Middle of the Pack

Gone are the days of the Spartan burpees?   With the news of the change to Age Group and Elite Spartan Races, Megan and Brian called an SOS; Save Our Sport!   Middle of the Pack jumped on IG Live to chat with the community about our reactions, our thoughts, and our concerns for the sport. What does this news mean for the future of Obstacle Course Racing??   Tune in for our first LIVE, unedited Middle of the Pack Podcast. Stay tuned. More live episodes coming soon!   www.instagram.com/middleofthepackpod

Obstacle Course Racing World Championships is the premier event in OCR every year. This year, OCRWC definitely did NOT disappoint!   Join MeggieBATC and Lynch_BMX_OCR as they recap all of the fun that was OCRWC 2022 in Stratton, Vermont.   Warning! This episode is not for the faint of heart. You know what you're signing up for when you sign up to race at OCRWC; you know what you're getting into when you start a Middle of the Pack episode. We love this sport, we love this community, and we want to see every athlete continue to grow and thrive within the realms of Obstacle Course Racing.

Walking away from an Ultra with a DNF can weigh heavily on an athlete. Regardless of if the DNF was due to mental or physical issues, leaving without a buckle can either drag you down or it can light a fire under you to come back stronger.  For Matthew Latawiec, his 2021 Killington Ultra DNF was a daily motivation to return to Vermont with a mission. In today's Middle of the Pack Podcast, Matthew tells his story of battling back from an achilles tear, an ATV accident weeks before Killington, and ultimately a DNF to come back to the {Ultra} Beast of the East with one goal; to burn his 2021 Ultra Pinnie after jumping over that Killington Fire. Make sure to like, subscribe and rate MOTP on your podcast app! And definitely add Muddy Buffalo to your 2023 OCR Calendar.

What Happened with Battle of the Lions? Are Laches here for good? How did the "No Swim at Killington" rumor get started?!?   Join The OCR Trainer and @Lynch_BMX_OCR for a recap on what's been going on in the sport of OCR and their prediction on what more is to come.   Don't forget to join in on the conversation! Join the Middle of the Pack Discord server and share your input with us on Facebook and Instagram! This is a podcast for the Middle of the Pack, by the Middle of the Pack.

Is this goodbye to Indian Mud Run?! With 106 obstacles over a "10k", The 10th Anniversary of Indian Mud Run rejuvenated our souls and reminded the OCR community exactly of what we love most about this sport; the people. We left our blood, sweat, and tears out along the trails of Coshocton for arguable the most difficult obstacle course race in North America, and we sent this beloved race brand out in style. Nobody can truly describe Indian Mud Run with justice, but we do our best to pay homage to such an incredible race. So what's next for the Coshocton Obstacle Course Race? We give our opinions and our feedback on what we hope to see in future races in Coshocton, Ohio. *There were technical difficulties with sound during recording. Please forgive the choppiness in some volume changes.* Want to join the Middle of the Pack? Join our Discord server to give your insight and feedback for future episodes! https://discord.gg/FrpNGgMBCS

You ever do a big race and you still feel the mental wear and tear linger for a couple days after? The racing hangover is real, and no we aren't talking about partying too much after a race. The race hangover that lingers on your mind, and makes you ponder where and how things could have gone better. This week Charles and Megan discuss their recent ultras and how the fallout from the race has affected them in different ways and give advice on how other racers can learn to move on from their races.

If you are involved in a race design and build, should you be allowed to race competitively?? This week on Middle of the Pack Podcast, Megan and Corey sit down to discuss all the grey areas between helping on race build and actively competing, and how the sport as a whole can set definitive guidelines on maintaining fairness across the competitive playing field. This is definitely one topic that is meant to spark debate.  This episode is one of our toughest topics to date! Give it a listen and let us know your thoughts. Should competitive racers be allowed to help on course design AND collect podium awards??

You can run a 5k with obstacles, you can run a half marathon with obstacles, but can you withstand a FULL DAY of running with obstacles?! In the world of obstacle course racing, ultra racing is NEXT LEVEL! It is more than just how fast can you run, but more of how long will your mind and your body allow you to run. This week Charles and Megan go over their mental prep for their upcoming ultras and from their previous ultras.

The title of Pro is thrown around a lot in our sport. But what really makes  a pro obstacle course racer a pro? Is it merely running in the pro wave? Holding an elite qualification? Or collecting a paycheck? Is it time for OCR to have a pro qualification that keeps racers from cherry picking their races for the easiest podium? We discuss these topics and more with aspiring pro obstacle course racer, Miranda Kielpinski.

Obstacle course racing is a sport that requires mastering more than one specialty, how do you find what you're good at? How do you make sure you're using your specialty to your advantage? Do you run specific races? Train overtime to fill in the gaps? This week we breakdown how you can make the most out of what you are good at in obstacle racing!