Originally Mike hoped to make it out to cover Chicago Toughest but the flights were more expensive than he was willing to pay! Backup plan was the New England Spartan Super and Sprint and we planned to cover the event and have Mike run the Super. Motivation to do a Spartan Race wasn't really there so we had a more relaxing weekend and instead got stuff done around the house. We can never forget about you though dear listener! Katelyn had one of our favorite northeast OCR athletes Kelly Sullivan ...
Aug 17, 2021•35 min
Mark Jones reached out about having us give his beta test event of Ruckfest a shoutout so we gave it some love during quick news in a previous episode. We realized that we had room for a full episode in August so we planned out an interview with one of our most popular guests! Brandon Welling joins him on the call and is the other half of the event planning and production. He is also head of Two Punk Kids (TPK) which has held other epic endurance events! 0:00 - 2:14 - Intro 2:14 - 5:40 - Quick N...
Aug 08, 2021•39 min
About a month ago Mike saw this post and thought that Lasheen Williams would be a great guest to have on the show! We talk about how he got into the sport, how OCR has made him a better hire and all around person, and we nerd out on some Marvel stuff! 0:00 - 2:06 - Intro 2:06 - 7:27 - Quick News 7:27 - 7:54 - Content Preface 7:54 - 34:04 - Interview with Lasheen Williams 34:04 - End - Outro ____ News Stories: Stefanie Bishop FKT The Running Public in Top 10 Running Podcasts Rowing from San Frans...
Aug 02, 2021•38 min
Mike and Katelyn ventured four hours to Western Maine to finally check out Tough Mountain Challenge ! Don't let this local OCR fool you, it is a doozy! Tough Mountain Challenge takes place at The Sunday River Mountain in Newry, Maine and has about 1,200 feet of elevation and 20+ obstacles! If you're a New Englander, this local OCR should be added to your 2022 race schedule! Sunday River is also home to the North American Wife Carrying Championship which we have been wanting to go and cover for y...
Jul 26, 2021•41 min
Lots of great events in the northeast this weekend! Extreme Ravine, Rugged Maniac, Bonefrog, Tough Mudder, etc. but none of them had our eye like Toughest Mudder in the Poconos! Our first sponsored athlete and in general good friend Javier Escobar had a team of four that won their category of the race! He called in to talk about the storm which had lightning that struck an obstacle, his team situation where they were down a man for a period of time, and much more! 0:00 - 2:14 - Intro 2:14 - 13:1...
Jul 20, 2021•1 hr 4 min
Months ago Matt B Davis from Obstacle Racing Media asked if Mike would be able to support him as pit crew for his A-race of the year, Ode to Laz ! This was to be a battle between himself and Josh Chace , another friend and cohost of Davis and Chace. Not wanting to choose sides, Mike drove over to Michigan with Josh in order to pit and document the event for the both of them! This episode consists of both Matt and Josh's thoughts the day before the event, interviews and predictions by others, aud...
Jul 13, 2021•2 hr 10 min
Somehow this is the first time that we have had Kevin Gregory on the show despite Mike being a fan of him and Bubbles for years! We have a long talk about the early days of OCR, being comfortably wierd, as well as being a heavier "clydesdale" in the sport. His new gym Underdog Fitness in Wallingford, Connecticut will be hosting it's first Deka Strong event on July 10th! If you are in the area then be sure to register for their event but if you don't have availability that day then be sure to put...
Jul 05, 2021•1 hr 35 min
Well, we missed going to yet another Indian Mud Run event! However, this gave us a great excuse to have Amy Pajcic on the show to talk about her win! Amy is starting to get some more recognition and quite frankly we think it is overdue. Beating incredible women like Lindsay Webster at the Savage Rig in Ohio earlier this year, being Magic Pajcic on American Ninja Warrior , some solid performances at OCRWC events , and a bunch of other wins at grip intensive races like Conquer the Gauntlet ! 0:00 ...
Jun 28, 2021•38 min
We have mentioned the Obstacle Fitness X Podcast a few times since their show started! Dave and Bethany do an excellent job bringing more awareness to Canadian OCR athletes who you should be aware of, and cover news in hybrid racing events like Hyrox , and DekaFit ! It is the only Canadian OCR Podcast that we have been consistently listening to and we highly recommend it! Also, you should check out the OCR Tribe Facebook group too! 0:00 - 2:39 - Intro 2:39 - 15:39 - (Not) Quick News 15:39 - 16:1...
Jun 20, 2021•59 min
We kept reading the name Miranda Kielpinski in recent podium results so we figured we would have her on the show after she ran the Triple-State Spartan Sprint weekend to get to know her a bit and to put a voice to the name! Miranda talks about how she got into OCR in 2019, dealt with a knee issue, and has come back to a pretty solid start to 2021. The most surprising part is that her athletic background is surfing which isn't usually the first sport that is thought about when it comes to skills ...
Jun 13, 2021•38 min
Mike finally crossed Goliathon off of his OCR bucket list! As excited as he was to finally run the event, he was also nervous about his lack of training. Katelyn assured him that since it is a local race it will have simple obstacles ... but Mike knew better! It's a typical OCR until you're staring down one of their many ninja inspired rigs which luckily have 3 lanes of difficulty! Green for beginners or for those that want to play it safe, orange for a solid challenge, and blue if you are looki...
Jun 08, 2021•50 min
Zack Wisnowski had posted about how he was attempting his third 100 miler race after the first two had resulted in DNF, we reached out and told him that he had a spot on the show if he finished this one! The race was Infinitus , one of The Endurance Society 's ultra events! Infinitus is an event that will always be important to Mike since it was his first marathon course, he even has a map of the course in the podcasting office! Zack shares his enthusiasm about the event, his side hustle of Atla...
May 31, 2021•51 min
We had Julie Wolff on the show to talk about her background in the sport, the OCR team OCR Addix , and being a race director of Phoenix Race ! We are all about supporting smaller races for the unique variety that they add to the sport, be sure to support this event and others like it in your community! 0:00 - 3:50 - Intro 3:50 - 9:22 - Quick News 9:22 - 9:48 - Content Preface 9:48 - 49:39 - Julie Wolff Interview 49:39 - End - Outro ____ News Stories: 21 Ultra Runners Died During a Storm Hilderva...
May 24, 2021•56 min
Mud Gauntlet is one of Newbsanity 's many great events that they put on every year! Other notable ones are their Extreme Ravine , Commando Cup , Frozen Four Miler , and the new Newbsanity Ultra FIT weekend ! Many exciting races but Mud Gauntlet is the more straightforward OCR one. Ryan Brizzolara won the event so we discuss how he got mixed up in the Newbsanity group, he gives a description of the many obstacles on the course , retells how he faced off against incredible athletes like Jashua Rie...
May 16, 2021•1 hr
Jesse Bruce is one of the most influential Canadian OCR athletes and easily one of our favorites! Between race podiums he volunteers, trains people at his gym ( One Academy ), and helps his community in other ways. We had him on to talk about how his gym is surviving the pandemic, his thoughts on the mini documentary made about him , and how he uses his previous dark times as motivation to push himself and others to become better! 0:00 - 2:10 - Intro 2:10 - 5:26 - Quick News 5:26 - 5:43 - Conten...
May 10, 2021•40 min
We haven't had Matt B Davis on the podcast in a while so Mike had some interesting questions prepared for him! We discuss his recent week of unplugging from social media and from his phone in general, how he continues to learn more about the importance of mental health, what the meaning of life is, and so much more! Oh and he is the founder of Obstacle Racing Media in case you haven't heard of it. 0:00 - 2:33 - Intro 2:33 - 8:23 - Quick News 8:23 - 8:41 - Content Preface 8:41 - 1:23:36 - Matt B ...
May 02, 2021•1 hr 30 min
The universe was against us having our planned special guest on for this episode not once, not twice, but three times! We put together this episode together somewhat last minute thanks to Angela's availability! You're a true fan if you even listen to these unplanned episodes, your support means the world to us! All that out of the way, hear a bunch of news stories as well as how Angela's experience at the Spartan Palm Beaches event went! 0:00 - 2:09 - Intro 2:09 - 14:21 - Not Quick News 14:21 - ...
Apr 27, 2021•38 min
BattleFrog is remembered for both good and bad by those who ran it when it was around! With the next incarnation of the event planning to resurface and the initial comeback weekend being this weekend, Mike figured that he would have his good friend CJ on the show to talk about running the event back in 2015! This is a simple episode reminiscing about the old days in OCR and doing commentary on our GoPro event video that Mike made years ago! We do not go into specifics of the past and future of t...
Apr 18, 2021•44 min
Mike spent 13 hours in Cumberland, RI covering FIT Challenge ! Interviewing, running, interviewing more, volunteering, and interviewing even more! You'll hear from a bunch of athletes including all 6 elite podium finishers, all 6 ultra podium finishers, the race director, and more! See below for more information with time stamp specifics! 0:00 - 2:14 - Intro 2:14 - 7:06 - Quick News 7:06 - 8:27 - Content Preface 8:27 - 41:14 - Elite Podium ( Meg Julian , Jerine Klingberg , Jarrett Newby , Ryan B...
Apr 11, 2021•1 hr 24 min
Mike had the chance to talk to one of his top 2 favorite Kempson brothers (not picking sides on this one)! Matt Kempson has switched his athletic focus more towards an event called The Tactical Games and other than following his Instagram posts, it's not an event that I know much about. He came on to talk about that event, Hyrox , his thoughts on Spartan Ultra Championship in Telluride , Leon's injury , Hildervat , Kempson Designs , and much more! There aren't many athletes in OCR (or OCR adjace...
Apr 05, 2021•1 hr 30 min
Another weekend, another event! It feels good to be running trail races and OCR again! This weekend Mike volunteered at BoldrDash Winter Dash at the "Wannabe" Destroyer obstacle and had a great time cheering on participants. Towards the end of the event he set out to sweep the 5 mile course which is when the heavens opened and it rained like it hasn't in months. You'll hear a quick interview with one of the OG OCR race directors, Lynn Hall! We discuss how this event went as the first time it has...
Mar 28, 2021•33 min
FIT Challenge knows how to put on great events, both trail and OCR. Robb McCoy, the race director, has also learned how to put them on safely amidst a pandemic and helps prove that races can safely happen! Mike ran both the 5 miler and the 5k options at the Cumberland Monastery and had a great time at the events. Unfortunately there was also a lot of anxiety going into an event for the first time in a while which we also discuss. 0:00 - 2:20 - Intro 2:20 - 14:10 - Quick News 14:10 - 21:04 - FIT ...
Mar 21, 2021•25 min
Rat Race has been putting on incredible events in Europe for years and Mike has specifically had an eye on their Dirty Weekend since it began! This is just one style of the many that they have been putting together. Now Rat Race USA is starting up with plans to bring similar adventures to Americans! Their site isn't up yet since this is all relatively new but you should join their Facebook Group to stay up to date! We had Jimmy McCaffrey on the show to talk about himself as an athlete, his curre...
Mar 14, 2021•1 hr 4 min
We had kept our eyes on Hildervat 's first event last year and they were able to host a successful event during the pandemic! Since their inaugural race was so successful, elites from all over North America have signed up to conquer the Jacksonville Beach Battle on May 22-23! Show some love to this local OCR by liking them on Facebook , following them on Instagram , and registering for one of their events ! 0:00 - 2:22 - Intro 2:22 - 5:47 - Quick News 5:47 - 6:22 - Content Preface 6:22 - 39:25 -...
Mar 08, 2021•43 min
It's another year for another one of Evan Perperis ' Ultra OCR Challenges ! This time he decided to take on a version of his OCRmill while wearing a hypoxic generator which effects the oxygen that he will breathe for the full 6 hours of his event, OCRmill 21,000 Feet ! Listen to hear how you can support the fundraising efforts , participate in the virtual event , or cheer him on as he faces off against some pretty gnarly outcomes that could result if he isn't careful! Oh and he is going to be on...
Feb 28, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Diversity in sports! Basketball, football, and soccer all have it but why doesn't OCR, triathlon, or other endurance sports? This is what the Overcome All Obstacles Foundation aims to change! Elite start lines at obstacle course races are objectively monochromatic which is a massive challenge when it comes to drawing a more diverse group of athletes to it! Max Fennell , Rea Kolbl , and Ian Hosek all call in for a much needed conversation on this topic. Regardless of your personal beliefs please ...
Feb 21, 2021•1 hr 7 min
It's a very different type of episode this week as it is more of a video game review! Ring Fit Adventure is an RPG where you use exercises to traverse across worlds and defeat monsters. It teaches you great fitness and nutrition tips while providing a serious workout! Mike has been playing this game for the past 50 days and intends to keep playing it. Is it something you should try? What was the hardest workout? How difficult is it? Is there a story to the game? Is Nintendo going to sue us for n...
Feb 14, 2021•31 min
Mike reached out to Dan Inglis, the president of The Colonial Road Runners , to have him on to talk about the running group. Mike has been a member for the past few years but hasn't really had much of a chance to get to know the new president so this was a great conversation to get to know him better. This is one of our wicked local focused episodes but we really think that there is a lot to take out of this no matter where you live! If you do live in the area then we highly recommend joining th...
Feb 09, 2021•51 min
We had the pleasure of having Mike Apfelberg, the president of The United Way of Greater Nashua on our show to talk about Virtual Blizzard Blast ! Are you tired of all the similar virtual races like we are? That's fine, this is a much more unique version geared to help their local community. Odd are that you may not specifically live in southern New Hampshire but there are still ways that you can support them or use their own idea to help your own community! 0:00 - 2:37 - Intro 2:37 - 7:55 - Qui...
Jan 31, 2021•49 min
We needed to make a last minute switch since our original guest became unavailable and that's when Victor slid into our DMs! Victor Quezada is someone that we have heard about throughout the years but never had the chance to talk to, so this turned into an excellent opportunity to get to know him better! He also partnered up with Whoop so see if he can hook you up so you can join his OCR group! 0:00 - 2:17 - Intro 2:17 - 9:50 - Quick News 9:50 - 10:19 - Content Preface 10:19 - 42:20 - Interview ...
Jan 26, 2021•47 min
