From start to finish, the Civilian Military Combine (CMC) was an event that truly had options for everyone to challenge themselves or just have a fun time. As a one of a kind hybrid obstacle course race and fitness competition, CMC provided options for the elite obstacle course racer as well as the weekend warrior, and even kids too. For those seeking a challenge, CMC’s Diamondback obstacle was announced as an OCRWC obstacle for this year – a true testament to their innovative and tough obstacles!
THE PIT
Having a CrossFit background, The Pit was one of my favorite parts of the day. CMC is advertised as a hybrid obstacle race series because of the 5 minute AMRAP (as many reps as possible) style workout before the race. With divisions for all abilities: Alpha – bodyweight, Bravo – kettlebell, and Charlie – barbell, it truly is for everyone. After 5 minutes of burpees, lunges, and other exercises, racers get 5 minutes before queueing up and hitting the course.
The first elite wave went off 30 minutes behind schedule, which set the rest of the heats back. The number of racers waiting outside The Pit quickly grew to a crowd and those in front went in for the next heat, regardless of wave time.
THE COURSE
The majority of the course was grass, weaving around the buildings on base and making use of every last hill. One particular slope was used for the Wreck Bag carry which had racers ascend the hill four times. Small portions of the course crossed paved roads and sidewalks and even some small sections of stairs.
Course marking seemed sparse in one particular section of the course that was crossed several times. A little extra tape or spray paint would have gone a long way in directing racers, but after a few heats, volunteers made sure racers knew where to go.
THE OBSTACLES
Racers seemed particularly pleased with the obstacle innovation. In addition to the typical obstacles such as the 8-foot wall and rope climb, CMC added in a few that threw even your seasoned obstacle racers for a loop. The first worth mentioning is Diamondback, which has now been revealed as an OCR World Championship obstacle. Diamondback begins and ends with inverted climbs on wide bars which makes this twist on a classic obstacle that much more challenging! The bars were quite wide and fairly spread out testing both your grip strength and flexibility.
Other notables include a wreck bag carry with 25 and 50-pound options, as well as a dummy carry later in the race which was an awkwardly shaped 60 pounds for everyone.
The mud pit was quite small and there was only one, but with the wire hanging just over the mud, you had to get low and dirty.
Thankfully immediately after, there was a refreshing dip in a dumpster of water covered with plywood, forcing you in, but also rinsing you off.
There were two different rigs, the second harder than the first. One was similar to Spartan’s and the other was unlike any other rig I had ever seen. The first began with a rope climb to a floating bar. From there you had to swing across 3 rings and traverse another floating bar before hitting the bell. The second rig was the last obstacle before the finish. It began with a climb up a free hanging pole. From the top of the pole, you had to grab a hold of a ring which spun freely on a wheel. Two more of those and you’re on to floating monkey bars before hitting the bell.
THE REWARD
After crossing the finish line, racers received a hefty gold finisher’s medal which definitely delivered a sense of pride in your accomplishment. Although the finisher shirts were cotton, they were a military coyote color with a simple CMC Finisher logo on the front, an American flag on the sleeve, and came in a wide variety of men’s and women’s sizes. The festival grounds offered several food options including food trucks and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, as well as quite a few popular OCR merchandise vendors, such as Obstacle Guard.
The course seemed to be about a mile shorter than expected, but it was overall a really fun event. It was a hot and sunny day in New York and everyone said they were glad to see CMC make a return and hope they do again in the future.
Justina Rosado
Latest posts by Justina Rosado (see all)
- Spartan Race – Citi Field Stadium Sprint 2017 - May 19, 2017
- Spartan Race Tri-State New Jersey Ultra Beast 2017 – Too Easy? - May 4, 2017
- GORUCK Tough: Sleepy Hollow Halloween - December 13, 2016
