MacTuff 08/01/2017

By Philip Crosson

Saturday 4 June 2016 The Cardross Estate, Port of Menteith, near Stirling    

The predominant memory of last years Scottish Major Series was that it was so cold, rainy and windy, I had trouble untying my shoelaces at the end of the race because my fingers were freezing!  

This years event promised to be very different due to the great weather we'd currently been enjoying in Scotland and the fact that the Major Series had undertaken significant change. Not only has it been rebranded to associate itself more with the Royal British Legion, new obstacles and format had been announced. The result has elevated the Scottish Major to a completely new level and raised the bar on how an OCR should look and run in my view.  

Registration was quick and easy online via the active.com website. A choice of either the 5K or 10K route to choose from and plenty of information on where the event is, how to get there and what to expect once you arrive. Indeed, signposts for the Major started to appear by the side of the road a few miles away from the site which offers reassurance to drivers that they're going the right way.  

The build up to the race comes from the Major via a few emails, all with the military theme and based on the premise that you are recruited to take on a mission to complete the course with the support of his troops.

The Cardoss Estate is a private farm with over 4000 acres and includes a river, ponds, plenty of muddy ditches, fields and fences. Upon arrival, parking is free guided by marshals and the event village is a short walk away.  
 
Upbeat music plays over the tannoy system with occasional advice announced by the Major. You recognise the Major because he looks exactly like his cartoon image on all the materials and website; a commanding figure in military uniform complete with huge moustache a la Blackadder Lord Melchett style and cane - great fun!
 
Included in the village is the registration tent, changing tents if required, toilets, a free car-keys/phone bag drop, MOMA porridge stand with free samples , Red Bull representatives handing out free cans, Blacks sports store and stands selling hot or cold food with a table and seating area and bar. A huge map of the course was also on show, medics available and a photo area to have your free photo taken at the end of the race.  The feel and vibe of the village was great and this is where people congregated prior to their start wave.
 
The Major announced the waves every 15 minutes and the Army PT Instructor put you through your paces in the warm up pen.  Once finished, the Major marched in front of the wave to the starting point where he fires his gun and let's you run through the thick coloured smoke bombs that have been thrown on the starting line. Quite the spectacle!
 
The new 10K course format involves running through 5 zones; Basic Training, Air, Land, Marine, and Extraction Zone.
 
A few hundred metres in the Basic Training Zone and the military PT Instructors are shouting “15 press ups”, then run to do 15 squats, then another short distance to do 15 burpees!  Then on to the tyre field before a chance to get into a stride running over uneven ground to the first big obstacle; MOMA Perilous Porridge Pot wall. This was a huge block where you climb up one side of the block (the pot) along the flat roof, which was a cargo net made out of canvas belts, then down the other side. An original obstacle in my experience.
 
Balance beams, cargo net wall and cargo net crawl, postman’s walk balancing on a rope between 2 trees featured in the Air Zone, which led to the Land Zone.
 
This zone had various muddy ditches, some quite deep. Spider web, a barbed wire crawl through thick, wet mud and a run through a boggy area found you being squirted with water from soldiers in full camouflage gear - I genuinely did not see them coming. A chance to throw a hand grenade (potato) into baskets tested your aim; and if you failed - 5 burpees! 
 
A common feature of the course was sound effects, such as rifle fire and battle cries or well known rousing military tunes being blasted from several hidden speakers which really added to the theme and effect of the event as you went round the course.
 
The highlight of the Marine Zone featured wading into the river where 3 large inflatable logs floated in front of you. The only way through was under the logs and although the water wasn't freezing, it still took your breath away as you went fully submerged under each log.
 
Running into the Extraction Zone encountered a series of high over and under beams, a series of floating mats to run over in a pond, a huge slide (photo opportunity), tunnels to crawl through, a log carry and a mock front of a house where you could either go through the windows or climb through the blocked doorway. Every now and then, flames would appear from the top of the wall. Again another original obstacle.
 
Eventually the finish was in sight and the last hurdle was a massive A-Frame wall with ropes. Marshals willing and helping you along if you needed it.
 
There were marshals everywhere. Clearly an advantage the Major Series has is access to cadets, volunteers and the British Military Fitness teams throughout the region and their friendly banter, support and advice is a huge plus for the Major Series.
 
The finish line takes you into the village where you receive your medal, T-shirt and goodie bag. An impressive bag it is too with a can of Red Bull, sachet of MOMA porridge, Hi Five gel and electrolyte tablets and discount vouchers advertising Blacks Sports store.
 
A chance to get a bite to eat and drink, not forgetting to pose for your free souvenir photo - all photos available online after the race.
 
This was a fun, challenging course, well-organised and well run.  Considering the parking, car-key drop, porridge, race timing, spectators entry and finish photos are free and the excellent T-Shirt and goodie bag, this is a great value event at £40 (or £35 for the 5K), if you took the early bird price.  Last minute entry came in at £59 with a range of prices in between depending on how late you register.
 
Attention to detail in areas such as communication, the layout of the course, the obstacles and the event village has raised the bar in how a good OCR ought to be delivered in my view, and I for one will be happy to take part again next year.
 
Philip Crosson
 
 
 

By Philip Crosson

TrailTroopers May 10K OCR Review


How often have you read a review of an obstacle course race you've recently completed and wondered if you were running the same race?

It's a very subjective view, isn't it? So at the risk of alienating my fellow runners who took part, please recognise that this is my take on the TrailTroopers May 10K OCR at Chatelherault Country Park, near Hamilton on Sunday 2 May.

Entering the race was straightforward through EntryCentral via the TrailTroopers website. There’s plenty of useful information for the novice, clear instructions and good email communication from the TrailTroopers Team prior to the event on how to get to the event, where to park and what to expect when you arrive.

TrailTroopers offer one of the best value OCR in Scotland and provide a series of prices from the early bird price of £23 to latecomers at £30 for the 10K.

There were 3 available distances to run; 10K, 5K and 2K. The 2K is aimed at Mini-TrailTroopers to encourage kids to take part and have fun. The different races took place over 6 waves starting with the 10K at 10.50 through to the last 2K wave at 13.10.

Waves 1 and 2 in the 10K and wave 1 in the 5K was timed using RaceSplitter on an iPad, which is why your race number needs to be visible when you cross the finish line so the Marshalls could note your time.

Driving to the event was straight forward using the SatNav postcode provided in the pre race email and plenty of parking available upon arriving, which was near the Registration Tent.

Registration was quick and easy and this is where you received your race number. A bag drop was also available if you had to leave car keys or bags. Toilets and changing areas were available and you could find a café in Chatelherault House if you wanted a hot drink.

The course is set in the magnificent grounds of Chatelherault Country Park and takes advantage of the natural terrain and woodland in addition to the man made obstacles throughout the race.

Wave 1 was called to assemble in front of the starting line and I was expecting a 10 minute warm up session described in the pre race instructions but unfortunately, it turns out the person who was going to do the warm up hadn’t arrived. The morning was a bit cold and light drizzle on and off meant that if you hadn’t taken it upon yourself to keep warm and stretch, you may well have started not properly warmed up.

The loudspeaker wasn’t that loud and I don’t think the front line heard the starting gun go off which prompted shouts of “Go!” from those that heard the gun.

The first obstacle was immediate; a few metres away was a huge cargo net pinned down on the side of a fairly steep hill. The path at the top of the hill led to the woodland. A variety of fallen trees, muddy ditches and banks to clamber over became the first of many obstacles to overcome throughout the race.

It wasn’t long before we came across the first of 3 river sections; ranging from ankle depth to over your knees.

A variety of trails took us through streams, a tyre carry through some very boggy and muddy pits, several spider webs, a log carry, a rope climb, a water drainage tunnel, a monkey traverse, a long series of steps and some long inclines where some of the physical challenges encountered.

Towards the end of the race a crowd had gathered to see you overcome the final tests before you reach the finish line. These included a huge water slide (back down the hill from the start), a balance beam, climbing walls, a series of overs and unders, parallel bars and balance over a see saw.

All runners in the 5K and 10K races received a very nice medal in the shape of a jigsaw and a TrailTroopers T-shirt. A bottle of water and a wafer biscuit was also welcome along with some information about the Finding Your Feet charity. This cause supports people who have gone through life changing trauma and is supported by TrailTroopers.


Top 3 of wave 1 10K OCR were:
First – Ross Keiron, 00:55:01
Second – Connor McGourt, 00:57:07
Third – John Denovan, 00:58:02


Top 3 of wave 2 10K OCR were:
First – Lee Kinnell, 01:06:03
Second – Gary Gordon, 01:13:28
Third – Graeme Neilson, 01:17:55


Top 3 of wave 1 5K OCR were:
First – Calum Ferguson, 00:32:23
Second – Emily Crusher, 00:34:07
Third – William Haley, 00:35:41

I later learned that vandals had moved signs and taken down markers and course tape overnight prior to the race. I didn’t notice this disruption at all during the race, so credit to the Race Directors and Marshalls who quickly put things right. In fact I thought the course was very well marked out and didn’t wonder once which direction to take.

So despite a bit of drizzle prior to the race, this was an enjoyable, sometimes challenging race that made the best use of the natural landscape. The event was well organised, with the support of friendly, encouraging Marshalls and volunteers.

TrailTroopers next event is Castle Dangerous OCR, on Saturday 13 August at Douglas (in-between Lesmahagow and Abington), a new venue for TrailTroopers and one that promises to be just as challenging and fun as Chatelherault.

Philip Crosson

I was excited about taking part in this years Tartan Warrior, after hearing how well last years events went from a few clients.  And I have to say  I really enjoyed it.

Signing up for the was done through EntryCentral.com. The process was simple and painless. Not as fancy as some other sign up sites, but it does the job. I felt that post race information was given out a little late, less than 48 hours before the race. 2 car park options were given for the race, and we went for car park 1. However, we found it difficult to find, with no signage to the car park and sat nav taking me a little further away(apologies to the persons house I had to park outside ). But a little wonder up the road and I could see where were to go and the red arrows took us to the event area, it was a bit of a trek.

Once at the event village things were pretty straight forward. My team and I were in wave one and registration was easy to find. The cue for registration was seemingly at a standstill for an age, but with a quick announcement the prioritised wave 1's registration and it sped up considerably. Not much else at the event village, just a couple of toilet stalls, no real bag drop and a table you could get some water and drinks from the Canada Wood Kitchen and Bar. But for the size and pricing of the event, couldn't really grumble too much. After some briefing on the wrist bands for the obstacle monitoring/penalty system they were trying out, were off to the start pen.

Little windy and cold standing there on the start line, and we had a little wait until were given the 3, 2, 1 by Joda( organiser of event with other half John). Once off, and sheesh I went off, we hit a muddy, uneven field, with a sharp turn into a nice deep puddle, then down to a crawl in the mud, a perfect start to really thin out the charging crowd. I kind of over cooked it at the start. Too much adrenaline me thinks! And paid for that no too long later. Hitting a couple of hurdles and then our first climb. After this it was a good solid running section. The location was fantastic, and have to say the obstacles were great. Wall climbs, table top, monkey bars, natural burns, rope climb, monkey bars and the addition of a ring toss. The course was fast and exciting. Challenging but fun. A great mixture and blend of natural and man made obstacles. Marshalls were all helpful, well except a couple of us getting told to go left instead of right at one point. It probably cost me a podium finish, but it made me run harder to gain a good few places back. And I can't let that effect my view on what I found to be a very enjoyable race.

As always at OCR's the atmosphere was great and spirits high, having a good laugh with many on the start line!

And I have to say, it is definitely the best FAMILY event around. It was great and obvious to see that kids and family was a big focus for this event, which I can only assume reflects the values of Tartan Warrior. Kids looked like they had a ball. I hope this event continues for the next few years so I can take my wee boy around the course.

Tartan Warrior was a fun, solid race. It crammed so much in to such a small course, which made you feel you were out running longer than you actually were. Really a great introduction race to OCR's, and superb for enthusiastically motivating the family to together and get outdoors and get active. Yes there were a few niggles and a few things lacking, none of that was to do with the important thing, the race. But for a more 'smaller', local, family friendly event you can not grumble. I am sure as they grow they will learn and only get better.

M.K. Rating

Event Booking: 3/5
Price: 4.5/5
The Race: 4.5/5
Event Village: 2.5/5

Overall: 3.9/5
(rounded up average for the great Family Friendly aspect) 

I heard and read a lot of hype about the Mighty Deerstalker (run by RatRace) over the last couple of years. 'Toughest race ever'. 'Insanely hard terrain'. 'Brutal hills'. All key phrases that trigger that insane part of my brain to take over and thus I was eager to give it a go this year.

Signing up for the race using ratraceentries.com was very easy to do. Having you create an account actually worked really well, as it was easy to go and update details, purchase add-ons such as camping and parking, whenever required. They could have been a little more clear at the start however that Camping tickets were per individual and not per tent.

5 of us were running the race as a team, looking to sadistically enjoy ourselves and see what the race had in store.

Parking was good and very well marshalled, with the price pre-event being very reasonable.

Registration was relatively easy and painless. One of our team had forgotten his wallet and ID, but for a couple of quid and verification, it was easily sorted out. We all pre-booked camping tickets, and to register ourselves for this we had to go to another tent and again show ID to get the necessary wrist band to enter camping site. Not a very big deal in grand scheme of things, but the process wasn't made clear. And when carrying a tone of stuff, and putting ID away again, it was a little cumbersome process. But off to the campsite we went, and it was a little alarming how little space they allocated for tents. The campsite we were in was soon expanded as it was filling fast. Too fast it would seem. It was soon announced that there was another field for campers to pitch up in. But most, by this time, were set up, leaving one cramped campsite and one pretty spacious one. A tad better signage next year might help with this. 

Wave and race announcements were continuous and informative and we were always updated to when to head towards starting pen. Once there it was a quick check of timing chip and head torch, a short warm up and away we went.

The race itself was great. Well marshalled and signed throughout. We were in wave 2 and started in the middle of the crowed as we were not gunning for a lightening time. It wasn't long before we came to the first of many points where the crowd slowed to a walk/halt. With a lot of the natural obstacles and routes requiring single file to get through. The terrain however, is EPIC. Ever changing under foot. The hills are exactly what I heard they were, brutal and unforgiving. Seemingly going on forever. The views from near the top of the first hill were spectacular, as it was still light. It was jaw dropping scenery and worth the price of the race alone. The further we went up, the darker it got. Going downhill of the first hill was awesome. At some points you could just let go and go for it. Other parts you had to really watch your footing and take some risks. The little disco on the way down the first hill was awesome, and really lifted everyone's spirits, and we were only sad there weren't more little things like that. After that we could see another amazing sight.... the other hill. The lights of the runners already on it, lit a gorgeous path to the heavens.

After the first hill was completed, we enjoyed a good stint of flat running, water wading and even some road running, which was filled with awesome locals giving their support and encouragement, which again just made the race so much more bearable and enjoyable.

Hill number 2 starts with a tease! I big tease. You conquer a long punishing hill, to be met with a sharp decline. Marshals at the bottom saying 'down to the right'... which was met with many a 'huh... isn't this the second tough hill?'. But a sharp turn left and we were on path to what was closer to a climb than a run. Up we scrambled to a daunting scree slope, with very loose rocks under foot. A quick glance right was enough to make anyone scared of heights. A choice of left or right lay before us and I chose left. Now I have heard differing opinions to which was more difficult or quicker, but damn, left went near vertically up, and it quickly became a spider-man crawl upwards. Again my sadistic little brain loved this section and enjoyed the physical and mental toughness required to conquer it. It was great see everyone help and motivate each other up this section.

After the Scree Hill, it was time for a long and demanding downhill. Steep, muddy and even down right dangerous, it was another exciting part of the course. Once at the bottom and back through the little town, which seemed even more populated with support, it was a couple of miles home straight, via some more mud, river crossings, deep water wade. The run along the water was stunning, another highlight. The crescent moon and stars shining bright, it just felt Epic.

Coming to the finish, down a inflatable water slide, was a little anti-climatic as it was a pretty tame slide, having to run down the last part of it. But regardless it felt great to cross the finish line to a great medal, a curly wurly and great team photo.

We were quick to our tents to change so we could go and enjoy the 'Beerstalker' tent and get some grub. A nice selection of food trucks were supplied I have to say. The atmosphere of the 'Beerstalker' was great. A great laugh had, with great music (well my kind of music anyway!), an uncomfortable nights sleep in the tent (its sleeping in a tent after a race, it was never going to be cosy) and great tasting bacon roll (or two) in the morning and we were off home.

All and all The Mighty Deestalker lived up to most of what I heard about it, and I'm sure I used those key words I mentioned earlier throughout my review. It was an amazing race. I had a really memorable time with it. With amazing terrain and truly brutal hills, it is a great and rewarding challenge. The price is very reasonable too. Will be back next year to give it a good hard run at.

M.K. Rating

Event Booking:  5/5
Price : 4/5
The Race : 4.5/5
Event Village: 4/5

Overall: 4.5/5