Hi, I’m Jamie and I want to welcome you to C.H.A.M.P.! A Community Health and Movement Project aimed at creating an inclusive, diverse, and supportive active community in the Burlington area. If you are new to running, an elite runner or just looking to start a new walking regimen you will fit right in. In the interest of full disclosure, I run — a lot — and I love it, but I still find it hard to put myself in the category of “runner.” That’s because I used to hate running. To be fair, I sucked at it. I grew up playing team sports and absolutely dreaded team runs. I was always at the back of the pack, huffing and puffing my way along.

Spartan Races, Tough Mudders and other adventure races fall into Obstacle Course Races or OCR. Races tend to be between 3-5 miles for the Sprints, 8-10 miles for the Supers & 13+ for Beasts & Ultra Beasts. You can do anywhere between 20-50 obstacles in a single race. Obstacles include 20’ rope climbs, monkey bars, jumping over walls 3-8’ tall, carrying sandbags, Atlas Stones or Wreck Bags up and down mountains. 

Competing in OCR requires endurance, power, strength, agility and speed. During a race, you will crawl, carry, climb, jump, hang, lift, pull, push, squat and run. OCR is basically Ninja Warrior but up a mountain with 3-13 miles of running.

The right gear matters quite a bit for training and competing in OCR; without a question, the most important piece of gear you’ll purchase for OCR is shoes. We have compiled a list of what we recommend for shoes and gear that can aid you in your race. Items are available at Skirack, but subject to availability.

Interested in starting or improving Obstacle Course Racing? Check out our OCR classes at The EDGE (information is below).

Just mention the subject of “carb loading” around an endurance athlete and prepare to hear the merits of pre-race bagels, pasta, and the like. An excuse to down bottomless bowls of pasta and scarf down an entire basket of dinner rolls all in the name of performance enhancement; where do I sign up?! 

These pre-race rituals are certainly no secret as it seems almost every endurance race from marathons to triathlons now have pre-race pasta dinners (for a small fee of course). With all this hype, it is no wonder that many individuals believe that a big pasta dinner is the key to nailing a fast time the next day. Before you decide a pre-race pasta binge is the way to go, however, know that there is a science - and thus appropriate strategy - to carb loading that every endurance athlete should know.