The Location
Last weekend I participated in the Washington DC Bonefrog, which is the only Navy SEAL owned and operated mud and obstacle race in the USA. The challenge took place at the Wicomico Motorsports Park, which is is a 300-acre family owned and operated motorsports park in Southern Maryland that is near the Maryland International Raceway and Potomac Speedway in Budds Creek, Maryland.
The challenging course winds throughout the various trails throughout the motocross park, the wooded area surrounding the park, as well as an open area with various obstacles that was great for spectators.
The Obstacles
The race length was around 8 miles and involved over 30+ obstacles that were placed throughout the muddy terrain.
Some personal favorites from the obstacles included:
31 Heroes: Reading aloud each name of the 31 fallen soldiers on the bulletin board, followed by a burpee. This obstacle was early on in the race and really hit home because it was a big reminder that this was more than an obstacle, but a time to reflect on those who have sacrificed so much for our freedom.
Black Ops: This was the final obstacle of the race and involved a series of monkey bars that you have to climb up to, and there is a safety net underneath the bars in case you can’t make it all the way across. Not only were there a lot of other participants crowded around taking turns to go across the monkey bars, but there were a lot of spectators watching as well. It was very encouraging having all the cheering and support while going across the bars, and the big USA flag next to the obstacle was definitely a triumphant way to finish out a great race.
The Experience
Bonefrog had everything that you would want in an OCR event: trail running, climbing, carrying, reaching, balancing, running and jumping, and sliding. All these types of movements took place in shoe stealing mud, slippery hills, and unforgiving uphill climbs.
It was truly a challenge from start to finish, and I felt that the obstacles were evenly spaced throughout the course to give the body time to recover and move on to the next obstacle successfully. Each obstacle was earned too because you had to really focus in on both strength and endurance throughout the course. Teamwork was also very evident on the course too because all the participants were helping each other.
Preparation for this event includes a well-rounded balance of trail running (hiking is very helpful too) on hills to help improve ascending and descending, upper body strength, balancing your weight, pull up strength, climbing from bar to bar, and bodyweight exercises are a must. Hanging from a bar to increase grip strength and endurance is very important. I also recommend pull-ups, chin-ups, and being able to carefully move from one log to the next with increasing height.
The Atmosphere
As soon as I arrived at the venue, I felt like I was a part of something special. First off, there was a great open area for spectators to offer encouragement to their friends and family. Not only was there a great support system out on the course with the other participants, but the military presence, from the staff to the volunteers was truly inspirational.
From start to finish, the atmosphere was a combination of adrenaline and patriotism. This was a challenging event that I was glad I participated in and extra glad that I had plenty of training in also.
Brian Boyle
coma. After relearning how to walk again and then spending three years in recovery, he went on to participate in over 4 dozen endurance events including 5 Ironman's, 16 marathons, and two ultramarathons. A two time published author, Brian has recently started competing in OCR
events, and is very much looking forward to racing in many more this season.
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