Mud, Sweat and Beers

Another week, another race. This time an OCR (Obstacle Course Race) called Mud, Sweat and Beers. It would have been more appropriate to call it mud, hills and more hills.

The weather forecast had predicted heavy rain, thunderstorms and even hail all day and that looked accurate as I drove to Shukburgh Hall through a torrential downpour. I was running late and feeling unprepared as I peered through the windscreen while the wiper blades worked overtime throwing off the water. Not what I had expected when I signed up to this summer event.

This was the fourth MSB event and my third. The others had been held in winter and had involved bouts of near hypothermia so I had looked forward to enjoying the lake wades this time round as a way of cooling down.

The venue was at the end of a long driveway following miles of open countryside. I parked in the soggy field and walked over to the start area which was made up of a number of marquee tents, burger vans and charity stalls. I joined the queue to register which thankfully was in the marquee as it took almost half an hour to get to the end of the line where I was given my race number - 314.

When I emerged the warm up had already taken place and the rain had stopped. There were two distances on offer and I had opted for the 5K which started ten minutes after the 10K. Following a quick race briefing the 10K runners set off and we followed about ten minutes later. 

I started at the front to ensure that I had clear ground ahead of me and could push the pace having been encouraged by my second place finish in the previous round.

This was the first time I had run at Shukburgh Hall so I wasn’t too sure what to expect. What I hadn’t anticipated was a steep 400m climb straight from the off. By the time I reached the top my thighs were burning, I was out of breath and had already caught a number of the slower 10K runners.

The route wound down a steep boggy slope before taking us through woodland and over fallen trees. This created a bottle neck as only one person could get through at a time. I was torn between wanting to push past and compete for the win and being polite and waiting my turn. 

In the end I did a bit of both and scrambled through having lost touch with the leaders. Part of me thinks I should have been more ruthless but for me these races are as much about taking part as winning and I didn’t want to go against the spirit of the event.

My memory is a bit hazy when it comes to the exact order of obstacles that I encountered but I will share a couple of highlights.

The water

There were three water obstacles. The longest was a thirty metre swim which I opted out of and instead took the land based route through more woods and steep climbs. I returned to the course at the same time as another competitor who had entered the water just as I took the detour. The other water features were shorter but muddier and as I waded ashore each time I had yards of pond weed to remove from my legs.

The slides

There were two man made slides on the course made by laying plastic sheeting on a steep hill and pouring water and fairy liquid down it. The first was long but not much of a gradient. There were a number of spectators watching so I ran up and launched myself head first along it only to come to a stop a few yards later. Embarrassed, I stood up and ran to the end of the slide...

The second was quite steep but shorter and again I flung myself onto it. All was going well until a small ditch at the bottom scooped me up and threw me into the air. I landed on my back with a crunch and was in discomfort for the rest of the day.

The hills

As I mentioned this was a very hilly event. The whole course consisted of clambering up then sliding down muddy hillsides. I can remember six testing climbs but I’m sure there were more. At one point people were crawling up the bank on all fours. It certainly added a different feel to the event and called for much more stamina and leg strength but did mean that many if not all had to walk large parts of the course.

The obstacles

There weren’t as many obstacles in this round of the competition. However, as usual there were a number of wooden upturned V shapes to traverse, a wall to climb, and some large tyres to crawl through (I’ve realised there is no way to do this without looking ridiculous and ending up in a heap on the floor like a new born giraffe!) There was also a cargo net to crawl under and a spider web to crawl through.

I reached the finish line in 5^th place having taken 40:29. It had seemed a lot longer than previous OCR events but I am sure that was due to the hills slowing me down. My back was still sore but didn’t appear to be anything serious. As usual my legs were covered in scratches and nettle stings but one particular sore patch on my right buttock turned out to be a four inch long gash which I must have picked up on the slide.

By now the sun had come out and it was getting warm. I waited with other members of my club for everyone to finish and we cheered them all across the line. 

Overall the atmosphere at the event was great. There were evidently many people in attendance for whom this was their first experience of OCR running. The organisers, marshalls and supporters were friendly and helpful and the medal is still the most practical I have ever come across as it doubles up as a bottle opener. This was handy when I picked up my free bottle of lager at the finish.

To be honest I didn’t enjoy this OCR as much as others I have run in. I don’t think this was down to the course or the event. I think it was more to do with my frame of mind. For the first time in an OCR I ran as an individual hoping to try and win rather than being part of a team, enjoying it and being happy to get round. 

Back row, second left.

For me these races are more fun this way, helping people to get over the obstacles, encouraging others to keep going and rolling in the mud. Next time I'll just be doing it for the fun of it.