Well, well, well, look who decided to join the party, you bunch of hill-climbing, wall-scaling, rig-flowin', mud-racing lunatics!

Welcome to the OCR Crew newsletter.

We'll be covering topics like:

From keeping you up to date, Asking Pro's the questions you're too afraid to ask, to shining a spotlight on the unsung heroes of the community.

We're here to make you think, laugh, and maybe even train smarter.

Alright guys, it’s a slow week, so I’m just pushing out 5 quick items for ya.

The Arizona Monster 300 race went off a couple weeks ago now. It was a gauntlet through Southern Arizona’s wild heart, with subtropical heat, two rainy seasons, and flora and fauna that’ll make you feel like you’re in a sci-fi flick. It had iconic backcountry, high peaks, and a vibe that says, “You sure you wanna dance with me?”

Two OCR dudes, Jeff Lippert and Christian Brown Johnson, proved why our community’s built different. They took their mud-caked, obstacle-crushin’ spirit to the ultra-world, showing that determination and grit ain’t just for monkey bars—they’re for conquering deserts and inspiring us all to keep running, no matter how hard the trail gets.

What did these guys have to say about the race?!?!

Jeff says it was the craziest adventure of his life, and I believe him—141 hours and 4 minutes of pure grind, that’s nearly six days of running through desert like you’re chasing a mirage. He’s out there, dodging cacti and climbing mountains, feeling the highs like he’s riding a bald eagle, but also hitting lows deeper than a catfish hole. He admits he had moments where he wanted to quit, but he dug deep, leaned on his crew—straight-up MVPs who had his back at every aid station—and kept pushing. When he hit that finish line, tears were flowing like a Louisiana rain, and he snagged that badass 300-mile belt buckle, not just for him, but for his crew who carried him through. Jeff’s run shows that OCR heart—when the trail kicks you down, you spit in its face and keep crawling to that finish line.

For Christian, he went looking for the edge of human limits and found it out there in the desert. He wondered how far his body and mind could go, and boy, did he find out—new depths of pain and fatigue, like his legs were screamin’ “We quit!” but his heart said, “Naw, we got this.” He calls it the toughest yet most beautiful race, with trails full of folks from all walks, each with their own “why”. He crossed that finish line, checked a bucket list box, and dropped some wisdom:

Christian’s preaching up a sermon for OCR athletes—find your limit, then blow past it, ‘cause someone out there’s watching you shine.

So, here’s to Jeff, Christian, and every OCR dawg out there—keep chasing those medals, buckles and bucket list goals, and we’ll see y’all at the next mud pit.

Want to find out more?!?!
Leading up to this event (a few weeks prior), I talked with Jeff about this race. His background in running and OCR, his ultra training for this event, his expectations and race plans.

Find that interview here.

Earlier this year I talked with Kevin “Mudman” LaPlatney about being a co-race director this year for the Obstacle Wonderland Spicy Spring event.

Find that interview here.

This past weekend the event kicked off in Wallkill, NY at Obstacle Wonderland. And I drove out and joined in on the 6-hour multi-lap fun on Saturday.

Now, picture this: Myself and everyone else that signed up for the multi-lap was hyped for a muddy good time, expecting a chilly morning, a sprinkle of rain, and lots of obstacles to jump around on 😎

Well, Saturday mornin’ comes, and people wake up to ~3 inches of snow on the ground. And it’s not lettin’ up…😮

Snow, hail, and sleet came down all morning, makin’ the roads slick with folks slidin’ into fender-benders like it was the X-Games of car crashes.

I came close AF to nailing some guy’s mailbox on the way there myself 🙈

They delayed the 6-hour multi-lap race ‘cause Mother Nature was out here actin’ unwise. Still, some hardcore racer souls showed up, lookin’ like they just crawled out of a Yeti’s freezer. And we all hit that course, dodging snowflakes and hauling through mud, tryin’ to warm up our bones. We stayed out there slippin’ and slidin’, just laughin’ through the frostbite, ‘cause that’s how us OCR fanatics roll.

Yeah, the weather tried to punk us, but we flipped it the bird and had a blast anyway.

Then Sunday shows up like a glow-up. Snow’s melting, temps are chillin’ in a good way, and like a 100 racers, plus a gang of kids, come out for the 5K, 10K, and some fun challenges. Everybody’s loving the cliffhanger slide, zippin’ down the zipline finish, and wrestling with them gnarly multi-rigs—30-plus obstacles that’ll test your soul. It was like a big ol’ muddy family reunion.

Obstacle Wonderland’s already planning a fall throwdown in October. So, lace up them sneakers, keep it spicy, and we’ll see y’all in the mud!

And here’s a few of my favorite pictures that were taken over the weekend at the event. Enjoy!
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CONSISTENCY > INTENSITY

Simple, but important.
And to push this point even further.
How about a quote from Running Coach, David Roche.

In Which year was the first OCR World Championship held?

Answers at the bottom of this email 😎

On April 13, 2013, Tough Mudder’s Midwest event in Byron, Illinois, drew over 7,000 racers and made headlines when several participants required medical attention after the Walk the Plank obstacle—a 15-foot jump into cold water. 🥶

One racer’s hypothermia scare, prompted organizers to pause the obstacle temporarily, fueling debates about safety versus the sport’s extreme ethos.

The incident was covered in the local news and the OCR community debated and raised questions over risk management in the sport.

It’s a great way to show support for the page & look good at your next event 😎
Check out the Store page here.

Trivia Question Answer

2014

The OCR World Championships, launched in October 2014 in Ohio, marked a milestone in professionalizing OCR by uniting top athletes outside branded races like Spartan or Tough Mudder. Founded by Adrian Bijanada, it’s a key moment in OCR history.