ORM presents the series of stories on OCR Transformations. Runners and athletes whose mind body, and spirit have been altered through obstacle racing.
Jason grew up playing all types of sports. Weight lifting and baseball were his main concentrations through high school and he had hoped to earn a scholarship. However, a major back injury during his senior year eliminated his chances for a scholarship to the states to play University baseball. Without a real back up plan from playing sports, Jason quickly joined the work force after high school. He struggled for years to find his calling, but he eventually found a career in Emergency Medical Services.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The job market for an EMT was extremely competitive and typically takes several years to your first full time job. The first few years, Jason often spent his time working for multiple companies in casual employment positions including some volunteer positions. His shifts would end up all over the place anywhere from 24-96 hour shifts at times. This crazy routine took a toll on Jason’s life in more ways than he realized. There were periods when Jason would have to work for four different EMS services and travel all over for stretches up to 31 days at a time. This lifestyle caused him to make some pretty poor decisions for his health which ended up becoming bad habits over the course of three years. His social life diminished to just the people he was working with any given day due to his sporadic and hectic schedule. Jason had also stopped working out and his eating habits had taken a nose dive. His meals would consist of gas station quick stops, to fast food, or even hospital vending machines. His weight and overall health took a negative turn and before he knew it he had gone from a size 28 pant to a 38. His weight had also gone from a healthy 150 pounds to an unhealthy 210 pounds and at 5’6” he was considered pretty overweight.
FRIENDLY MOTIVATION
Jason was finally motivated to change his years of bad habits once they all added up and he hit his all-time low. It had gotten to a point where his stress levels were mounting, his health was poor, his confidence was shot, and he did not feel like he had much control over his own life. Thanks to his best friend who had stuck by Jason’s side through the ups and downs… he was motivated to get back into the gym once again.
Starting back at the gym was a little uncomfortable for Jason, but he knew that if he kept going that he would eventually get his feet under him again. The gym used to be his comfort zone and the place where he felt at home, but it had become foreign to him and he now felt like an outsider. What kept him going was realizing that although he felt that he had lost control of his life… the one place he could regain that control was in the gym. As Jason continued to get back in shape his confidence was slowly coming back and he was able to find happiness once again.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
After seeing an ad on Facebook one day, Jason decided to sign up for his first Spartan Sprint. He wanted to challenge himself and try something he had never done before. The event took place in Red Deer Alberta and Jason remembers a time where he was all alone running through the trail and he fell in love with the trees and environment around him. With only the wilderness and the sound of his heart beat surrounding him… Jason found himself again and knew that this was going to be his new life.
TESTING LIMITS
Jason’s second race was BattleFrog Race Series elite heat in Las Vegas back in February 2016. He was able to take plenty of time to prepare for this OCR event because he wanted to test his limits and see how hard he was able to push himself. He even hired a personal trainer in January to better prepare himself for the race. For his second event and first elite heat, Jason really proved himself by finishing 15th of 77 men in the heat. This success gave him hope that maybe he could really get good at this sport. This was the turning point for Jason’s training that took him from a body building program to full on OCR addict.
SUPPORT SYSTEM
In the past year since starting his transformation journey, Jason has been very fortunate to have such a great group of people contributing to his success. His best friend who got him back in the gym, his family who have supported him through it all, his colleagues who supported his crazy workouts between calls, his trainer who continues to bring out the best in him, and his sister who he trains and runs with. Recently, he had the chance to attend an OCR training camp where he got to meet some amazing people who inspired him to push harder in his own training.
CURRENT TRAINING PLAN
Currently, Jason trains with his friend and personal trainer Kory Allen who designed his program. The program consists of mostly two-a-days with sprint circuits, EMOM’s, and 60km of running a week with a ton of grip work mixed in. April 2015, Jason was 210 pounds and dropped to a healthy 150 pounds by November 2015. He is now about 160 pounds with muscle mass and specialized training built in.
Follow Jason on Facebook and Instagram!
Allison Dacus
Latest posts by Allison Dacus (see all)
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