State of OCR in Australia 2023

STATE OF OCR IN AUSTRALIA 2023

The last three years have been very difficult for event companies including those in Obstacle Course Racing (OCR). In addition to having to cancel races event companies had already invested money into, most issued race vouchers rather than refunds and are only beginning to get to the point where the majority of entrants are paying fresh entry fees. While 2022 saw more favourable operating conditions than the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, the cost of transport, building, personnel and even hiring portaloos has all increased significantly since pre-covid. These costs have largely been passed on to customers, hiking up entry fees further. At the same time the experience at OCR events has flattened, particularly at events run by larger brands, so much so that I often question why I am still participating in this sport. People go to OCR races to be challenged, to experience courses that utilise the natural environment, and to have fun. At many of the races I have been to the past three years, poor choices in terms of festival areas (no shade, no showers, no change rooms), timing issue stuff ups, fairness for those wanting to compete, and a very poor read on sponsor choices has left more than to be desired. Things are looking pretty dire for OCR in Australia, so I really hope things pick up in 2023. There are promising and not so promising signs.

Spartan

Starting with the biggest player in the Australian market, Spartan is currently offering three trifecta weekends in the 2023 calendar. This is about a third of the number of races Spartan would hold pre-Covid. The three trifecta weekends are Mt Baw Baw, Vic (Feb), Gold Coast, Qld (May), and Marulan, NSW (Sept). The Sprint (5km), Super (10km) and Beast (21km) distances will be offered at each, with the Ultra (50km) being offered only at Mt Baw Baw. Spartan Australia is clearly playing it very safe only holding trifecta weekends which bring in higher numbers and will help guarantee cash flow. Numinbah Valley (Gold Coast) and Pheasant Woods Raceway (Marulan) are both repeat venues. Numinbah Valley is a great venue that warrants a repeat event, but if I didn’t live so close to Pheasant Woods there’s no way I would travel interstate to attend a race at that venue. I feel sad that Spartan race will not be going back to Bright. However, Mt Baw Baw is a great replacement venue and potentially will lead to courses with even more vertical gain. This would be my pick of Spartan races in 2023 to travel interstate for. Whether Spartan Australia can re-engage its repeat customer base that has become disillusioned in recent years and is on the verge of leaving (if they have not already left) is yet to be seen. It is possible that they don’t care because they can bring in enough of the one-time attendees to make a profit.

There have been no communications as to whether Spartan Australia will introduce the new penalty loop/no burpee rule to its age group and elite races. In my opinion this is one of the best things they could do as a step towards fairness. There have also been no communications as to whether Spartan Australia will hold the new 3km race format. It is possible more races will be announced soon, but I would not be expecting more than 1 or 2 additional races to be announced if any.     

Tough Mudder

Tough Mudder ceased its Australian operations during the covid shutdown years but is back! This is one of the most exciting developments for Australian OCR in 2023. I am unsure who owns the Australian licence, but Tough Mudder has generally been positively received in its previous Australian iterations. So far only one race has been announced – Ziems Farm in Picton NSW, 28-29 October 2023. 15, 10 and 5km distances will be offered. Tough Mudder is the bad boy equivalent of Spartan with finish line beer, dance floor, and proper village vibes, with most waves untimed. It will be interesting to see if more races are announced in the coming months.

True Grit

The True Grit brand runs events in SA, WA, Queensland, NSW and Vic. My understanding is that ownership changed in 2021 and 2022 was the first full year for the new owners. For 2023 True Grit is running their usual events across Australia but unfortunately will not be holding the 24hr Enduro event in NSW. They sent an email explaining the reasoning behind this, which is great communication that a few other OCR companies could learn from. Basically they cannot afford to keep running the 24hr event at a loss. So Australia’s premier (and only?) 24hr OCR event is no longer. The NSW event will still be held but without the 24hr race distance. Despite this, I feel there are exciting times ahead for True Grit. At the two races I attended in 2022 (SA and NSW) the attendance levels and overall vibe was great. Almost reminiscent of Spartan Australia five years ago. The owners truly care, and it is nice at the elite level to receive prize money promptly as well as awesome sponsor prizes and free or discounted entry into next year’s races. It says a lot that True Grit have managed to maintain key sponsors like True Protein and Nippys for years and recently have entered partnerships with exciting brands like Run Vault. This can be contrasted to other big player OCR brands that struggle to keep sponsors. Race distances at True Grit are 10km and 5km and the obstacles are generally military inspired, so lots of lower walls, crawls and carries and less technical obstacles.

While the 24hr enduro won’t be run in 2023, there are several exciting developments including camping becoming available at the NSW event. The courses in 2022 had some new obstacles, mainly involving water, and I would expect some new ones to be introduced in 2023. There is also a new Victorian event being held at a venue TBC.

Australian Ninja Games – 3km races

Ninja is a fairly distinct sport to OCR, featuring much more technical obstacles and little to no running. The line between Ninja and OCR has recently been blurred with the Australian Ninja Games (ANG) now incorporating a 3km race. Qualifiers will be held across Australia for the ANG 3km race, with the Queensland qualifier to be held on 29 January on the Gold Coast. My understanding is these qualifiers will lead to the ANG, where athletes can then qualify for the World Championships. I haven’t seen this communicated broadly (or at all) to the wider OCR community but there might be better awareness among Ninja participants. OCR racers who enjoy the shorter courses and more technical ninja obstacles might want to look into these races as soon as they can to avoid missing out.   

Local races

There are a couple of local brands that are also punching above their weight and definitely worth checking out if you live in the area, or even travelling interstate to for those tired of the big brands but wanting something fresh. Most notable is Red Dust OCR in WA. The company has been going from strength to strength in recent years, adding challenging and interesting new obstacles and formats. In April 2023 their ‘Momentum’ weekend will have 5km, 10km, 15km races and a 6hr ‘Delta V’ experience. The different distances will be run across two days with elite races available both days meaning a good ratio of travel to racing. If it wasn’t so difficult, expensive and time consuming travelling from Canberra to Perth, I would have raced a Red Dust for sure.

Also of note is Raw Challenge Gold Coast which is held in Numinbah Valley and offers 9km (60+ obstacles) and 4km (30+ obstacles) races (next event 18 March) and Raw Challenge Doyalson (NSW) which offers a 7km course (55+ obstacles) (next event 25 March). Both these brands have loyal local followings, obstacle heavy courses and offer competitive waves.

Overall, there are some exciting additions to the 2023 OCR year with the return of Tough Mudder, continued growth of True Grit and the introduction of 3km racing through Australian Ninja Games. There is excitement and growth in Australian OCR, you might just need to look further than the major players to get there.