When people ask me what I do in my spare, I inform them I enjoying running through mud and over obstacles. They generally think I am crazy “Running, water AND mud?!” Well yeah, it’s like an adults’ adventure playground! Have fun and keep fit – seems to be a Win-Win.
Working in Staffordshire and living just over the border in Cheshire is genuinely one of the best places to reach a plethorah of Obstacle Course Races (OCRs).
Last week, I entered “The Troll Run” a new 5km run based in Biddulph (just a couple of miles north of Stoke-on-Trent which had the added attraction of having all proceeds donated to a local charity. There are five other well-known OCRs at Staffordshire – The JCB mud run based at the JCB Estate,
The Obstacle Colour Rush and Extreme Stampede both based at Uttoxeter Race Course, The Scorpion Run in Penkridge near Stafford and The Mud Yard based at Drayton Manor, Tamworth
They are over various distances and obstacles allowing the newbies to have a fun time, whilst others are more challenging for the true OCR veteran.
Slightly further afield, there are some of the better known OCRs including Tough Mudder (Nantwich about 45 minutes from Stoke-on-Trent), Spartan (Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester about 45 minutes from Stoke-on-Trent) Whilst many are only an hour away around Coventry and the West Midlands.
Prices for a mud run average around £40, this usually includes a finishers medal for the wall and a T shirt which you can show off at the gym. Most have “early bird” discounts – the sooner you book, the cheaper the ticket price!
Want to know more about running through mud? Visit this facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/groups/UK.OCR/
Whilst here is a google map of most of the OCRs in the country – https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=z3SYlsXiP1nc.kmSEy4_qY9kw&hl=en_US
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