Ever wonder why those around you seem to be making progress with their training, getting stronger and faster, while you feel like you are being left behind? Or why you have done mobility drills every single day for the past 6+ months without any apparent gains being made? It comes down to what I call

Frontline OCR  one of the absolute best races we have ever participated in, by far!! Tough As Funk!  30+ obstacles (I counted 40!) 6 miles, beautiful and tough terrain. Well run, like clockwork, incredibly organized and well planned. Day 1. We arrived a day early and checked out the newly laid course. Race Ready Obstacles,

How do you rate your resiliency on a scale of 1-10? Do you find yourself constantly injured, always nursing some ache or pain or training through pain? Or do you only experience an injury if you have a traumatic event occur? The more resilient you can make your body, the better athlete you will be.

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

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

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

The article from the Wall Street Journal has caused a lot of conversation about Spartan’s future and what they can do to turn the tide. It also became about if the tide should be turned or not. We wont even start this debate. For me, I am a marketing nerd. I do it for a

On May 16th, the Wall Street Journal reported that Spartan Race faced a cash crunch.  The obstacle racing community was fired up on both sides of the Spartan fence.  Those that love Spartan tried to give a rationale as to why this is temporary, and Spartan will bounce back.  The anti-Spartan crowd had fodder to

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). 

Brampton, Cumbria, UK is home to a small obstacle race called Gelt Gladiator. Being a seasoned OCR fun runner,  I was quite excited to try out a new race. The first obstacle was a muddy trench about 10 metres from the start! Then the mud just kept on coming. Cargo nets, walls broke this up.

We often think we need to be training for hours a day in order to meet our goals. To some extent, that may be accurate, but many times that is not the case. If you are training for a marathon or longer endurance event, yes, you need to be training longer at times so your

June 5 will always be known as Stupid Sunday because what I did was stupid. How can I explain this better than to explain why? Since I was 13 years old, I have been playing in an “organized pickup” softball game in my hometown that runs from April to October. When I play, it is

This year, I decided to add another OCR race and join my family for the Terrain Race in Millville, NJ. We were hoping for a fun-filled day at the event since the social media of the event looked great. Unfortunately, we found the event to be very lackluster. The event was listed as a free

Mobility. Stability. We hear and read about both when injured, but many times aren’t sure what needs to be done…or why…or when. As a general, all areas of the body needs a balance of both. With that said, certain joints or areas of the body require more stability, and others require more mobility; these areas

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. 

Your First Mud Run is an obstacle race in which the whole family, parents and children, run the course together.  This family-friendly event, featuring medals, shirts, free bag check, free parking, no spectator fee and more is the brainchild of Brad Vaccaro. Brad took some time to sit with us and be the next guest

You have a constant tightness that will not go away no matter how much stretching you do for it. You have done all the stretches and rolling that your physical therapist, chiropractor, massage therapist, friend, YouTube, and/or Dr. Google told you to do for it, but still aren’t back to training like you want to

James Burton is an elected Director of the United Kingdom Obstacle Sports Federation and a top obstacle racing athlete. He has competed around the world and is preparing to represent his country at next week’s European OCR Championships in Italy.  James was kind enough to join us as the next guest on “10 Questions with…”

Many running injuries happen annually. Depending on the research you look at, between 50-75% of runners get injured every year. Many of those are chronic injuries…and also what I call preventable injuries. Running in itself typically does not cause injuries (unless you trip over something and injure yourself) and yet many runners tend to end

For Global Running Day on June 1, 2022; the parent company of Rugged Maniac, Ventures Endurance, is partnering with Califonia-based non-profit Shoes that Fit to make a difference in low-income children’s lives. From Shoes That Fit: Shoes That Fit tackles one of the most visible signs of poverty by giving kids in need new athletic

May 14th, 2022 marked the third year that Highlander Assault held Dark Ages, a night race that includes overnight camping and the opportunity to create lasting memories around the bonfire with the racing community. They have continually built on the idea, adding new obstacles and new experiences every year. Last year they added the option

This past weekend, three OCR Buddy Ambassadors completed their first Spartan Ultra. While fresh in their mind, I thought it would be great to spend a little time with them and ask about their preparation and event. Let us introduce you to Greg Champion, Emma Bivens and Sherry Valenzuela as they are today’s guests on

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

The first quarter of 2022 has seen the Mud Gear- Battle of the Lions Pro Team take to the course at American Ninja Warrior, Hyrox, and Spartan to start. They reflect on a successful first three months of 2022. OCR Buddy is a proud supporter of Mud Gear- Battle of the Lions Pro Team.  1)

On April 30, 2022,  I was presented a chance to run a local OCR Event in my home state of North Carolina.  The Bear Crawl OCR.  The Venue is located in Morganton, North Carolina. About Bear Crawl OCR –  The Bear Crawl OCR was created to replicate the obstacles and challenges we face in life. 

Train smarter, not just harder!  Don’t get me wrong, as athletes we want to train hard and push ourselves. Personally, I train hard on a regular basis. But there is more to training than just continuing to push harder. We also need to train smarter when we are training. What does training smarter mean? It

Your habits can make you or break you. This is not only in life but also in how you move. The body is great at moving to allow you to function…but sometimes to your detriment. Look at any toddler or young child, and you will see them perform a great squat – weight on the

Many people are excited about the recent news regarding obstacle course racing.  In a poll recently performed in the OCR Buddy Community Group on Facebook, 85% of those who responded indicated that no final decision regarding the obstacle discipline in the Modern Pentathlon had been made, but many are hopeful. I went through the internet

Bob Clark is the founder and CEO of Ultimate Ninja Athlete Ninja Association (UNAA).  The UNAA is a worldwide ninja association, with championships happening in Las Vegas in July.  We wanted to learn a little more about Bob, the start of UNAA, and what are his long-term plans.  We thank Bob for his time, and

Luke De-benedictis is on the Spartan UK Pro team, Co-Host of Multi-Sport Media Podcast, Ambassador/Representative of many companies, and in my experience, and all-around good guy.  We asked Luke to give us a few minutes of his time between work and training, and he is the next to join us on “10 Questions with… How

Al Agra is the President of the President of Pilipinas Obstacle Sports Federation, the Obstacle Sports Federation for Asia, General Counsel to the Philippines Olympic Committee, and the Treasurer for World Obstacle. There are very few people in the world with as much knowledge and involvement in the sport of obstacle racing. The Philippines is

Many runners experience pain in the lower leg, ankle, and/or foot at some point.  Sometimes it is due to trauma, such as an ankle sprain, but most times it comes out of nowhere.  When this happens, you do everything you can think of to resolve it – consult with Dr. Google, consult with YouTube, ask

Last week, OCR Buddy posed the following question to the OCR Community: “What is the difference between a local race and a small race?” And followed it up by also asking, “Also, does/can a race series qualify as a local race? Can a one-time race not be “local”?” The answers were interesting to see and

A few years ago, I interviewed @alexandra_tx_ranger (Alex Walker) and called the article, “The Best OCR Athlete You Never Heard Of”. That has obviously changed. Through her training and perseverance, Alex had positioned herself into one of the top athletes in obstacle racing today. She does that while balancing training, life, and work. We thank

Most people, when completing an obstacle, do not think about how it was made or who built it. Aaron and Dana of Race Ready Obstacles not only wondered about those questions but became one of the premier obstacle builders in the OCR Community. They took a few minutes out of their schedule to join us

Dave Claxton is well known around the OCR Community. He is the co-host of Obstacle Fitness X, oversees Team OFX, moderates OCR Tribe on Facebook, and co-hosts The OCR Weekly Show on Obstacle Racing Media. He was kind enough to sit down and be the next guest on “10 Questions with…” Dave Claxton. How did

The Hannibal Race is one of the most successful obstacle races in the Middle East. Their popularity is growing. Since 2014, Hannibal Race has produced events in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. OCR Buddy recently spoke with the two people behind The Hannibal Race, Amine Dib, and Hiba Rayess Chehyaeb. We welcome them as the

How do you explain; the Death Race to those outside the community? Peak Racing explains it like this. The race, created by Ultra athlete and Spartan Race founder Joe Desena, was developed as a way for athletes to test themselves both mentally and physically. The Death Races take place in the unexpectedly challenging terrain of

Nicole Mericle was on top of the obstacle racing world when she tore her ACL. While the injury stopped her on the course, she continued to inspire people with her training and progression during her rehabilitation. Showing people that being knocked down is not the end but a new beginning can be as important as

Leon Kofoed has been a European and World Champion. Most already know about him that he is a good, approachable person with a booming personality. We were lucky enough to corral him long enough to join us for “10 Questions with…” Leon Kofoed. How did you find out about obstacle racing, and what was your

Sawtooth is an iconic obstacle for Savage Race, and can challenge the best of OCR athletes. In this edition of Training Tips: We check in with Savage Race as break down how Sawtooth works and share their tips and tricks for making Sawtooth a little easier. Previous Tip: Savage Race Great Wall

The Great Wall is a landmark obstacle for Savage Racers. But learning how to tackle walls is a standard skill that all obstacle course racers need to know to succeed in their OCR journey. In this edition of Training Tips, we check in with Savage Race as they present tips on how to tackle; The

Monkey Bars can be trouble. Especially if you are just starting in your OCR journey. In this Training Tip, we join Spartan Ireland as they share different tips on how to tackle the bars. Previous Tip: Sandbag Carry

Stefano Zappa is the President of the European Obstacle Sports Federation, which oversees the National Federations of over 30 countries in Europe and the very popular OCR European Championships. He is also an experienced obstacle racer who views where our sport is heading, and he is prepared to help lead into the future. We recently

Ida Mathilde is a world-class Red Bull sponsored Danish athlete with multiple successes in obstacle racing since she began racing. While her recent successes may be new to some here in the United States, the Europeans have been watching her stand on podiums for years. She has goals and a plan to get there, and

There is absolutely no other way to say it. The Sandbag carry from Spartan Race can absolutely suck. In this edition of Training Tip. Spartan Australia shares their tips and tricks as to making the Sandbag a little more manageable and how to make the toll a little less on your body. Did you know

We commonly hear and see questions about training tips and tricks in the community, and one of the shared resources people bring up is Youtube. We wanted to share this video from Tough Mudder, which takes you behind the scenes of the TM Classic race and shares tips and tricks to tackle the course. You