New To OCR?  Welcome!

Obstacle course racing involves large scale mass participation events held mostly outdoors across multiple distances, ranging from 100 metres to ultra marathon distances. The terrain is usually off-road or multi-terrain and involves technical footwork over mud, hills and rough terrain. Within the race are a variety of whole-body obstacles including but not limited to: walls, rope climbs, monkey bars, rigs, carries, and swims.

There are many races, championships, series, brands, teams and training centres across the UK, and indeed the world; from 5km inflatable runs, local independent races, big multinational events like Spartan and Tough Mudder, to endurance races and even international competitions.  

There’s something for everyone!

When an athlete is unable to complete an obstacle there may be different, often physical, penalties attached that must be completed before finishing the race. Competitive races are chip timed and the winner is the athlete/team who completes the course and any penalties as fast as possible. There are team/relay events and events of different distances (sprint, short-course, classic course, ultra-distance).

Where to start

Who is OCR for?

Youth non-competitive races start from as young as 4, and competitive races go up to 60+. There are Open runners in their 70s. There really is something for everyone.

Para/Adaptive racing is fairly new but definitely a growing area of the sport and we are excited to announce that we will be running a challenge for all adaptive athletes in the UK in 2025. Check out our Limitless Challenge page for more details

If you are new to fitness, then an Open race is probably a good option. These are often not timed and there is no expectation you will complete all the obstacles; you choose which might be possible for you and give it a go. You can have assistance from other runners or the Volunteer Marshalls, or simply miss the ones you really don’t want to try, yet.

5km inflatable runs & non-competitive fun races/waves are also ideal for a first timer. Often these are part of larger events around the country throughout the year and a great introduction to the OCR community without the pressure of competition.

If you’d like to try yourself against others in your age group, there are plenty of competitive events available. The easiest place to find these is on the British Obstacle Sports website.

Sprint (100m) is very quick, fast and furious, requires explosive power and good grip strength. This is probably suitable for someone with previous experience of other sports such as rock climbing or gymnastics. It’s the crossover between Ninja and OCR, attracting athletes from both disciplines.

Short Course (2k – 4k) are often obstacle dense, needing technique as well as fitness for success. Despite the short length, these are probably not the first race to take part in a competitive wave.

Classic Course These are the classic ‘mud races’, some muddier than others. They can be as short as 5k or up to 21/24k. Usually a mixture of trail running, mud, water and a wide variety of obstacles. Some are fun races, some aimed at teams, some personal challenges and some are competitive. These are great as first races and continue to provide challenge to the fastest athletes in the country. Having ‘waves’ means everyone can run the same course but with different expectations.

Endurance/ultras. These can be 50k+, either separate events or lap events, completing the standard course multiple times in one day. All the challenges, but longer!

There are also lots of introductory sessions with entry level 2 or 3k races, and Junior races for the younger members of the family.

For a list of race events visit the British Obstacle Website events page or follow us on Facebook

Before your first race

You could get some training in, to get ready. Trail running is a great place to start.  Training on monkey bars and similar apparatus would be helpful.  There are obstacle training centres around the country (see page 7), most have pay and play sessions to begin to learn obstacle skills.

Kit.  What to wear? The most important item is your shoes, especially if your race is muddy. Old trainers will leave you slipping and sliding everywhere! Specialist mud shoes are worth the money, the muddier the race, the more grip is needed.  A less muddy race might just need trail shoes, and remember to test your kit before taking on a race.

OCR is generally wet and muddy; clothes should not hold water. Tight fitting leggings and tops made of quick dry fabrics are ideal. Comfortable shorts and vests which don’t rub or chafe, are good.  If it’s cold, a wrag to wear around your neck and a hat can be useful.  Builder’s gloves are a good way to start, not expensive, but you may need to take them off for obstacles.

Bring a bag with an old towel and a full set of spare clothes and shoes for after the race, you can leave this in bag drop and change afterwards.  A bin bag for your wet and muddy kit after the race is often also useful.

Arrive at least an hour before your start time, to get registered and drop your bag, and get warmed up before your start. 

Then remember…. Just have fun!

Want to find out more?

Then check out the following…

Share The Mud

Sign up to our ‘Share the Mud’ monthly email newsletter to find out about upcoming events and other information relating to OCR. This is free and available to all.

OCR Podcasts are also a great source of information to get you started.

UKOCR produces the ‘Swift Half’ every week, along with ‘Who’s Hot’ for news and interviews with those involved in OCR, and have also recently introduced a ‘Pint Size’ podcast dedicated to the British Junior OCR scene and hosted by the kids themselves.

‘Accountability Corner’ is another great podcast which covers lots of information which will really help you get started.

‘Talking Dirty’ is a female focused OCR show with an ever-revolving panel, talking about races happening around the UK and Europe, as well as discussing your thoughts on the important issues in the sport.

There are many others but these are UK based and focus on UK athletes and events.

Wanting to train for an event or just for fun?

Then why not visit a British Obstacle Sports Affiliated Training Centre.

For more information visit the British Obstacle Sports Website or contact Affiliated Centres directly