24 Hour Spartan Iceland Live Tracking via Athlinks
Obstacle Racing Media – Facebook Link, Instagram (and Instagram Stories)
and of course on all of the Spartan Race channels.
2017 Spartan Iceland Coverage Video courtesy of Buffalo.
______________________________________________
Find out why we are famous for providing non-stop live coverage for events like.
Obstacle Racing World Championships
and more.
Today, Adventurey is excited to announce a new championship distance which debuts at the 2019 Obstacle Course Racing World Championships–the 100 Meter Sprint Championships.
“The addition of this competition is the next logical step for our event,” said OCRWC Founder Adrian Bijanada. “Each year we hear from athletes longing for a format that places more emphasis on obstacle technique and proficiency, and we’re thrilled to finally offer them a world-class 100-meter course to compete on. Similar to our other distances, this will be a full-fledged discipline at the OCRWC.”
Utilizing a time-trial format, the 100 Meter Sprint Championships will feature a sprint course comprised of a unique group of obstacles that will be achievable by the vast majority of competitors, which will place particular emphasis on speed, technique, and efficiency of movement.
100M SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIPS
Open Time Trial Format – No Qualification Required Four Divisions: Men Under 40, Women Under 40, Men 40+, Women 40+ (additional divisions may be added at a later date)
I often joke that endurance races are as much of a running competition as they are an eating contest; I love both so no wonder these types of races are my favorite. But the truth is: several hours into the race, eating, just as running, becomes hard. But you can’t quit – because if you stop eating, eventually you’ll run out of fuel, and your legs will no longer let you move. You can never fall behind on nutrition, and if you rely on your hunger to know when to eat another snack you’re already behind.
Knowing this I came into my first ever endurance OCR event, WTM 2017, with a plan: eat often, eat foods high in calories and easy to process, and I would never have to stop running. That plan worked well until the reality of the wetsuit hit me – when you’re covered in layers of neoprene that are covered by more layers of bibs and windbreakers, eating too much (or eating the wrong foods) is just as much of a disaster as eating too little. Wetsuits are expensive and spouses only have so much patience to deal with our crap (pun intended), so I was determined to figure out my nutrition, study my body’s response to different foods, and test new strategies in endurance events throughout the year to come into WTM 2018 better prepared.
The most important thing to figure out is what kinds of foods work well for you. Now is a great time to start – throughout the year, notice which foods give you energy, what puts you to sleep, what you can eat 5 minutes before a workout or a run and not barf. Most importantly, figure out which foods make you poop – I started making notes of things to avoid based on how soon after the meal or a snack I was running for the toilet. For me, two of those are nuts and watermelon, which would otherwise be perfect in a race (nuts are high in calories and watermelon is full of electrolytes). When you’re running around in a wetsuit, however, electrolytes aren’t going to help you much if you turn hypothermic stripping out of your wetsuit every 10 minutes (if you’re lucky enough to be able to do it in time).
Your choice of food should probably make you a bit happier than this. Photo credit: Jake Ramsby.
Know your diet
Another important thing is to know your diet, and not deviate from it significantly during the event. I generally eat healthy, with almost no processed food (other than cereal) and I haven’t had a dessert other than fruit in years. While it’s true that any calories are better than no calories, I have no idea how my body would respond to things such as cookies, Snickers bars, or other heavily processed foods so I tend to avoid those. You can certainly eat foods you don’t normally eat on a run, but I would avoid things you never eat. Similar goes for energy gels – a lot of those are basically a mix of fructose and maltodextrin, the main reason for my GI issues before I switched to real food based gels. You might be fine if your stomach is used to processed foods, but if your diet generally consists of meals made from scratch you probably want to find something your stomach will know what to do within a race as well.
Pizza and hot chocolate are a popular nighttime snack. Photo credit: Joe Tabor.
When to eat
Once you have your list of deliciousness to look forward to, just how often should you consume them? I went into WTM 2018 with a plan to have one Spring energy gel every 20 minutes and real food at every pit stop. What I didn’t account for was that my watch was both caked in mud and hidden beneath layers of clothing. You could set an alarm, but it’s unlikely you’ll hear it under all of the layers keeping your head warm. Instead of going by time, I decided to go by the feel – not hunger, but rather energy level. As soon as I started to feel a bit more sluggish, I tried to eat. If I started feeling cold, I tried to eat. I had mental checkpoints along the course, places where if I hadn’t had anything yet by then on that lap, I would eat something there whether or not I felt like I needed it.
Eating on course saves you a lot of time. Photo credit: Brad Kerr Photography
Immodium is your friend
Even with all of the above, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to run for 24 hours without needing to visit a porta potty at least once. Don’t try to hold it longer – you won’t make it through the race anyway, and it will only make it worse and probably give you a stomachache. If you notice that your stool is loose, I highly recommend Immodium – in fact, I recommend this as a precaution as well, and I always take one before a race. I took two of those after my poop lap in Atlanta, after which my stomach calmed down and I was able to keep on racing without any more trouble coming my way. And make sure to note how you feel afterwards – one thing I’ve noticed is that pooping always makes me so hungry soon after, so I make sure to increase my food intake during the pit stop that follows.
Lines between gear and food get blurred as the temperatures drop below freezing: and warmer or a cookie? Photo credit: Benjamin Keith Riley
Bottom line
At the end of the day, we are all different and figuring these things out takes a few races to troubleshoot and learn on mistakes. Hopefully, yours will be less smelly than mine.
Anne Clifford helped both me and Kris Mendoza strip in and out of our wetsuit on the course. The real hero of WTM 2018. Photo credit: Mathieu Lo
Tough Mudder sent out a press release this morning stating they are splitting the company into 2 separate entities. The Tough Mudder Boot Camp, launched late last year, will be one company, and the “events company” will be the other. TMHQ announced they are “in the process of securing capital investment…in order to allow both businesses to more successfully navigate their respective categories”.
In a letter to the company posted on Tough Mudder’s website, Will Dean wrote he is not stepping away completely but that his role at TM, but will be that of “Chairman”. Don Baxter, who has been with Tough Mudder since 2012, and has been COO since May of 2016 will continue to head the Tough Mudder “events side”. Cathrin Bowtell, listed on LinkedIN as SVP of Tough Mudder Bootcamp, will lead the day to day for the “gym business”.
Dean went on to say that he has spent the last 3-4 years traveling back and forth between NYC and his native United Kingdom. He wrote that “The constant jet lag wears you down and I have spent too too much time apart from the people I love in recent years”. (Dean’s 2nd child was born in June).
The post goes on to say “I am now working on a new venture here in London in an entirely new and unrelated space to Tough Mudder – expect further details next year.” That new and unrelated space is a company called Immersive Games Lab. Which the company’s website states is “part indoor-theme-park, part video game part escape room”. Will hopes to launch a new category the same way he launched one back in 2010 with Tough Mudder.
The complete press release is below along with a link to Dean’s blog post to “The Tough Mudder Tribe”.
Tough Mudder Founder End of Season letter to the Tough Mudder Tribe.
TOUGH MUDDER SPINS OFF THRIVING GYM BUSINESS INTO SEPARATE ENTERPRISE
Move Positions Company for Continued Growth Heading into 2019
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK (November 9, 2018) – Tough Mudder, Inc. founder and CEO Will Dean announced today that the company is in the process of securing capital investment, setting the stage for continued growth in 2019. As part of this, the company will spin off its thriving new fitness business, Tough Mudder Bootcamp, into a separate business enterprise from its traditional live event business in order to allow both businesses to more successfully navigate their respective categories.
Dean will continue to head the Bootcamp business while also supporting the live event side. Both businesses will remain privately held.
“This is absolutely the right strategic move for both businesses,” said Dean, who launched Tough Mudder in 2010. “Tough Mudder Bootcamp, with its fast-paced growth and high potential, will see the benefits of this capital infusion as we add franchising-specific talent to support the rapid growth, as well as creative license to capture its full potential. The live event business needs more diligent focus on cost and the kind of scaling benefits that come from being part of an event bundle.”
Dean also emphasized that all elements originally included as part of the Tough Mudder Bootcamp franchise business remain in place for owners, including the perpetual rights to all Tough Mudder branding; the ability to market directly to Tough Mudder event customers; the right to activate for free at all Tough Mudder events, and the right to sell Tough Mudder live event tickets, among other elements.
“Ultimately, this move will allow us the platform we’ve built in Tough Mudder Bootcamp to continue to build on the fantastic momentum already being generated, while we reinforce the strength of the live events and maintain their success with an infusion of new ideas,” said Dean.
The Tough Mudder Bootcamp fitness business saw record-breaking demand from prospective business owners in its first year of commercialization with nearly 60 units sold, numerous domestic markets already selling out and continuous international demand coming from investors. The business has opened its first two locations and is gearing up to open its third, in Houston, Texas currently.
The Tough Mudder event business saw significant participation growth in 2018, driven in large part by the success of its new, shorter distance Tough Mudder 5K events. The brand has also continued to invest in new and more challenging obstacles as part of its courses, and this week announced 10 new obstacles for its 2019 schedule.
This year, Tough Mudder, Inc. and its licensees hosted an unprecedented 150+ events across nearly a dozen countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Canada and two new countries, South Africa and the Philippines, welcoming participants worldwide into a global community that embraces courage, personal accomplishment, teamwork and fun.
About Tough Mudder, Inc.
Founded in 2010 with the launch of the Tough Mudder obstacle course event series, Tough Mudder Inc. has become a leading global sports, active lifestyle and media brand. With more than 3 million participants, the company hosts more than 150+ events featuring non-competitive (Mini Mudder; Tough Mudder 5K, Tough Mudder Half, and Tough Mudder Full) and competitive (Tougher, Toughest, Tough Mudder X and World’s Toughest Mudder) offerings annually in nearly a dozen countries including The United Kingdom, The United States, Germany, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Canada, South Africa, the Philippines, Oman and more through its partnerships with IMG, Invictus Events, Pro Active, Let’s Run Ireland and Sports Media and Entertainment 360 (SME360). The company’s content arm provides the millions of engaged online brand enthusiasts with fitness, nutrition and wellness content delivered daily across social and digital platforms. Tough Mudder broadcast, OTT and Live Stream programming can be seen worldwide through partnerships with CBS Sports, Facebook, Sky Sports, The CW Network and ESPN Media Distribution. Other sponsorship and distribution partners include CELSIUS, Merrell, KILL CLIFF, Soap & Glory, Guinness, Jack Link’s, BrewDog, Samsung, Lucozade Sport, Trek, Toyo Tires, Kingstone Press, Black Tower, Strandgut, Snapchat and Live Stream.###
Let’s get this out of the way first. It’s Atlanta, ATL, The ATL, A-Town, The Big A, The A, or d’ A.
People who live in San Francisco, don’t appreciate “Frisco”. People in Boston, do not call it “Beantown”. “. So yeah, no one here likes “Hot-Lanta”, so just leave that shit at home.
Believe it or not, you can still get a room relatively close to the venue. This link provides a direct google map link to the road that gets you to the World’s Toughest Mudder entrance.
MARTA – It’s not so Smarta. If you are staying downtown, you can take MARTA straight from the airport to your hotel. Outside of that, Atlanta does not have a killer transit system like most major cities. Renting a car is going to be best, especially if you plan on hitting various places outside the city.
RideShare – If you can not afford a rental, some ride-share applications can easily be downloaded and can get you around town. Here are the links for car sharing services Lyft, and Uber.
If you want to ride those little scooters around town, you can download Bird, and Lime.
If you are really short on cash, and really need a ride to the venue for World’s Toughest Mudder. Just ask in the World’s Toughest Mudder Community, as I am sure there is someone staying near you.
Speaking of which Atlanta is broken up into 2 separate but equally important groups: The police, who investigate crime, and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders. Sorry, that’s not it.
I meant to say ITP- inside the perimeter, in-town stuff. and OTP – outside the perimeter, out in the suburbs stuff.
So in this case, if you are only staying in town, you are fine without a rental car. If you plan on heading OTP, you will absolutely need a car.
Sweetwater
My favorite trails to run locally are at Sweetwater State Park. It’s only $5.00 to enter. Drive all the way to the back to park. You’ll pay at the gate or at the visitor’s center. (they take credit/debit)
For a nice run, take the 5 mile white loop around and/or the shorter 3 mile yellow loop. You can also just have a nice walk, and walk back in any direction. Here is the Strava for the white and the yellow trails.
Stone Mountain
2nd favorite. I take the Cherokee Trail which is around 5 miles. You can do that and/or just walk up the mountain. I like to go for a nice job around, then walk up and back down. You can also run down at top speed for extra fun! $15 to enter.
Me and my kids at the top of Stone Mountain
Piedmont Park
Atlanta’s own version of central park. If you are staying in town, Piedmont Park is a quick uber away. You can run for a few miles around the park, if you don’t mind running on concrete.
Kennesaw Mountain
I don’t go to Kennesaw near as much. Ask Justin Rose or J.D. Allen though, they go there a lot.
OCR King Compound – Out of the way if near downtown or airport, may be closer if you are at a hotel near World’s Toughest Mudder venue. Awesome obstacles built literally in someone’s side yard and back woods. Run by fellow WTMers Justin Rose, and Cody and Chrissy King and other OCR peeps. It’s a MUST see for OCR fans if you are here for a day in advance, or a few days after. Watch this video. Then, message them on Facebook to set up an appointment.
-Rock
I am not a rock climber, but I know that a lot of people go to Stone Summit and speak well of it.
You can also try Atlanta Rocks or Wall Crawler.
-Ninja
NinjaKour is run by an OCR dude/Ninja we like a lot named “Doc Ninja” Pruni. It’s also where the Thursday night community fundraiser is.
The other two ninja places that people speak highly of are Ninja Quest and Slingshot/Nitro Zone
The East Side BeltLine. Easy to get to by uber/lyft/bird if staying in town. You can walk and shop and eat for a few miles, I highly recommend eating at Krog Street Market, which is also our Monday bar crawl spot. This is also a place you can run. If you like to combo your day. You can start at Piedmont Park, run down the Beltline for a while, then stop and eat and or drink anywhere along the way. You can uber back at any point.
Little 5 Points. Atlanta’s answer to Haight Ashbury. Record stores, hookah shops, tattoo parlors, you get the drift. All independently owned. There’s a marijuana dispensary NEXT to the police precinct! You can go to The Vortex to eat the biggest burger ever after you claim your brown big. If you go prior to WTM, I would suggest The Porter they have great food, and a gazillion craft beers on tap. If you are ace at finding parking anywhere, give it a shot. I would highly recommend ride/share to and from.
What about Downtown Atlanta?
Not my type of fun. But if you want to do touristy stuff like The Coke Museum and The Hard Rock Cafe, then stay downtown.
I know many of you like to hit these types of places when you travel.
The Monday Night Garage is awesome and it’s where the Friday Night Community Dinner is located. There is TONS of free parking here so if you need to drive to the Friday night thing, no problem
SweetWater Brewery is another choice. They have been a favorite since 1997, way ahead of the hipster brewery curve. It is NOT to be confused with Sweetwater State Park, as they are no where near each other.
Scofflaw – Another popular in-town brewery, and a favorite of one Patty Hansel.
Tastes and moods vary, so Yelp and Google reviews may be your best bet.
However, someone asked me some of my specific faves so I’ll list them.
Agave – Southwestern Fare. Sotto Sotto – Italian. The Optomist – Seafood. Poke Burri – Hipster sushi and poke.
Fred’s Meat and Bread is my current favorite for amazing and decadent foods. If you go to the Monday Bar Crawl, you can eat there with me!
What did I forget? Let me know your questions, and we will update this article whenever possible.
Adventurey, the company that produces the North American OCR Championships and the OCR World Championships, announced the location, and several additional details for the 2019 World Champs.
We’ve listed them below along with ORM thoughts on each.
October 11 – 13, 2019. Kelvedon Hatch, Brentwood, UK. The site of Nuclear Races.
ORM Thoughts : We assumed as much. Financially, it just makes sense to make a (minimum) two year commitment for any venue. Ohio’s King’s Domain served as the venue for 2014 and 2015. 2016 and 2017, the event moved to Blue Mountain in Ontario, Canada. 2018 will see it returning to Gryffindor in the United Kingdom.
This year we reintroduced the concept of team based obstacles during the team leg of the relay. And basically, we fell back in love with them. So, watch out for several new obstacles tailored specifically for the team race in 2019. Additionally, Pro Relay teams must now be comprised of athletes from one nation (e.g. Team USA, Team Sweden). Open teams may continue to be mixed.
ORM Thoughts : Most of the pro teams were already country specific, but this may shake up the category a little bit, if there are last minute injuries, etc, and racers can’t have their first choice.
As a nod to some of the most inspiring athletes in the OCR community, we’ve expanded our divisions to now include 50-54, 55-59, and 60+ age groups. All will be eligible for cash prizes and podiums awards.
ORM Thoughts : The Grey Berets are rejoicing.
With our growth and the ever-rising level of competition, we need more robust procedures to ensure the integrity of our results. To that end, next year’s event will bring more marshals, more photo and video review, and most importantly, a new completion band system. Details to follow in 2019.
ORM Thoughts : OCRWC has probably DQ’d more people in a few races than Spartan has done in 8 years. This is exciting as they continue to lead the way in this department.
Bag drop will be available and free for the entire weekend (Friday-Sunday).
ORM Thoughts: This seems like a no brainer. Not sure why this wasn’t always the case.
Beginning next year, we’re going modify our packet pick up process to help alleviate crowds during the initial opening hours. In addition, athlete t-shirts will be pre-packaged with athlete bibs–so make your selection carefully during registration!
ORM Thoughts : Another no- brainer. However, people are SO excited for this event, 90 percent show up early, then complain about lines. Same thing happens at World’s Toughest Mudder every year. People freak out at packet pickup and blast it on social media. Then by the end of the event, it’s long forgotten.
While this is always a delicate balance, we’ve started making adjustments to our qualifying criteria, which includes: tightening up requirements, removing certain races, and adding plenty of new ones. A new program that will award wild-card spots to athletes will also launch in 2019.
ORM Thoughts: Let’s hope Terrain Race is off the list for 2019.
We’re keeping this under wraps for now, but watch out for an entirely new and innovative race format during race weekend. It’s not been done in OCR before—but we’re sure you’ll love it!
ORM Thoughts: Could be awesome. Maybe not. #StayTuned
REGISTER NOW. It’s 25 percent off until November 12th. Adrian assures us this will be the ONLY discount available.
So, you’re thinking about doing your first race, but you’re nervous about hitting the big “register … [Read More...]
We often get questions like: What are the best shoes for a Spartan Race? What shoes are best … [Read More...]
Running Spartan Races, Tough Mudders, and other Obstacle course races can be tough business for the … [Read More...]
