Let’s face it, when you hear the words “Obstacle Course Race”, there are a few key brands that come to mind: Tough Mudder, Spartan, Savage Race, and Rugged Maniac. Like most athletes, you carefully review each race, see if they align to your needs and goals and register. Often, groups of friends register to get out there and try something new, even have their own mini-adventure along the way.

You spend your time preparing, and investing more money little by little in to your race event.

As race day approaches you find that the “costs” for your race are adding up, and these are commonly:

• Additional onsite fees including parking, insurance, and the bag check.
• The cost of a hotel room to stay as close to the race as possible, usually two nights.
• The cost of airline tickets, extra baggage to check, and travel insurance.
• The cost of child care if you need someone to watch your children so that you can to go to the event.
• Hopefully being able to book paid days off of work for travel.

You have the feeling of “sticker shock” once you finish the race and get home. Often the amount spent in “extras” far exceeds the ticket price for the actual race.

Even with the purchase of early bird tickets, volunteering and traveling by car to most events, it all adds up.

Now, what if there were smaller races in your area that were low cost, easy to get to, family-friendly and were run by the community around you?

Would you sign up? I know I would.

I want to take a few moments of your time to talk about why you should #racelocal.

To me racing local is defined as racing and participating in smaller events that may include:

• Road and trail races that are not of any set distance.
• Small fun runs (that the whole family can enjoy).
• OCR courses with obstacles created by members of the community.
• Events where small groups of friends host the event and make the medals.
• Races where the entry frees range from free to $50.00 at the top tier.
• Races where the atmosphere and vibe is kept super organic and fun.
• Using local community products and services to support the event.

Unfortunately, some of the smaller races have faded into the night due to the low attendance numbers and being overshadowed by the bigger races. This is a sad reality, and it needs to change. It’s time for all of us to explore, grow and see what is available in our own back yards.

Doing a quick search in my local area, I was able to find an upcoming local race series for 2020 from the folks at Grit Farm OCR!

Check out their website and race schedule here: 2020 Races – Grit Farm OCR

The race site is easily accessible by car and is within a 2.5-hour drive from Vancouver.

Another great local OCR community based out of the Pacific North West is Beasts OCR. You can check out their list of various BEASTS challenges here: Beasts OCR Challenges

If you cannot make it physically to one of their challenge events, they host virtual events as well.

Their main website: Beasts Obstacle Course Racers

Look around you to see what hidden gems, new friends and memories can be made at local events!

Let’s all do our part to #racelocal, #runlocal,#supportlocalraces and have fun!

If there is a great local race you want us to feature, please reach out to us or comment below.

The post Op Ed: Why We Should all #racelocal appeared first on Mud Run, OCR, Obstacle Course Race & Ninja Warrior Guide.

      

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