Story
The Road to Compete!
Firstly, I'd like to say thank you for coming to this page! Whether you want to make a donation or share the page to your friends, every little helps and it will support and boost me on my journey towards these two amazing events - which I cannot believe I have the opportunity to compete in.
In this section you will get to see: What your donation will go towards, How your donation will support me on my journey, What events I will be competing in, Where I will be competing, More about the upcoming events, as well as my OCR background and What it means to me to compete.
But for now, let's start with the first question you probably have:
What is OCR?
Well, it stands for Obstacle Course Racing. At first you will probably picture Tough Mudders or the Spartan races, well you're right! Those are also part of OCR.
In the UK, the British Obstacle Sports (BOS) is the national governing body for OCR and Ninja Sport. In the events, an athlete is to get from A to B whilst travelling through a set mix of obstacles. These can either be quick sprints like the 100m or machine endurance like the 15k.
What is my OCR Background?
A bit about me. Since growing up in the Lake District, I have been running across the fells and embracing the natural challenges of the great outdoors! I have represented Cumbria on the National County Schools Cross-Country events in my teens and gone on to challenge myself with endurance challenges such as running the Welsh 3000s, marathons, the 3 Peaks (National and Yorkshire) and pacesetting for the Bob Graham Round.
It is only since the start of 2023 where I started to mix my bouldering ability with my running that I started to compete in Ninja Sport and OCR.
I have competed in various national Ninja Sport competitions, improving rapidly as I focussed on my calisthenic skills. To highlight my ninja improvement, I came
5th place at my first British Ninja Championship
and, even, in early February last year I flew to Switzerland for a tiered international leaderboard where I came
3rd place for my first Xcellence Games.
To push and expand my obstacle race experience, and to simply have a bit more fun, I ventured into the outdoor, longer races in OCR. This will utilise my developed ninja skills and my lifelong experience in cross-country running. I went along with some friends and at my first event (a cold, wet and muddy day in November) I collected a
1st place in my age category (4th overall) for the 3k OCR British Championship 2023.
This 1st place win solidified my future in the sport and gave me automatic selection for the British OCR National Team to compete in 2024.
What will your donation go towards?
If you are happy to donate - first of all THANK YOU!
Since the OCR is officially a new sport, all athletes for the Euros and World Championships are competing completely self funded. That means all the expenses that go towards competing in these events, have to be sourced solely by the athlete. This is a massive expense and pressure for one to source alone, therefore with your help your donation will go towards the following:
GB Uniform, Race Fees, Specialised Insurance, Travel Expenses, and Accommodation.
How will your donation support me?
Even a small donation can help in the long run. Your donation will allow me to source comfortable and safe accommodation at both events in Folgaria, Italy and San Jose, Costa Rica. This means I will be able to have a good nights sleep before my event, and be fresh and ready to represent Britain at my full potential.
Obtaining safe and reliable flight journeys to and from the event will remove pressures and anxieties leading up to the championship - and this will reduce the long delays of ridiculous transfers meaning I will be bright and bushy tailed when I land.
To race and represent Britain, I am required to race only in the GB Uniform provided for the British OCR National Team, and should I make it to podium, I have to fly the colours! This uniform is not provided free or included with being selected for the team, the athlete has to buy these to wear.
Racing at an international level means the athlete must source specialist insurance should an accident occur whilst competing. Due to the nature of the event, and some of the obstacles involved, this makes total sense!
Even though an athlete may be selected for their national team, they are still required to pay a racing fee to book their space in their age category, and reserve their athlete/bib number.
What Events will I be Competing In?
In both the OCR European Championship in Italy and the FISO World OCR Championship in Costa Rica, I'll be racing in the 3k event (and now the 100m).
The OCR 3k is classed as a Short Course Obstacle Race. It is 3 kilometres long with approximately 20-25 obstacles along the way. Here's what OCR World Championship say:
The 3K is engineered for speed with 15+ obstacles and enough elevation gain to make your lungs beg for mercy. If you leave it all on the course, there’s no chance you’ll still be standing after you cross the finish line.
After my run at the 100m National Trials on the 15th January, I was put under Selection Committee Review. On the 14th March, I received confirmation that I have been SELECTED to compete in the elite OCR100 at both European and World Championships!
The OCR100 is classed as a Sprint Course Obstacle Race, holding international and Guinness recognition. It is 100m long with approximately 12 obstacles. Fast, Speedy, and if you're watching: very tense!
Epic experience!
The events are split between Elite, Age Category, Para, and Open. For the 3k I'll be competing under Age Category, and for the OCR100 I'll be competing as Elite.
OCR European Championship 2024
The video below shows the official trailer to 2024 European Championships hosted in Italy.
CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE! [EUROS}
The 2024 OCR Championships are hosted by Italy, and will take place in Folgaria, in the Alps just North East of Verona.
FISO OCR World Championship 2024
The video below shows a trailer from the World Championships last year in 2023:
CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE! [WORLDS]
The 2024 FISO OCR World Championships (World Obstacle) are hosted by Costa Rica, and will take place in their national stadium in the capital, San Jose.
What it means to me to Compete
To get to the point of being selected to represent your country in a sport you find incredibly fun and awesomely challenging is a once in a lifetime experience. As soon as I found out, I just felt giddy! Last year, this wouldn't have seemed at all in reach let alone dream possible! I would be kicking myself if I didn't do everything I could to make this opportunity a reality.
I am very knew to the sport of OCR racing, and looking back on my efforts and achievements over the past year I have come to realise that I am heading in a direction where I am not too sure what will come or how far I'll go, the only thing I know is I must keep going. The Euros and the Worlds are a big marker for me, a definite test to my perseverance and dedication in the sport.
To represent Britain is something special, the 12 year old me running through the Lakeland valleys would never have seen this coming. It is such a privilege and an honour to be able get the opportunity to do my best for Britain. To try my hardest. Grit my teeth. Breathe. And run.
To Summarise
Lastly, or again, I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who has got me this far already. Without you I would not have gotten to this stage, and without you, I would really struggle to represent Britain and compete.
Now what I need to do, is to knuckle down and train. Prepare myself for the coming racing season.
Now, I'm off for a run! LET's GOOOOOO!
