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ForEliteAtheletes to FunRunners
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disgruntled about the retry rule changes mid race.
Should there have been a penalty option instead?
Should it have been placed elsewhere where there
would possibly be less of a hold up? Should it have
been so close to Reaper’s Baby Dragon? The actual
solution is anyone’s guess.
A quick refreshment stop gratefully supplied by
High5 and it’s up and at ‘em. Another favourite which
I’d not come across before and that’s Legends Leap
supplied by The Suffering. A 12ft wall with a hole and
3 skull grips which were just out of reach enough to
add that element of risk, this required strength and
flexibility to get your foot up to the holds and over the
top then down the other side via a rope. Plus if you
have height issues, well… lets just say the view from
the top was pretty good.
Hitting the trails once more, the next obstacle in
our path was the Irish Kiss which took many a
wristband. It’s harder than it looks and is a definite
championship worthy obstacle.
Pippingford Park Estate in my eyes is an absolute
gem of a location. The beauty of those hills alone are
almost as breath taking as the temperature of the
water! Which leads me onto the 30m rope traverse
and swim. A rope traverse on top or below (your
choice) across a lake to a designated point marked
by a red flag then a drop in the water and swim the
rest. It made snow feel warm! Certainly woke up my
senses and clambering out the other side meant I
needed to get moving before the cold got to me.
Stunning scenery all around as we make our way to
the tunnel and it truly is as black as black can be!
Unable to see my hand in front of my face, it’s a case
of trust your instincts and just put 1 foot in front of
the other until you reach the end. Up and over the
5ft incline walls, a sandbag carry, where you just take
advantage of the slow in pace and absorb what’s
around you. Lift off, lights out and 8ft incline walls
under our belts, these are the most challenging of the
walls so far and a brief pause in between is needed
to compose yourself and prepare for the next one.
Trails again then change the barrel. A beer barrel
(presumably filled with water not beer) it’s HEAVY!! A
walk to a marker, round the pin head and back again.
Trail climb then the piece de resistance… Deano’s
rig! Like a scene from March of the Penguins, I was
surprised to see as many retries as I did.
Many wrapped in blankets where the cold was
beginning to get to them. Some familiar faces from
the elite wave and many whom I really didn’t expect
to see there. To hear that some of the UK’s finest
didn’t make it across was a sad discovery, what hope
did the rest of us have? Was it really too hard? Was it
the weather? Was it too late in the race? Did the wait
allow us to get cold? Are we simply not good enough?
Many a wise OCR’r have their own theory of “what
went wrong?” Did anything actually go wrong or is an
earlier mentioned theory correct?
Despite the difficulty, everyone appeared to give it
their best shot. I don’t think I saw more determination
than that of Heather Ratcliffe to attempt to complete
it. In the end she was threatened with a DNF if
she didn’t get a move on, so reluctantly she had to
say goodbye to it and continue before the cut off
time caught her up but boy oh boy did she give it
everything!
For me, the final 2 obstacles lay in wait, an 8ft wall
and the final 7m rope climb. Dinging that bell at the
top was a feeling of sheer elation knowing that I’m on
the final home straight to a welcoming finish line.
I’m relieved to have finished and
proud to have taken part.
OCRA and the UK
Championship will
be back in 2018.
United Kingdom,
you have the whole
of 2017 to become
the best you.
We’ll see you there.
RACE : REVIEW
Photo: OCRA
Photo:
Katie Campbell
Spyrka
