OCD FOR OCR

Sometimes, even a competitive obstacle course racer needs to get in touch with the original spark of that first-time racing. Before standings, course times, qualifications, or obstacle completion was a factor, I loved vying for those things, but it can get weary, especially after the last race or two were tough ones from a competitive point of view.

Fortunately for me, my go to for a “fun” race (as of last year), Rugged Maniac, had an event just a few hours from me in Jersey and on a day I could get there (one of the few events, I am aware of on their calendar that includes Saturday as well as Sunday heats) and I had at least one close friend who was also going, so it was a simple conclusion to make. 

• Registration and Festival:

Registration was a big improvement over my last visit to a Rugged Maniac, largely thanks to the implementation of QR codes sent via email prior to race day. We were through the line within a couple minutes. Bag check was a longer line but moved with reasonable efficiency.

The festival area was a lot of fun and looked that way through and through just as it did last year at the Kitchener, Ontario event I attended. There were beer Stein holding contests, a mechanical bull, over-sized Jenga, corn hole and a DJ who really worked the crowd. While I didn’t see all the food trucks this time, it seemed that there were plenty of post-race eating options to be had, though I did not avail myself of any of them. 

• Pre-race MC:

As with virtually every Rugged Maniac event, I know of in recent memory, the ever-kilted Christopher Calandro was on hand to send off runners with pizzazz. He’s funny, full of energy and really comes off as genuine. He used his “snore” track yet again, but in an entirely different context than he did the last time I ran Rugged Maniac. The guy is a showman and can improvise on the fly.

• The Course:

Despite the length of time I have been doing obstacle course racing and the number of races I have under my belt; this was surprisingly my first appearance at the Englishtown Raceway for anything. This venue has hosted a number of Tough Mudder’s, Bone Frog’s, Battle Frog’s and many other OCR’s. I spotted monkey bars and other obstacles in the background that were clearly not part of Rugged Maniac.

I could be wrong, but I think they may have even hosted Spartan once many years ago, before Mountain Creek was a fixture in their schedule, but that would have been before my time. The terrain is incredibly flat with some moderately technical trail running in the woods, but is mostly in the open along the venue’s dirt racetracks. There are some dirt mounds on course (used for motocross events and such) that did provide for some elevation, but nothing like a mountain course.

Nevertheless, it was good for the kind of beginner friendly, fun challenge Rugged Maniac is known for and all told they made the best use of what was provided to them. It was also obvious that the venue owners are accustomed to hosting OCR’s, and allow the promoter to do whatever they need to do on course to make possible their own signature experience.

As for Rugged Maniac’s lineup of obstacles, I have to say they really balance, making it doable for all levels of proficiency with providing some memorable, unique obstacles you don’t get anywhere else so it’s fun for all. Luckily for me, my favorite from my last Rugged Maniac, “Antigravity” was one that appeared in New Jersey again. The only downside was that it was positioned after some very muddy, wet parts of the course which meant that a lot of wet mud was on the trampoline portion and participants had to hit the obstacle a little more conservatively lest they slip and hit the edges of the trampolines.

Another obstacle of note was “Barzan” which I really felt was a good introduction to multi-rig type obstacles. I noticed that the bars included some grip tape which helped make holding on possible with wet hands. Still, I noticed at least one or two people I know are advanced OCR athletes struggle with it on the first try, at least getting onto it and getting the rhythm just right to successfully pass. Fortunately, it was over water, so a fall was safe and felt good on a scorcher of a day like what we had. For my part I took two successful passes on this obstacle and made a point of taking a third pass across it where I would intentionally “fail” in order to fall into the cool drink, yet one of the advantages of running a “fun” race for fun as an open runner.

Other obstacles seemed to be more approachable, if not “watered down” versions of things seen in more competition oriented race series, which again gives the beginning racer some confidence while still giving the seasoned veteran a chance to “show off” like I did with Jump Start, which is comparable to Spartan’s “Stairway to Sparta.”  I told the volunteer I was going to do it legless not knowing if I could actually get to the top without using my lower body and sure enough I did!

• The Bling:

Standard fare. A pretty snazzy finisher medal, a finisher’s shirt that is of the synthetic material other series seem to be using as of late. I’m more of a fan of the cotton blend, but to each their own, I suppose. I can’t remember exactly what my free beer was, but we were provided with two choices and what I chose hit the spot.

• Overall Feelings and Event Rating:

With reasonable prices (you could sign up a last minute and it is still under $100) no spectator charges, and plenty of fun to have in the festival area post-race or spectator, Rugged Maniac gives you a lot for your money. It is also a non-intimidating fun first OCR you could bring your (so far) non-racing friends to get them hooked.

If you are a die-hard OCR person who hits podiums most weekends or qualifies for championship races in your sleep, change it up one weekend when you don’t have a race and do a Rugged Maniac too!  Run multiple laps, help people on course, throw in some bunny hops up the hill and make a fun training day of it! I rate this event five out of five stars without a doubt!

Article Written by: Brian Kellogg, OCR Aficionado