Mud and Glory at the OCR World Championships

I've been training for OCR for years, and I've competed in many different races but until this year, always against able-bodied people. 

The event was spread out over three days, with four races in total: a 100m sprint, a 3K, a 15K, and a team relay. I was particularly excited about the 100m as I had never raced such a short distance. 

On the first day of the competition, I ran my first time trial for the 100m sprint, just an hour before the 3k race. I needed to finish in the top 16 to go through to the semi final. I was feeling really good beforehand but after stepping on the first obstacle, the ninja steps, I developed a calf injury. It was so sore that I could barely walk but I muddled my way through the course, limping as I climbed over walls and monkey bars - I was mostly worried about landing on my foot, which was so painful at this stage. 

I was devastated. I had trained so hard for this event and the whole year was geared up for a good competition. But I knew that I had to be realistic. I couldn't run at my full potential, but I was determined to still compete.

The 3K was a blur of pain and determination. I pushed through the pain and managed to finish in third place overall and first in my category. I was so proud of myself for completing the race, especially considering my injury. After completing the race, I could barely walk - extending my leg was agony and my calf had blown up to twice the size. Getting up on the podium was agony, but I stood there among my fellow competitors, proud to have finished.....having said that, I was worried about the 15km the next day. 

The 15K was the most challenging race of the weekend. My calf was really aching, but I could at least get into a slow jog. I dug deep and managed to finish in third place again and first in my category. Then on to the last day - the team race. 

On the Sunday, I was also due to complete the 100m course again and try to file a second time trial to qualify but I decided to pull out of the race - I preferred to focus my energy on the team race and if I'm honest, I was worried about getting back on that 100m platform again after my injury. In addition, the 100m course was very popular and people were watching from the side lines - I felt really self-conscious about not running at my full pace while people were watching. 

The team relay was the perfect way to end the weekend. It was great to compete with new friends, and we all had a lot of fun. We finished in third place, which was a great result considering the strength of the competition. Unfortunately, I was ill-informed of an obstacle completion technique when I approached an obstacle, so I completed it incorrectly (touching an area I wasn't allowed to), which resulted in a time penalty of 1.5 minutes, dropping us from second to third place. This was particularly disappointing as the team who came second also broke the rules at an obstacle, however they were not penalised for their completion. I felt guilty for my actions dropping my teammates down to second place, but I also appreciated that an athlete, it is my responsibility to know the obstacle rules. 

Overall, I had an amazing time at the OCR World Championships in Belgium. It was an incredible experience to compete against the best athletes in the world, and I'm so proud of what I was able to achieve. I showed myself that I'm stronger than I thought, and I'm excited to see what the future holds - hopefully some better results when I can run at full capacity again. 

In the next few weeks, I have the British Championships, followed by the Trifecta World Championships, before having some rest over the winter....rest which I'm very much looking forward to! 

I also want to share a few words of advice for anyone who is struggling with an injury. Don't give up. It's important to be realistic about your limitations, but don't let your injury stop you from pursuing your goals. There are ways to train and compete even with an injury. Listen to your body and don't be afraid to take breaks when you need them. And most importantly, don't lose sight of your goals.