Obstacle Mud Runner - issue 11

obstaclemudrunner.co.uk ForEliteAtheletes toFunRunners 26 Why I do it. In July 2015, aged 45, overweight and having shown very little interest in exercise for most of those years, I decided to start running or as I call it ‘ralking.’ It was on a whim, inspired by a friend taking on the Great North Run. Andrea had decided not to be sponsored but instead asked people to volunteer either at a local charity, hospital or Parkrun. So, dutifully, I took myself off to Huntingdon Parkrun and volunteered. A chance meeting with another runner – Claire, lead to an invite to my first OCR, Only Fools Ride Horses to celebrate her birthday, but this was 11 months away. I was unsure what taking part in an Obstacle Course Race would entail and wondered whether I would be able to or even want to do it with all that mud, so Claire suggested I marshal and get a feel for it. Armed with a bag of jelly babies we headed off to Pukka Races ‘Diablo’ at Barton-Le-Clay Devil Pits and my love affair with OCR, mud and marshalling began. From that very first experience I was hooked on OCR, the people, the mud, the challenge, the camaraderie and the range of abilities of the participants and I wanted to do it again and again. I booked and planned future events to ‘ralk’ and planned lots more marshalling, as time went on marshalling became a larger part. What can you expect from a day marshalling? All weathers, lots of mud, laughter, tired feet, a deep-rooted need to pee and nowhere to go, hugs, loss of voice, tired runners, jelly babies, some more mud, tears – happy and sad, cake, smiles, sore runners, long days, more hugs, tiredness and sheer happiness. A mixture of emotions finished with a side of shattered. So why Marshal? I suppose like most of the uninitiated the obvious answer and probably my reason when I started was the ‘Free Race code’ or the swag. But for me, once I’ve pulled on that Hi-Viz or volunteer tee, arrived at my spot for the day and got involved, the race code, dryrobe, sweatshirt etc.. is no longer the reason I do it, that part is just a bonus. Plus, as the saying goes, ‘there is no such thing as a free lunch’ or race. That’s so true. There are still costs; travel, camping/hotel There are still costs; travel, camping/hotel bills, food, jelly babies, cake so it can be cheaper and less tiring to buy a ticket, turn up and race RACE : MARSHALLS it might be less tiring to run... We asked ‘Marshal of the Year 2017’ award winner Jojo Barker why she does what she does, and believe me, she does what she does well. Here’s what she says… Photo: Epic Action Imagery