The distance was great being 4.2- however the obstacles lacked in number AND difficulty.
Here is my review of the race.
* Event Details
Parking: free parking. This is a plus – free anything is good right?
Well- we were told to arrive an hour in advance per usual for any race. When I got to the venue there were no signs once you turned in to Colt State park indicating which direction to go. I parked at one spot and was told I may get blocked in but they didn’t know – so to be safe I moved. By then, there was a “parking attendant” who flagged us down a road. We got down the road to another attendant who led us down a bike path that circled right back to the first attendant. When I asked him where we were supposed to be parking his response was “I don’t know, I’m only 17 years old”. The I don’t know answer becomes a theme as this day continues. I parked in my own spot away from where we were supposed to park and I ended up being okay there.
Parking: free parking. This is a plus – free anything is good right?
Well- we were told to arrive an hour in advance per usual for any race. When I got to the venue there were no signs once you turned in to Colt State park indicating which direction to go. I parked at one spot and was told I may get blocked in but they didn’t know – so to be safe I moved. By then, there was a “parking attendant” who flagged us down a road. We got down the road to another attendant who led us down a bike path that circled right back to the first attendant. When I asked him where we were supposed to be parking his response was “I don’t know, I’m only 17 years old”. The I don’t know answer becomes a theme as this day continues. I parked in my own spot away from where we were supposed to park and I ended up being okay there.
Registration: they had ONE line. One for waivers. Then another line for number pick up. And lastly tee shirt pick up. No one seemed very organized by having their assigned station. People looked at me like they had no clue why I was even in line. While I appreciate volunteers 100 percent (I volunteer often) these people were bumps on a log. In fact when I got to tee shirt pick up I said small and the girl looked at me all confused and said oh this isn’t my station but I guess I can get you the shirt. What?
Facilities: THREE porta potties. 3!!!! Evidently the plumbing broke the evening before and they had to scramble. Regardless with plumbing working I think the bath house had 3 toilets. I had no problem with lines as I went off in the elite heat but when I finished the line was about 40 people long – I peed in the woods.
There was one tent AT the finish line that people were changing in. I don’t know if that was the intended use ? But if so it was unisex. No thanks ??? So I changed in my car after.
communication : zero. The race started 45 minutes late. The emcee at the start line was calling. The race director and couldn’t reach him. Said his phone was off and if she didn’t hear by 8:45 we’d start then. Also one of he other emcees was near registration announcing a bunch of stuff , couldn’t tell you what bc I could not hear him. The “festival” was so spread out with zero organization. Back to the communication piece – no one made an announcement saying sorry we are running late. It was all learned by word of mouth. While we waited all morning to start- several of us asked volunteers where the race started and finished. You can guess the answer “I don’t know”
* Race Details
The race itself: about 25 yards past the start line was an 8 foot wall. Not the best placement ? There was a lot of running which benefited me largely but I went there for OCR not a 4.2 mile sprint with some walls and carries. The course was marked mediocre at best and volunteers were sparse. There were places where a volunteer was yelling at two different directions of people at once and you couldn’t understand. I’m sure all finishers have different distances.
The obstacles were few and far between. More on one of the RD’s later but apparently the night before the park stepped in and made them change and eliminate things. Why they waited to run this plan by the park so late is my question. They had carries- one was a log Carry in the woods. They had maybe 10 logs half of which were literally bloated twigs. The carry was short. They also had a super short rock carry. And these were thrown in a pile and any size from a pebble to a boulder. You could tell it was half assed. There was a wreck bag carry which was decent but also- short. A bucket full of ocean water carry( and every step you took water splashed out) A hay carry – creative but short, again. Everything was short.
The race itself: about 25 yards past the start line was an 8 foot wall. Not the best placement ? There was a lot of running which benefited me largely but I went there for OCR not a 4.2 mile sprint with some walls and carries. The course was marked mediocre at best and volunteers were sparse. There were places where a volunteer was yelling at two different directions of people at once and you couldn’t understand. I’m sure all finishers have different distances.
The obstacles were few and far between. More on one of the RD’s later but apparently the night before the park stepped in and made them change and eliminate things. Why they waited to run this plan by the park so late is my question. They had carries- one was a log Carry in the woods. They had maybe 10 logs half of which were literally bloated twigs. The carry was short. They also had a super short rock carry. And these were thrown in a pile and any size from a pebble to a boulder. You could tell it was half assed. There was a wreck bag carry which was decent but also- short. A bucket full of ocean water carry( and every step you took water splashed out) A hay carry – creative but short, again. Everything was short.
There were two walls during the race. They had a rope climb and it was literally funny. There were 2 knots in it. No bell at the top. The one obstacle I actually liked was the tire cargo net. I told the volunteer it was awesome and her response was “yea it’s different they just put it together like 5 minutes ago” she was awesome and by her mannerism she was even annoyed with the lack of organization. She made me smile though! They had what I think was supposed to be a tyrolean traverse but you really couldn’t put that over knee deep water with rocks under it so basically you swam across or waded and held the rope. I didn’t mind it but it certainly wasn’t tyrolean traverse.
This OCR would be perfect for new comers to the sport who aren’t totally comfortable with the difficulty of say a Spartan race – but it should be advertised as such. The website said 20 plus obstacles and showed photos of obstacles that were not there nor even close to being there.
awards ? I’ll let you guess the answer when I asked at the finish line if there were awards. “I don’t know” I Finally place first in a race and I was hoping to have an awards recognition. Something. So some guy gets called over and starts chatting. He’s like “yea, the first 3 guys had to leave”. Ok? So that doesn’t tell me if there’s an awards ceremony. Th me RD kept answering my questions with questions. “Well do you have to leave?” I am left only to think they didn’t even think of that and they are trying to buy time.
I started taking more with this RD. his name was Ethan. I was being honest in saying that since I arrived at the race no one seemed to have a clue about anything and I would love to see this race be successful but they have to work these things out next time. I told him I am part of running clubs and NES and we all communicate about our experiences. I told him I am a seasoned OCR racer and I’ve never seen anything so unorganized. Instead of asking nicely for feedback he got defensive and said things like “you’re the only one to say this” “was there anything you did like?” “Our volunteers went over the course several times last night and they all know the answers ”
Just excuses and more excuses and extreme condescending manner with me. Anyways after going in circles and getting nowhere with him- he writes me a check for $200. That’s apparently the prize for winning which is cool because I didn’t expect that- but sadly I left the race feeling sour about it. Even with the 200$ in my pocket.
Just excuses and more excuses and extreme condescending manner with me. Anyways after going in circles and getting nowhere with him- he writes me a check for $200. That’s apparently the prize for winning which is cool because I didn’t expect that- but sadly I left the race feeling sour about it. Even with the 200$ in my pocket.
I think it’s important for the RD to respect the race and the participants. The athletes are what keeps these things going and makes them successful and this gentleman did not care to hear me out rather just try to shut me down. I honestly don’t know if I could do this one again.
Pros: free parking. Free spectator. Nice medal and shirt. The venue- it was absolutely gorgeous there.
Cons: I think you got the picture by now 
* Rating
Below Average
Below Average
This post was placed in the NES team page for my fellow athletes to read and these reviews are highly encouraged. I thought I kept my review rather appropriate and honest. The RD didn't feel the same. He not only sent me a message- but he posted a screen shot of it on facebook, too.
See below:
RD: Hello, I just wanted to tell you, because I could not in the middle of the race yesterday, your level of combative rudeness towards my volunteer at the finish line was completely uncalled for. To bring a person to tears that has been working so hard to help people tirelessly for days is unconscionable. I was not being condescending towards you, I was simply trying to run a race while listening to you berate me with your view. Four strangers nearby that also had to hear you all came over to me and apologized for you. This was a charity event and we believe in being positive and kind to others. You are not welcome back.
ME: This is not an event I would give another shot, anyways- so no harm there. You actually weren't around for my initial conversation with your volunteer. I had no problem with her, in fact she was probably the friendliest one I had seen all day and whoever was manning the tire cargo net. After an entire morning of NO ONE knowing what was going on, it was getting frustrating- and it was NOT only me. I tried to talk to you about it and you were CONDESCENDING from the get go- you would not hear that something went wrong with your race. I think with that pompous attitude you'll get nowhere. You responded to every single one of my questions with a question. And for a RD to post this convo publicly shows about how professional you are. I've been to many first time races before that had a few bumps along the way and the RD's were owning it and learning from it- You? No. you couldn't stand to hear ANYTHING being wrong. YOU were rude to ME ( a CUSTOMER ) and left a TERRIBLE taste in my mouth from that race. I wish you luck in your future endeavors, but acting like this won't get you far.
Long story short - Of all the races I have done, I have never experienced a RD act like this and I hope I never have to again. I FINALLY win first place at an OCR, and I could not even enjoy it.
As RD you MUST be able to take constructive criticism professionally. There are times my behavior can be out of line since I am human, but this was not one of those times. I am out there as an athlete- and I want to be respectful AND respected. I would NEVER attack a volunteer verbally. This is just an example of a RD that clearly should never put on a race again.
Was happy to receive some personal messages applauding my behavior, such as this one:
Everything I've heard about his race and his behavior, and seeing his most recent post - I wanted to thank you for acting the way you have (politely, but firmly standing your ground) and letting us see what kind of RD he is.I hope he gets the message that OCR isn't for him and this is the last race he does. If he does put on more - I know what kind of RD to expect to have to work with.Again - thank you for representing NES well - even if the outcome hasn't been pretty. Sadly, it's not always sunshine and unicorns in the OCR world
There are plenty of OCR's out there, and this is one I can WIPE off the calendar for next year.
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