Katelyn and I (Mike) first got into OCR back when we were in college and would have loved an event on our campus! That's what Cairn University is doing with their Highlander Mudder event that they had a couple weekends ago. We reached out to Dave Willard who is the Director of Partnerships for the college and who helped put the event together. We discuss what they learned about event planning when it comes to OCR, where they got their scoring system from, thoughts on the future of the event and ...
May 08, 2023•50 min
This weekend was New Jersey's Spartan Tri-State weekend ! Mike inititally didn't recognize many of the names of the athletes on the podium from Saturday's Spartan Super but then realized that the first place finisher Chris Marrone was the winner of the Spartan 3K test event in Jacksonville! He was brought up during two recent interviews ( our episode with Brett Milks on that test event as well as last episode with Adam Beach ) so I had a feeling he would be someone we should have on the show! He...
Apr 30, 2023•55 min
The first Spartan 3K series race was this weekend, if you missed it then be sure to watch the live stream here ! We had an episode previously with Brett Milks after the 3K test event in Jacksonville and it was the first time that we have started to feel optimistic about Spartan Race making this format change. Mike was sure to tune in to the live broadcast and asked Adam Beach to come on the show to talk about his experience and thoughts on the new series! 0:00 – 3:15 – Intro 3:15 – 12:11 – Quick...
Apr 25, 2023•41 min
FIT Challenge has been putting on obstacle course races since 2013 and we have been to almost every single one of them over the years (we just missed the very first one and the one during the extreme heat wave the summer of 2019)! Unfortunately that all comes to an end after this past weekend since it was their final event. It is the death of the most important New England local OCR that we have had and it also has some backing of that fact with it winning the best small OCR event just about eve...
Apr 17, 2023•1 hr 50 min
The second Savage Point Series race happened this weekend, if you missed it then watch the live stream here ! We had Ryan Kempson reach out to us about wanting to come on the show and then realized that despite him being featured in 11 different episodes with in person interviews, he has never had an episode of his own! We have been big fans of both Kempson brothers with them being from New England and genuinely being down to earth people so this is making up for lost time. Ryan won the Savage P...
Apr 10, 2023•1 hr 27 min
A few months ago we mentioned Des Linden 's book "Choosing to Run" being available on preorder in quick news. We were sent an advanced copy of the book back in February and we really enjoyed it! We were also given the chance to have Des on the show to talk about it. This is technically our second time having her on the show but last time was just for a few minutes when we covered the Falmouth Road Race . This time we talk about her feelings of having the book being ready to be sent to the masses...
Apr 03, 2023•40 min
The first of the Savage Race point series races took place in Georgia, if you missed it then you can watch the live stream footage here ! This was a great opportunity to have Jamie Horianopoulos on the show for her own episode! She won a boatload of axes by winning Savage Races last year and she took third at the first race of the series this past weekend. She got her start in the sport with Savage and has been running their events for years! 0:00 – 3:33 – Intro 3:33 – 10:04 – Quick News 10:04 –...
Mar 28, 2023•52 min
With the second ever Savage Race Point Series having its start right around the corner we wanted to have a member of the event team to build up some anticipation for it! Luckily Lee Stowell was the man for the job! We talk about his background in the sport (which involves working for Battlefrog , Bonefrog , and even Frontline OCR ), the changes made to the point series, how the team is dealing with criticism on their new obstacles, the balance of course difficulty, plans for the future, and much...
Mar 20, 2023•1 hr 6 min
The event that we have been talking about for months finally happened and Mike made sure to interview all of the vendors that took the time to come out to it! Katelyn held down the fort at our own vendor table alongside incredible athletes like Javier Escobar , Vanessa Gebhardt , Kelly Sullivan , Cassandra Carroll , Matt Carroll , and Josh Fiore who were guests of ours for the event! 0:00 – 3:25 – Intro 3:25 – 9:15 – Quick News 9:15 – 10:14 – Content Preface 10:14 - 1:15:07 - Expo Interviews ( B...
Mar 13, 2023•1 hr 18 min
We had friend and Patreon supporter of the show Brett Milks on to talk about his experience at the Spartan 3K test event that was held in Jacksonville, Florida! The change of the Spartan series to the 3K format brings a lot of additional changes other than the race distance. There is also a laser pistol obstacle, the events are planned for Fridays, and the prize money has been noticeably cut (the last change was released after the interview). We talk about Brett's thoughts on these changes, how ...
Mar 06, 2023•1 hr 2 min
Tracy Brower reached out to us asking if we would be interested in having a talk about Adventure Racing . I immediately remembered the excitement that surrounded Ryan Atkins and Rea Kolbl competing in Eco Challenge a few years ago and how humble Coree Woltering was when we met him shortly after the show was released! I was more than happy to give her a spot on the show to talk about the sport of Adventure Racing, the similarities with OCR, and of course the events that she puts on as well ! You ...
Feb 27, 2023•1 hr 36 min
You've heard us talk about it for a while on the show but now we have an episode that goes into more detail about the New England OCR Expo happening on March 11th! Last time we were just vendors for the event but this year Mike has been on the planning committee working alongside this episode's guest Steve "Bacon" Martin ! We genuinely hope to see as many of you awesome people as possible and use code MSTEF5 for $5 off your ticket! 0:00 – 3:11 – Intro 3:11 – 8:00 – Quick News 8:00 – 8:53 – Conte...
Feb 19, 2023•35 min
We were very excited to check out The Run Show in Boston last weekend! This episode has additional interviews from Saturday and all interviews from Sunday. We were able to get a total of over 50 interviews with vendors, guest speakers, and the event director from Raccoon Events himself! We got so much content that it didn't make sense to cram it all in one episode so this is part two of two. Look below to see who is featured in this episode and go back to listen to part 1 from last week if you m...
Feb 13, 2023•1 hr 54 min
We have been planning to check out The Run Show in Boston since 2020 when it was first announced! COVID pushed back the actual event for a few years but this time it actually happened! The coldest temperature of the year couldn't even stop us from going and covering this long awaited event and boy ... cover it we did! We were able to get over 50 interviews with vendors, guest speakers, and the event director from Raccoon Events himself! We got so much content that it didn't make sense to cram it...
Feb 07, 2023•1 hr 47 min
We had Nicole Lunder on the show to talk about her win at last weekend's Night Ops which was put on by Newbsanity ! Nicole is fairly new to the sport of obstacle course racing so in addition to talking about Newbsanity's Night Ops we talk about her experiences at Savage Race , OCRWC , and more as well! 0:00 – 2:39 – Intro 2:39 – 8:45 – Quick News 8:45 – 9:23 – Content Preface 9:23 - 52:44 - Nicole Lunder Interview 52:44 - End – Outro Next episode should be on The Run Show in Boston ! ____ News S...
Jan 29, 2023•59 min
With this show being based out of the United States it's easy to focus on who we have in North America. When it comes to the sport as a whole though it's a massive disservice to the excellent athletes over in Europe! Trying to get better at this we are really excited to have Ulrikke Evensen on the show for the first time! Mike was able to meet her and have a quick word at OCRWC last year but she is an athlete definitely deserving her own episode! We talk about her athletic background, thoughts o...
Jan 23, 2023•1 hr 21 min
Back in August Mike heard an episode of Reinforced Running with a guest that got his attention , years before that he heard him for the first time on I Am A Spartan Podcast ! Now we finally had the chance to have Dave Robinson on our show! We focus on how to set goals in a way that we are more likely to achieve them, how harmful self talk can be if not done appropriately, and the importance of breathing well. Check out the podcast he currently hosts ( Get Enlifted Podcast ), work your stories wi...
Jan 16, 2023•1 hr 35 min
For the new year we did an event that Mike has had an eye on for years, the Frozen Clam Obstaplunge ! We were also able to make an episode out of it with event audio and interviews with a few participants as well as the CEO of Mentor Rhode Island Jo-Anne Schofield, the fund development manager from Mentor Rhode Island Jenny Gruslin, the head of Kids in the Canyon Don Blais, and the builder of the obstacles Ryan McGowan from Laidback Fitness ! If you are in the area this is definitely an event to...
Jan 09, 2023•36 min
Another year, another round table chat with fellow OCR podcasters! This is the fifth year in a row where we have done this, the members frequently change but it's a good way to have fun, get fresh ideas, and help awareness that there are other great shows out there! In the past we have had Heather Olsen from Overcome and Run , Matt B Davis from Obstacle Racing Media , Josh Chace from NE Spartan Show and then Obstacle Discourse with Davis and Chace , Scott "The Fayne" Knowles from I Am A Spartan ...
Jan 01, 2023•2 hr 6 min
It's that recap compilation time of year again! This is the second of two episodes and it focuses on the clips of the most important moments of the show with guests, quotes, and a celebration of each and every guest that we had on the show this year! Go back and check out last episode which had the funniest moments of the show in 2022 if you missed it! 0:00 – 2:54 – Intro 2:54 – 10:03 – Quick News 10:03 – 10:51 – Content Preface 10:51 - 15:24 - All Guests Names Compilation 15:24 - 5:49:58 - Impo...
Dec 27, 2022•5 hr 55 min
It's that recap compilation time of year again! This is the first of two episodes and it focuses on the funny moments, the bloopers and of course Katelyn's end of episode jokes. This episode is guaranteed to make you laugh or your money back! ... Also, if you are paying to get these episodes please let us know because this is supposed to be entirely free! Look forward to next episode which has the most important moments on the show including a quick compilation of every guest that we have had on...
Dec 19, 2022•5 hr 2 min
Brandon Welling is an endurance athlete who has a long history of impressive accomplishments! He is one of two heads of TPK Endurance which has been putting on trail and endurance races since 2016! This is part of his application for the upcoming Spartan Winter Death Race which is to be held on February 9th-11th! 0:00 – 3:08 – Intro 3:08 – 7:00 – Quick News 7:00 – 7:37 – Content Preface 7:37 - 45:50 - Brandon Welling Interview 45:50 - End – Outro Next episode will be our first of two 2022 recap ...
Dec 13, 2022•49 min
We are going hybrid on this episode with Terra Jackson ! Since we weren't able to cover the Deka World Championships in person we knew we needed at least one episode to give it some love. Following the results Mike immediately knew that he wanted Terra as the guest. Terra took 1st in Deka Fit, 1st in Deka Strong, and 3rd in the Deka Mile showing what a well rounded athlete she is. We also knew a bit more about her from listening to the OFX Podcast which was helpful as well. We discuss how she th...
Dec 05, 2022•1 hr 13 min
This is the second of two episodes on World's Toughest Mudder. Click here for part one. For this episode we have Mark Gaudet and Kris Rugloski ! Mark won the Spartan Ultra World Championships in Telluride last year and has an extensive military background. Both of these add up to a pretty strong contender for WTM and he was able to place 2nd! Kris is the current Hyrox World Champion and has also set a record for the fastest time completing the ultra grand slam. She went into WTM with the intenti...
Nov 28, 2022•1 hr 26 min
We were planning for this and next episode to be on Deka World Championships but unfortunately there were a trifecta of reasons that stopped us from being in Atlantic City to cover it live! Instead, we plan to have two episodes on World's Toughest Mudder (released earlier than planned). For this episode we have Tyler Veerman and DJ Fox ! Tyler is no stranger to ultra endurance OCR as he did really well in Telluride last year for the Spartan Ultra World Championships. WTM is very different than a...
Nov 21, 2022•1 hr 27 min
Who would have thought that 5 years and 11 months into our show we would have such a special episode 306?! You listeners have come to know us pretty well and we figured that it was only fair to involve you in our wedding in one way or another! Being miked up for our ceremony was non-nogotiable since Mike wanted to use the audio for this episode, and to get an excellent video from the videographer as well! 0:00 – 4:08 – Intro 4:08 – 15:45 – Quick News 15:45 – 16:16 – Content Preface 16:16 - 49:43...
Nov 18, 2022•57 min
Making up for last week's lack of a guest we are having something of a double feature which we usually don't do in a single episode! First off we have Anthony Kunkel who runs the UltraHouse in Durango, Colorado. He is a well known athlete in the running world but OCR has not been his main focus. I (Mike) met him while covering WTM last year and it seems like he caught the ultra OCR bug and is ready to crush the course as an elite contender this year. He is also sponsored by a bunch of companies ...
Nov 08, 2022•1 hr 44 min
Ghosted by a guest again! Hopefully now that Halloween is over we can be done with the ghosts and get back to some high quality episodes! If you're still here and listening we love your faces! We used this opportunity to talk about our thoughts on the 3 big Spartan race news stories. We got a crapload of messages from people saying that they wanted to hear our thoughts (which of course Mike had a lot of). Apologies if new information came out in the following 3 days before recording but life has...
Nov 01, 2022•28 min
We needed to pivot from our original gameplan so hard that I may have sprained a metaphorical ankle. Anyway, instead of hearing from an elite athlete who competed at the big Spartan Race in Blue Mountain (because we were ghosted ... spooky!) we turned to our trusty friend Angela who is always traveling around doing races! This time we got even more lucky because her race this weekend was the Spartan Dallas Ultra (Beast) ! Why is that lucky? Well, because it was at the venue of Twins Canyon Ranch...
Oct 25, 2022•41 min
We finally had Nicole Mericle on the show for her own episode! We talk about her background in rock climbing, her thoughts on progress with the OCR Dream Team , her road to recovery, and her plans to potentially race next weekend in Blue Mountain, Canada! Please support the companies that are supporting awesome women in the sport like Nicole: Sur Phyto Performance , Honey Stinger , Athletic Brewing , VJ Shoes , Kriva CBDA , and Pro Tec Athletics ! Oh, and follow her dog too! 0:00 – 2:34 – Intro ...
Oct 17, 2022•1 hr 11 min
