OCR 15k World Championships 2016

Saturday, standard length course was held. 48 obstacles. Fastest times were around 1 hour 30 minutes. 15km race with 1120m of elevation gain. The same rules were as the short course, must complete all obstacles in order to keep the OCR Band. Some memorable obstacles that were added are:
Skull Valley - Rock-climbing wall grips to 4 ropes to wall grips and hit a bell
Platinum Rig 2 - Dwarf sized rig where you had to cross - basically being positioned horizontally
Weaver - Over and under an A frame weaving through it without touching the ground
Warped Wall - 14 foot warped wall with a nunchuck hanging on the edge to grab

OCR 3k World Championships 2016

Friday October 14, 2016 held in Blue Mountain Village, Ontario. 3k course Elevation gain of 175m. Super fast race! Top finishers completed in 15min. The great thing about ocrwc was mandatory obstacle completion. If someone gave up on an obstacle, a time penalty was added on in addition to a list of DNF. Some memorable obstacles in this race to list are:
Dragon's Back - precision jumps over 6 feet onto a horizontal bar 10 feet above ground
The Samurai - bear hugging 5 vertical logs from one end to the other without touching the tops.
Platinum Rig 1 - mixture of ropes, bars, and rings
Floating Boards - 5 boards that hang from a chain with some good hand and foot holds
Urban Sky - weight adjusting wheels and weight adjusting rings where where you go from one end to another.

World Championship Race for Charity

Mission: Raise $300 or more money for the World Championships Charity race October 16, 2016 in Ontario, Canada; and donate the remainder money equally amongst Make-A-Wish Canada and Third World Projects.
Learn more here Help Mike Fundraise

Spartan Race: Red Deer Super Aug 3, 2016

The race weekend in Red Deer, Alberta. I raced in the Super on Saturday. I felt the course was well-marked. I enjoyed the race, completed all the obstacles, well sort of. On the multi-rig I kicked the bell, the volunteer said that wasn't allowed so I ended up doing those 30 burpees. As long as the volunteer was telling all the racers that you shouldn't kick the bell - that would be fine. I wish they told us before, or said you can't kick ANY bells on any obstacles hence a burpee penalty. Anyways, the race didn't go as planned. My foot injury really slowed me down and my knees were giving up. So many races this summer, i got Plantar fiscitis which is a pulled tendon on the bottom of my foot. My suunto watch recorded 12.5km and 550m of elevation. Next race will probably be a sprint, and aiming to get my Spartan Championship coin. No great photos.

Laie Waterfall Hike

In the Hawaii island of Oahu, we decided to hike up a waterfall near the North Shore. It was a steady uphill all the way to the waterfall. It took me 55min to hike up 5.8km of clay terrain and 400m of elevation. It was worth it as the end point was 2 cold waterfalls and 1 waterfall above it where you can do a little bit of cliff diving. A great short intense hike post race.

Spartan Race: Hawaii Super August 14, 2016

The next day I did a recovery run, so I ran the Super on the latest heat as I volunteered before and after. I already ran this loop twice so I know what to expect. It was nice to see the Beast loop flag and not having to run that way, a sign of relief that I was already half done. I finished at a relaxing pace, under 2 hours.

Spartan Race: Hawaii Ultra Beast August 13, 2016

Hawaii was awesome! Race was located on the main island of Oahu at the Kualoa Ranch. The views were amazing! As soon as I found out that for the UltraBeast they were giving away the UB belt buckle, I registered myself. Prior to the race, Spartan coach training and the hurricane heat were held on friday. After the the 6 hour hurricane heat, there was a luau being held in the festival area. A luau is a traditional feast followed by some entertainment which in this case was fire dancing!
The UltraBeast heat was the first heat to hit the mountains, we started at 06:00am. I slept in a hammock at the venue so I should be prepared. As i stand by the gate with a couple minutes before the start time, i forgot to take any gels! Luckily a friend gave me a gel, which was enough for one lap. I didn't have a hydration pack but it was mandatory to take a personal hydration, so I ended up running with a water bottle. On the first lap I missed the spear toss and got to the transition tent just a couple minutes after 4 hours. At that time I was 13th. As I lay there relaxing for 20 minutes, one guy who was there just before me left - he ended up finishing 4th place! I put on sunscreen, took some gels, my water bottle, and also my glow sticks and headlamp even though it was only 11:00am! They said it was mandatory for the second lap. While running the second lap, I did realize there was a bloody mud bath the entire route on the beast portion of the race. I ended up losing grip on both rope climbs doing 60 burpees. Finished my second lap just under 5 hours. By the end, I can barely lift this hurcules hoist. I had to stand on the rope and give my hands a break. Pretty happy with my 16th place finish! My suunto watch recorded 40km and 3460m of elevation.

Spartan Race Beast: Montreal Mont Owls Head July 30, 2016

I went to Montreal to do the beast spartan race. This was the hardest spartan race i've ever done! My suunto watch recorded 21.5km with a 1950m elevation! The hardest thing i found was the steep inclines and the steep declines. It was difficult to have any flat terrain to run. I still felt my foot injury so my pace wasn't the greatest. I finished just after 5 hours. A new obstacle I hadn't encountered before was the samurai. This was a couple of vertical logs and pipes where you had to get from one end to the other by basically wrapping your legs and arms around these logs.

Spartan Race Krynica Zdroj July 23, 2016

http://obstacleracingmedia.com/international-race-reviews/spartan-race-krynica-zdroj-poland/

This is my second European race! Took place on a ski resort in the mountain regions of Poland. 22.5km with 1950m of elevation. The hills were continuous and never ending! I really loved the technical terrain. While trekking up those hills in the sun, it was a great relief when there was a creek or a stream crossing. I loved that part! It took me 3:56 to complete the course, and 0 burpees! Click on the link for a more detailed review of the race! :)

Spartan Race Kosice July 9, 2016

http://obstacleracingmedia.com/featured/spartan-race-europe-kosice-slovakia-july-9-2016/

My first european race was in slovakia in the town of Kosice. It was a city race where we ran 6.5km on cobblestones through the central part of the city. There was an arctic pool you had to jump in during the race which was so refreshing! It took me 37 min to complete the course and 0 burpees. Click on the link to see more detailed description of the race!

Spartan Race: Toronto Super July 3, 2016

I raced the super today, 10.5km, elevation of 850m. I believe it was almost the same course as last year. It was a great course again. There was so much incline though that I just didn't have enough energy to run and walked up many of the inclines. Some of the eastern spartan obstacles include a balance beam + slack line, platinum rig, ammo box carry, mud crawl under a cargo net, and of course the famous spear throw. It seemed there was much more competition than last year, reaching over 3000 participants today!

BattleFrog Series: Toronto July 2, 2016

This race was amazing. First of all it was very well marked. The spectator area was really big and saw some of the bigger more difficult obstacles such as "tip of the spear", Platinum rig#2, double jerry can carry, rugsack carry, and monkey bars! Choice of open heat, elite heat, or Xtreme heat. Open heat was 22 obstacles and 8.5km. In the open heat if the racer could not complete an obstacle there was either an 8-count burpee penalty or a small penalty loop with a sandbag to carry. Elite racers had to complete 2 laps and complete every obstacle to remain in the heat. If they gave up on an obstacle, their elite wristband was taken away and they can continue as an open racers and get a DNF. The Xtreme racers had until 2pm to complete as many laps as they can under the open heat rules. I was in the elite heat. 29 elite competitors completed all the obstacles with a remaining 38 elite racers DNF. I ended up taking 13th male finish which I was really happy about!
During the course, the obstacles were marked with Novice, Intermediate, Elite. The difference between the 3 was that the Elite had higher ramps, less footholds, knot-less ropes, and more difficult multi-rigs. Elite male racers were only allowed to do Elite obstacles. Elite female and Xtreme racers(correct me if wrong) had an option to do the Intermediate obstacle route or the elite obstacles. The remaining Open racers had a choice from novice, intermediate, or elite obstacles. Very fun time :) nice to meet the top racers and new faces!

Spartan Race: Edmonton Sprint June 25, 2016

I was racing in the competitive heat which was 15 minutes after the elite heat. The day started with lots of rain. When our heat started all the obstacles were already covered in mud. Half of the race felt like we carried cement blocks on our feet! I was doing pretty good until we came to the traverse wall. I took my time doing this obstacle because it was really muddy as i see everyone was doing burpees. I made across all the walls and then went for the bell and didn't hit it! That was probably the saddest moment during the race for me. I ended up doing 120 burpees that day, not really pushing myself as hard as i could, and running with some friends instead of competing like i should have been. The bucket carry was also shocking. I was filling my bucket to the top with dirt and mud, and while walking uphill I could see everyone's buckets as they were coming downhill. I could not see anyones dirt :( Overall the course layout was great, it did feel like a sprint. My Suunto watch recorded 5.2km. Onto the next race which is near Toronto. :)

Storm the Fort OCR June 11, 2016

This was my first Storm the Fort. Very organized, awesome obstacles, and great competitors. This obstacle race was located in Fort Saskatchewan and was a sponsored event by Johnny B Fitt. It was a tight competition for the money prizes. Some of the new obstacles were the Destroyer (a tall wall out of wood with some blocks for your feet) and Tip of the Spear (4 tarzan ropes, and finger blocks all along an angled wall). There was also Axe throwing, a big Slip and Slide, and an Ice Dunk Wall! I really enjoyed it. I passed some competitors on the obstacles :) I was 4th for the first half of the 5km race, and ended up finishing 8th!

Cerro Amigos Hike

While in Costa Rica I also did the Cerro Amigos hike. Located in Monteverde near the cloud Rainforest! The Hike took apx 1 hour, it was a constant uphill hike of over 400 meters in elevation and just under 4km from the base to the peak. It was really hike as it drizzled rain in the hot weather! Who thought we would get sunburnt, but we did. The views at the top were great.

Cerro Chato Hike

Cerro Chato, located near La Fortuna in Costa Rica. It is beside the Arenal Volcano. Total length to the top of the mountain from the base was 3km and an elevation of 872 meters. Very steep hike and rewarding! We took a swim at the top. No need for a guide/tour as the trails are very clear. The hike can be done in just under an hour, but usually takes 2 hours to hike up. It is also a steep downhill from the top of the mountain on the way to the crater pool. It was pouring really hard when we started to head back and the trails had some heavy flow! Good thing i had my Salomon Speedcross 3 shoes :)

Spartan Race: Montana Beast and Sprint May 7 & 8, 2016

This was my first spartan race of the season. Great weather, not as cold as last year. I was racing in the competitive heat for the beast which I ended up being 26th overall and 5th in my age group. I ran with my Suunto Ambit2 watch and recorded the trek being 20.7km with an elevation gain of 1205 meters. I completed this beast in 3hours 36min which qualified me for the OCRWC 2016! :) There was a total of 30 obstacles with 1 multi-rig right before the fire jump. I did 0 burpees that day!
Next day was the Spartan Sprint. This race was the first out of 5 being broadcast on NBC so many of the pros just raced today. I entered the elite heat as well to see how my time would compare. I finished 69th with a time of 1hr 34min. This was a very long sprint; my suunto recorded 8.9km and 534 meters in elevation. My javelin throw was short this day.
Overall a great weekend. Pretty happy with the results from my training. Next to come are some hikes in Costa Rica, and then some more races in June!

100 Burpees for 100 Days Challenge

Started the 100 burpee challenge on February 14, 2016. Today is day 36! When I started the challenge, my initial time for 100 burpees was around 7.30min. Up to date my record for 100 burpees is 5.55min! A good way for me to keep track is 10 burpees every 30 seconds. The end goal will be to get a good consistent pace and reach 100 burpees in under 5.30min!

BattleFrogs: Los Angeles Feb 6, 2016

My First Battle Frogs Race. I was registered for Elite, which means 2 loops of the regular course. The course was 5 miles long. The neat thing about being in Elite was that the completion of each obstacle was mandatory! That means if you failed at an obstacle you get multiple attempts to overcome them! If someone was unable to complete any of the obstacles, their Elite band was taken away and would have given them a DNF status. After that you can just do the burpee option and continue on your way. Some were really tough. The whole course had 30 obstacles in 5 miles. This included 2 platinum rigs, one with just rings and the other with ropes, horizontal and vertical bars. On my first lap, i was stuck on the 2nd platinum rig for over 5 hours! I did not wanna finish the race with any regrets. I stayed the longest on that platinum rig until i finally got it! Then I was on my second lap, when i approached the same rig again I got it on my first attempt and sprinted towards the finish! I was really happy, great motivation overall throughout the course from racers and staff. There was a total of 3 elite female finishers and 50 elite male finishers. Will train and do more! :)

Lost City Trek - Colombia

So me and my friend did a 4 day trek to the lost city, located near Santa Marta region in the Sierra Nevada mountains in Colombia. Total roundtrip hike is about 46km. On this trek tour we had a group of 15 people, there was also 3 other groups with other guides. We slept at 3 different camps throughout the journey in either bed nets or hammocks. The first few people at each campsite were rewarded the beds, so we always made it a competition to get to the top first. Here I met an ultra runner, his endurance was outstanding! On the first night we played some drinking games and everyone went to bed at 8 except for me and my friend. We stayed up drinking this bottle of run which should have lasted the whole trip but it was done by the first night. Same with the beers, we were hydrating ourselves while hiking and people were in shock. We also were hiking with our backpacks containing all our belongings on the south american trip - all 8kg worth. Anyways we woke up at 05:00 every morning and headed for the trais. Each day we hiked from 4km-8km with a fruit filled lunch break. The trails varied from white sand minerals in the sun, to trails in the forest through some creeks and rivers. Just before entering the lost city, there was about 1200 natural steps / stairs to get to the top. We did a whole lot of elevation on this trek. Very rewarding with amazing scenery.