The Cold One!

Race review by Wendy Brothers.

Taking place at the start of January, it’s always the first OCR race of the year in the UK, held at Knockhill Racing Circuit, Fife, Scotland.

It’s cold, it’s wet, it’s so muddy – and it’s great fun.

The course is set up both on the racing circuit itself and over the surrounding muddy fields and hills. It features plenty of water sections and stream wades, with a very long tyre carry through a beautiful burn quite early in the race. The event also includes some interesting twists – it’s unlike any other and has to be experienced. Personally, I love it and will be back again.

The race is proudly Scottish, kicking off with a Highland band parading through the start area before the race begins to the sound and sight of the bagpipes.

There are three race distances: 7K, 15K, and 21K – all with a mass start. They separate and re-join at points on the course, which could be confusing, but this year the course markings were excellent, so it was very hard to get lost.

I ran in the 15K distance, where some runners wore wristbands to indicate they were competing in the competitive category. For these athletes, four designated obstacles on the course offered an extra challenge: successfully completing one of these earned you a band.

Final rankings were determined first by the number of these banded obstacles completed — so the winner was the person who collected the most bands, not necessarily the fastest runner. If two or more runners finished with the same number of bands, their placing was then decided by finish time.

I really liked this system. Giving bands (rather than cutting them off for failed attempts) feels better and is easier to manage for Technical Officials. It also meant that successful obstacle completion outweighed running speed, although both were needed for a top result.

The competitive 15K race was part of the Scottish OCR Race Series, run by the Scottish OCR Community Group with support from British Obstacle Sports.

The first obstacle was a variation on hurdles – ten times up and down the racetrack grandstands, leaping over 11 seats each time. This was truly energy-sapping! So simple to set up, yet so effective.

This was followed by a good run out to the burn (stream) and a long 1 kilometre tyre carry through water and then across rough ground. Again, a demanding yet simple obstacle. Water safety marshals were present, as the water was cold and deep in places.

After this, there was lots more mud and plenty of traditional OCR obstacles of varying difficulty.

The first two banded obstacles came fairly early: a high rig with challenging holds and attachments, and a barrel rig where the hanging barrels’ handholds were used to swing from one to the next. These were very challenging – only a handful of men completed both, and no women completed either.

Next came a varied section across beautiful countryside, with spectacular views over the Firth of Forth in places, and deep streams and thick mud in others. One obstacle in this section required competitors to pass through waterlogged pipes and tunnels – and an insane amount of mud. It was essential to keep moving to stay warm after the water sections.

The third banded obstacle was more about mental strength than physical: full immersion four times to pass under ‘The Lollipops’. This was harder this year, as the cold “water” was essentially liquid mud (at least for later runners), and the mud particles got into my eyes, making the remainder of the race much harder. It took a few days to completely clear. The completion was worth it, though – a band was awarded after the fourth immersion.

The final banded obstacle, just before the finish, was a rope climb. This was exceptionally hard – the rope ended some distance above the ground, requiring a big jump to grab it. It was also wet, muddy, and thick, making it hard to get a foot lock. Only three men – and no women – succeeded in gaining a band here, even though the rope wasn’t especially high. It was just so hard to get up there when cold, wet, and exhausted.

This event can be regarded as much a challenge as a race. The camaraderie is fabulous, with great support from marshals, technical officials, spectators, and fellow athletes. It’s one of those races that gives you a strong sense of achievement at the finish. It’s a hard race – partly because it’s January in Scotland, partly because the terrain is challenging, and partly because there are a lot of obstacles.

Personally, I really enjoyed the race and finished with a great sense of satisfaction – and a band.

Thoroughly recommended – I definitely see why people consider it a bucket list event.

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Winter MacTuff 2024 was reviewed by Wendy Brothers.