So...are OCR's dangerous?
Now that is a very difficult question to answer, because the answer is yes, and no! Let me explain what I mean.
Life is inherently dangerous, we risk injury every single day. Getting behind the wheel of a car you are exposed to lots of injury risks such as collissions. A bit of an extreme comparison? I have another perhaps more relevant example.
This weekend marked the Ride London cycling event. 100miles of London & Surreys roads, thousands of amateur cyclists taking to closed streets. The tragic news of a young man who was taken ill at this event and sadly passed away hit my news feed over the weekend. Similar stories are everywhere from Marathons, London, Brighton. Relatively fit people that appear to of trained well.
So is OCR any different? They are essentially still physical events with the only difference being that you crawl or climb over some obstacles along the way. In my opinion if you stick to the popular established events such as Nuclear Races, Dirty Dozen or Back 2 The Trenches (to name a few) where safety is probably one of the highest agendas are they still dangerous?
I can speak from personal experience regarding these races as I have not only run these events, I have also had the privileged of speaking to their Race Directors. It becomes clear that allot of time and effort is placed on making sure the races are well marshaled and as safe as possible. Often as racers we are unaware of this as it all happens seamlessly behind the scenes.
So am I saying that OCR races are as safe as cycling or running? No what I am trying to say is that entering any physical event comes with some inherent risks. OCR risks are just different. Bruising, minor cuts and scrapes are an everyday occurance, but we enter events aware ofbthese risks.
I wont lie sometimes these can appear rather nasty as the pic of my legs (below) after Nuclear Races summer Party shows. Yes this is the back of my legs after tackling the 6ft invereted walls!!
Or my arms after my first encounter with Nuclear races 1/4 pipe!! Mmmmm seeing a pattern here ;)
But the more extreme injuries, broken bones etc can occur in any of the events mentioned above. In my opinion the key is being aware of what you are doing. Over the last 18months I have seen may injuries that have occurred where a competitor has pushed their limit. Steep muddy hill? Don't risk a twisted ankle, slide down on your bum! It may not look as 'matcho' but you get down in one piece and probably a bit quicker too. (trust me if you have run Back 2 The Trenches you will adopt the bum slide technique!)
So back to the original questions, are OCR's dangerous? In my opinion NO. Yes an inherant risk is involved as you scale walls and crawl through mud but isnt everyday life just as dangerous? That said OCR's are not for everyone. they challenge you in ways other events do not. Physically and mentally.
However, if you are thinking of choosing an OCE event as your next challenge, do your research, speak to people who have already competed in them. Your first OCR should be a challenge, but not to your safety. If you arent sure and if my opinion counts for anything (and your looking for a race in the South) you may want to consider fro the many events available:
- Nuclear Races (my home team, my first OCR and always a special race. They have some of the most unique obstacles for with the Death slide, zip line, the longest monkey bars in the UK and that special clay Essex mud!)
- Back 2 The Trenches (competed in 2 events, well orgainsed with some nice nautural obstacles and some hills that will kill your legs!)
- Dirty Dozen My first DD is August 16th (only a few days away, however the obstacles are huge, the team are superb (Doug is a legend!) and I must admit I am more excited about this race than I have been about many races this year!
Look forward to seeing you in the mud soon ;)
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