YOU JUST GOT PASSED BY A GIRL
Hollywood media would have us believe that beauty is measured by physicality. That concept is quickly killed when you run an obstacle race. True beauty comes from strength and resilience. Most men who run obstacle races for the first time are surprised by how many women love obstacle racing and cannot wait to attack the course. And for some of them, their surprise is even greater when they get passed by these women on the course.
Make no mistake in thinking of these women as "the weaker sex", these ladies aren't here to look pretty. They're here to kick some ass and take some names. Women who love OCR seek challenges and embrace their inner strength. They are not afraid of the unknown and they are determined to conquer any obstacle they set their minds to. To us, this is the mark of true beauty.
WOMEN EVOLVED AND FURTHERED THE SPORT OF OCR
Take a look at any advertisement for obstacle racing and what do you see? You see just as many photos of women racing these courses with looks of fierce determination as you will photos of men. This is not a coincidence. As more women joined these events during the inception of this sport, race companies realized something. For men who once thought they weren't fit enough to enter these events, seeing women of all ages and various athletic abilities conquering obstacles while covered in mud forced them to realize that they really had no excuse no to sign up. In this regard these first women of OCR literally doubled future race attendance and helped make the sport national.
WOMEN MADE OCR MORE FUN
When men do anything athletic as a team, there is an underlying competitiveness. Teams of men originally ran together but in a more competitive sense each trying to beat the time of fellow team members. Bragging rights and all of that. But while watching female teams compete you notice a stark difference. Laughter. Watch any female OCR team run the course and you will find them smiling from ear to ear, laughing out loud, and helping each other to cross obstacles. In these teams, women work as a unit to make sure every member finishes the race. As men began to see this, they realized that it was ok to have fun and to admit when you need the help of another team member. This attitude was infectious and it forever changed the way men competed as teams. While there is still competitiveness between male teams, as the sport has evolved men have embraced having more fun and taking things a little less seriously.
ONE WOMAN WHO PERSONALLY CHANGED THE SPORT
Another great example of how one woman individually impacted the sport of OCR is Margaret Schlachter. In 2010 Margaret started an online community called Dirt In Your Skirt to get more women involved in the sport and to increase the sport's presence to the general public. This community has since grown exponentially into a thriving hub for female obstacle racing enthusiasts and even offers events and coaching such as the first ever women’s only week long training camp committed to all things obstacle course racing, fitness, wellness, clean eating and overall health which is scheduled for August of 2014. Margaret has taken her love of the sport and how it empowers women and shared this with women around the world inspiring others to take on OCR as a sport. Thanks to Dirt In Your Skirt OCR events now see more female entries than ever before.
WOMEN GET MORE GUYS OUT TO COMPETE
The idea of tough women who are not afraid to get dirty and who are not afraid to physically challenge themselves on a rough outdoor course is not only inspiring to other women but it is incredibly appealing to mean as well. Thousands of single men are drawn to these events for this very reason...the hope of meeting these kinds of women who seem to defy every stereotype society places on them. OCR women who are not single also drive thousands men to register. Their boyfriends and husbands. What guy wouldn't feel compelled to run an obstacle race if their girlfriend or wife had already signed up.
LADIES...WHEN YOU ARE READY - WE WILL BE THERE
At atlas race we believe women not only changed the sport, but helped to make it a successful sport. Every race we have we get inspired by the many women's teams and how they take on our tough courses with fierce determination. If you have not run on obstacle race before we invite you to come out and see what its about. It’s not what stands before us that defines who we are, but rather it’s those tough challenges taken on that will soon lay behind us and ultimately tell our life story. For all the ladies who are already into OCR and to those considering trying it out for the first time - we salute you and we hope to see you out at an Atlas Race soon.
WE ARE OBSTACLE RACING
WE ARE THE CHANGE YOU WERE LOOKING FOR
WE ARE ATLAS RACE - AND YOU ARE READY
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