Evan Perperis is a NSCA-CPT and obstacle course racer for the MudGear-Hannibal Race Pro Team (www.OCRproteam.com). An author of 8x OCR books, 350+ articles and the host of more than 200+ episodes of the Strength & Speed podcast, he is involved in almost every facet of the sport. With over 95 podium finishes he is best known for his ultra-endurance charity events which often spend days which have raised more than $26,000 for charity, which are chronicled his book "Ultra-OCR Man: From Special Forces Soldier to Record Setting OCR Athlete" and documentary "Ultra-OCR Man", both available at www.UltraOCRman.com

Review: Kemimoto Heated Vest

I’m not quite sure how it happened but I seemed to have become the electronically heated apparel reviewer for the Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) world.  I recently had the opportunity to try out another heated product, this time a vest from Kemimoto.  With more than half a dozen heated apparel reviews, I’ve started to form
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The Safety of Run Training

In a recent article by Runner’s World 92% of women and 28% of men have felt unsafe running.  Luckily for you, I have 20 years of military experience working in Special Forces and 20+ years of running experience (that includes a decade of OCR specific training) to apply to the topic.  Add in the simple
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Race Review: Naticook Challenge 5k OCR

After living in the Midwest for my whole Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) career, I recently moved to the northeast of the US and was excited to check out some of the local brands.  The first on my list in the New England area was the Naticook Challenge 5k OCR at the southern end of New
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How to Save/Make Money From Racing

I’ve spent a decade racing and have spent so much money traveling you might question my decision making.  However, what you may not know is I’ve made more than I’ve spent in the sport thanks to a mix of creativity, understanding human psychology and a little hard work.  While some podium prizes did help, that’s
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Naked Goat Vanilla Protein Review

I recently tried Naked Goat Chocolate protein powder and thought it tasted great.  Chocolate tends to be my “go to” when trying a new protein flavor as it can easily mask the taste if it isn’t the best.  However, their chocolate tasted so good I decided to try their vanilla as well, which is a
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Murder Creek Mud Run Review

Thanks to my day job, I was outside my normal Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) bubble recently and free the morning of Murder Creek Mud Run.  I took a quick trip into Alabama to see what the race, run by Phoenix OCR, was all about.  Here’s a quick assessment and if you should make the trip:
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Manscaped Performance Package 5.0 Ultra Review

You may have seen MANSCAPED products advertised on some of your favorite podcast platforms or on advertisement placement at major sporting events like the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC).  I decided to check out their Platinum Package body grooming kit to see if the advertisement lives up to the hype and if it is worth it
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Race Review: Hazelwood OCR: The Mosh

If you’ve lived in Missouri, you may have heard of Hazelwood Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) events by now.  They typically do 2x events a year, each with a fun theme often changing the names.  The early Spring (sometimes held in Winter) one this year was called “The Mosh”.  A metal themed race that is part
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Race Review: Alula Tough Mudder Infinity Saudi Arabia

I had the opportunity to travel to the largest prize purse event in Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) history, Tough Mudder Infinity in Saudi Arabia.  I’ll be releasing an article on The OCR Report (www.TheOCRReport.com) covering the nuances of the experiences as well as a podcast on Strength & Speed OCR (Strength & Speed (teamstrengthspeed.com)).  If
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Naked Protein Coffee (Mocha Latte) Review

I don’t drink that many flavored beverages besides coffee, so when I see a coffee based product that includes additional benefits like protein, I’m immediately interested.  With that in mind, I picked up Naked Nutrition’s Protein Coffee to give it a taste test to see if this is something I want to drink instead of
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World’s Toughest Mudder Comparison: The One With the Really Long Penalty Loops

With 2023’s World’s Toughest Mudder (WTM) coming to an end, the inevitable question is how does this one compare to other World’s Toughest Mudder events.  As someone who has done every event starting in Las Vegas in 2014, here’s my thoughts broken down by topic:    Terrain:  Honestly at this point, the courses are starting
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Race Review: Muddy Water OCR

I’ve been traveling around the Midwest more than usual this year looking for hidden Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) gems.  Whether it be amazing obstacles, great atmosphere or just a fun course that stands out among the 150+ events I’ve done.  Well, I think I stumbled upon one last weekend and here’s why… Venue & Terrain: 
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Race Review: Wildwood Obstacle Run

There’s an Obstacle Course Race (OCR) 20 minutes from my house that I haven’t been to over the last 2.5 years I’ve lived in the area until this weekend.  The event typically falls on a major race weekend like Obstacle Course Racing World Championships (OCRWC) but luckily this year, OCRWC is later than normal.  After
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Ultra-OCR Man Documentary Now Available

After a couple of years of shooting, producing and editing, my documentary is finally available for release.  Professional filmmaker Bobby Ross followed me around periodically for a couple of years to get all the footage required.  The 24 minute documentary is now available for digital download or streaming here. The movie covers a couple two
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Race Review: The Siege

I took a trip out to Garden City, Kansas for the second year in a row to run The Siege Obstacle Course Race (OCR) put on by Core Fitness.  A couple things had changed even though the event was at the same venue.  Here’s how it went and if The Siege is getting better by
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Wichita Gladiator Dash: Race Review

There’s been a race within a couple hours of my house that I’ve had a conflict with since 2016.  Wichita Gladiator Dash is Wichita’s longest running Obstacle Course Race (OCR).  They’ve been putting on events since 2012 and it finally fit into my schedule so I went down there to check it out.  Check In/Location: 
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Rugged Maniac OKC Race Review

The biggest party race in the country is still going nationwide.  Rugged Maniac has been around since the beginning of Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) holding events all across the US.  I headed south to Oklahoma City to check on the brand and see if they are still delivering the same high quality party atmosphere and
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Race Review: Tough Mudder Infinity Philly

Tough Mudder kicked off their endurance event series in the US last weekend with Infinity in Philadelphia.  This was my 2nd Infinity event and more than 50th Tough Mudder event.  Here’s a rundown of how it went and where Tough Mudder Headquarters (TMHQ) fell short of their normal high standard: Parking:  Parking was offsite, which
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Race Review: T.H.O.R.

I took a trip down to Wichita Falls, Texas to check out Texoma’s Hellish Obstacle Run (T.H.O.R.) this past weekend.  Here’s how it went and if you should make the trip to northern Texas to run their course.  Parking & Check In: Check-in was smooth and easy with parking available right next to the festival. 
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Hazelwood OCR Massacre Race Review

Ask any participant in an obstacle course racing (OCR) event what was their favorite part and they seem to always say “the obstacles”.  People show up to OCRs for the obstacles and a common complaint is, “I wish there were more obstacles”.  If that sounds like you, then you need to head to Hazelwood OCR
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Race Review: Hannibal Race Kuwait

I recently had the opportunity to travel all the way to Kuwait for Hannibal Race, my first Obstacle Course Racing World Championship (OCRWC) qualifier of 2023.  This is my 5th Hannibal Race and third time I’ve taken a transatlantic flight to make it to one of their events.  Here’s how I thought 2023 went and
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Gear Review: ORORO Buffalo Gloves

ORORO, the company known for provided great pre/post-race heated apparel and keeping my pit crew warm as I run around for 24+ hours at time (watch the OCR Everest 10 minute documentary).  Besides  having heated scarfs, vests, socks, seat warmers and jackets, they also have heated gloves.  I picked up a pair of their Buffalo
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Gear Review: ORORO’s New Batteries

I race in the extremes.  Extreme hot (48 hours of Endure The Gauntlet), extreme cold (OCR America 2), extreme elevation (OCR Everest), extreme pain (OCRmill 24) and extreme distance (Ultra-OCR) .  When it comes to how I spend my time off the course or between laps, I try to maximize comfort.  This is where ORORO
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GoFundMe for fundraising for your favorite charity?

Every year I do a self-created Ultra-Obstacle Course Racing (Ultra-OCR) charity event.  They often get progressively more questionable each year in the past have included things like 24 hours of treadmill OCR, 48 hour multi-lap, 8 day of 8 OCR marathons in the winter and 2022’s climb the height of Everest while doing obstacles.  When
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What’s the Difference with the BleggMit Styles?

If you’ve been in the Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) world for more than a couple of months you probably have heard of BleggMits.  BleggMits are OCR gloves created by world champion OCR athlete and adventure racer Deanna Blegg.  To put simply, they are neoprene mittens that allow you to fold back the top exposing your
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Race Review: The Siege

Thanks to OCR Buddy, I’ve been finding hidden Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) gyms all over the USA.  Their app makes it easy to find races off the beaten path, which brings me to The Siege in Garden City, KS.  Located right in the middle of Kansas, I decided to venture out there to see what
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Race Review: Rugged Maniac NJ

Rugged Maniac is a brand that has been around for a decade boasting the best party in Obstacle Course Racing (OCR).  I’ve been to their events all throughout the Midwest but I’ve never been to one of their events on the coast.  With a race near my extended family, I headed out to Englishtown, New
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Race Review: BONEFROG NJ

BONEFROG, the world’s only US Navy SEAL inspired Obstacle Course Race (OCR), has been around for years.  Despite being a mainstay of the industry they recently announced they were canceling all their 2022 events but two (Massachusetts and New Jersey).  Worried I might miss my only chance to run a BONEFROG, I booked a last
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On Endurance: Lessons from OCR for the Wider World of Endurance Sports

Since 2017, I’ve been recording podcasts on my show Strength & Speed OCR.  With over 200+ episodes I’ve had some great guests that have shared some amazing insights on training, mastering complex skills and competing.  Rather than let their lessons be buried amongst hours of other podcasts, I decided to pull out the lessons specific
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OCR Everest: Lessons Learned

For this year’s charity event I decided I was going to climb the height of Everest, 29,032 feet and do obstacles to raise money for Infinite Hero Foundation (PLEASE DONATE HERE and watch the full 10 min professionally produced documentary here).  Mountain running is not my forte but Ultra-Obstacle Course Racing (ultra-OCR) is, so this presented
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OCR Everest Gear Choices

Recently I ran my 7th self created Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) charity event called OCR Everest (watch the full 10 minute professional produced documentary here).  The plan was simple, climb the height of Everest and do obstacles while at the venue of Tough Mudder New England in Stratton Vermont (same location as OCR World Championships 2021/2022). 
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Race Review: Filthy Monkey

I love local brands, so when I found out there was a race that I wasn’t tracking the same distance that I drive to work every day I was super excited.  I did there winter version, The Frozen Monkey back in December, but this was my first time running their summer event, The Filthy Monkey. 
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OCR Everest: Climbing “Everest” with Obstacles

It’s time again for my annual Ultra-Obstacle Course Racing (Ultra-OCR) self-created and painful charity event.  In 2022, the plan is to run the height of Everest (29,029 feet) while doing obstacles at the course of Tough Mudder New England the weekend of June 4-5th in Stratton, Vermont. While I’ve done self-created charity events every year
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Preview: KCOCR Double Down 2022

BACK TO BACK RACING!!! If you are reading this article, chance are you like racing and maybe one of the athletes that regularly does back-to-back racing at one of the big brands. With parts of the Midwest being largely absent of Spartan and Tough Mudder events, it opens things up for some great local/regional events.
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Race Review: Hazelwood Valentine’s Day Massacre

I’ve been eyeing Hazelwood’s (St. Louis, MO) races for a couple of years now; they just haven’t quite worked well with my schedule. Honestly, this one didn’t either, but I decided to live a little and head out there anyway; here’s what I thought of their unique ~3 miles with almost 50 obstacles event: Parking
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OCR with Grandpa

While most people may not think of Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) as fun for all ages, in my experience it has been.  Two years ago I took my daughter, a regular participant in Young Lions OCR, at the age of 5 on her first adult length OCR at KC Timber Challenge.  Since then she continues
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Gear Review: HYLETE Circutie II Echo Training Shoe

If you don’t already own HYLETE products you are missing out on some of my favorite clothing.  Their softness is unmatched and they are very durable making it great regardless of what you are doing.  While their apparel is top notch, in the last couple of years they launched shoes too.  Making shoes is a
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Gear Review: HYLETE Iso Shell Jacket

If you’ve ever seen me at an Obstacle Course Race (OCR) event not in my racing clothes, then you were looking at a head to toe HYLETE outfit.  Their apparel is soft, high quality and durable.  My female teammates also regularly race in their sports bras and compression pants, but this article is focused on
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Gym Spotlight: Motus Ninjas

  I have a (fairly unimpressive) background in triathlon.  However, the best thing I took out of that sport was if you want to become a faster triathlete, you swim with swimmers, bike with cyclists and run with runners.  Training with those who are ultra-specialized will pull you to a higher level in each so
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Gear Review: HYLETE Optic Denim Jeans

  If you’ve been reading my articles, it is no secret that I absolutely love HYLETE’s products.  They are high quality, stylish, and often have an athletic cut making them great to show off all the hard work you’ve been doing.  With everything from them being a five star review, I decided to pick up
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Which Playout Game is Right for Me?

Playout is the card/fitness games started by an Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) athlete to get you, your family, friends and kids moving.  With five different options when you go to the website you may be wondering, which one is the best for me?  Here’s a quick comparison of their decks along with some of my
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Rugged Goes X-treme: Rugged Maniac X

When I hear the words “multi-lap” my ears perk up immediately.  After all, I’ve built my racing career around endurance running and multi-lap races (reference my book Ultra-OCR Man).  Despite running Rugged Maniac since 2015, I’ve never done their multi-lap version until now.  Here’s what you need to know if you are getting ready for
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