues occur, they become the topic of discussion.
Let me start by saying that I was not in Costa Rica. I was not part of any decisions made in Costa Rica. I am not defending or approving of any decisions made in Costa Rica. Those who know me, work with me, communicate with me, or even are a part of the OCR Buddy Community see that I care about one thing: the OCR Community as a whole, including the brands, the Federations, the events, the race producers/owners and the athletes.
This past weekend, World Obstacle/UIPM held the OCR World Championships in Costa Rica. OCR Costa Rica produced this event in part. They and volunteers from the World Obstacle Board have been preparing for different parts of this event for a year.
National Federations worldwide have been working to determine which athletes would be selected to compete at this event. They have spent countless hours supporting those athletes and celebrating their status as representatives of their home country.
Hundreds of athletes have spent thousands of hours training to qualify for this event. Those who did qualify spent thousands more hours preparing to race in a 3k, 15k, or 100m event, representing their country to the best of their ability.
Isn’t that what the focus should be? The athletes and those who worked hard spent hours in the gym and on the course. They are spending money to get to the event, register for the event, and finally get a chance to put on their home country’s uniform with the opportunity to represent their country.
But there is an elephant in the room. The weekend itself was not perfect. There were announced winners in the Women’s Elite 15k, changes were made afterward, and more changes were made after that. The Women’s Team event had a disqualification and a reinstatement, changing the bronze medal. A social media influencer overran the obstacles and delayed the event. I am sure many other topics people have could be valid. What all these issues do is take the focus of what matters.
The athletes.
I do not only mean the Elite athletes, who are amazing. I also mean the Age Group athletes who work their asses off to be the best that they can be. I mean the 100m athletes (some from the Ninja world) and the Open/Everyday athletes. Thousands, if not millions, of obstacle athletes out there, need to be reminded that they are the focus of obstacle racing.
Whether the complaints are valid or not (and I am not judging, nor do I have the right or the ability to do so), they distract from the athletes.
If you have an issue with World Obstacle and how they are running things, have you tried to reach out to their organization and voice an opinion? Have you thought about getting involved and changing from the inside? Is that not how change happens?
Same thing with your National Federation, if you have one. Why not make a change?
People consistently voice opinions on Spartan and its various events. Have you reached out and spoken to people? They will listen if you try. I have, and I have been heard. You may not believe it, but Spartan and almost every for-profit company will always try to improve when their business is affected.
Back to the athletes, the ones who should be congratulated and recognized. That is all I try to do. I do not “break news” or “make news” unless asked or I have permission. There are people much better at it than I could be. But if I can do something to congratulate athletes, I will do that. If I can share a story or a post that someone has posted, I will do so. I will do my best if I can help someone get a little exposure when it is deserved.
Shouldn’t that be the focus? Shouldn’t the focus be on the people and athletes sweating every day to be their best?
Yes, problems need to be fixed, issues must be resolved, and we all need to do better, be better, and try harder to promote this sport that we all love. Let rulings be made, and let’s congratulate the winners. But remember that there are other people involved, those who were rewarded and then taken away.
Remember that we are all people hoping to participate in a sport that will love us back the way we love it. I do that by running an app and promoting this entire community. I won’t stop because you all deserve it, and keep pushing me to do better for you all.
Did people eventually ask about my honeymoon? Sure. We posted photos, and we told stories about it. We talked about the beauty and grandeur of the animals, the safari, and a part of the world we had never seen. Eventually, the scandals and the bad news fade away because, in the end, we all want to talk about the good, the fun, and the positives. In our sport, that is every one of you.
