#cuttingedgesport Talks Ocr Suffering

Markus Boyall, co-founder of The Suffering, talks to #CuttingEdgeSport about the growing popularity in Obstacle Course Racing and keeping an audience engaged.

First question, why? What do you think it is that is making so many people take on these challenges?

I think the main reason is the shear enjoyment of it all. It’s not (for most) as serious as a distance road run or something of that ilk where you might go with the pressure of a PB in mind. Finishing is an achievement in itself and, of course, there are plenty of bragging rights up for grabs. There’s camaraderie to be found everywhere with strangers pitching in to help overcome the next challenge. People you’ve never met will offer you their backs to stand on to get over a wall or a hand to drag you out over an obstacle. The social media relationships blossom and you we have quickly seen that huge groups of likeminded, adventure hungry people are making arrangements to meet up at the next event or training venue.

How did “The Suffering” come about?

Drew Tavernier (co-founder) and I along with friends had competed in a number of obstacle and muddy trail events and had a great time. We just felt that the event names were a bit tongue in cheek. We decided that if we could find the right venue we would put on an event that lived up to its name.

One potential problem that various events have tried to address in different ways is the mindset that once you have completed the challenge, there’s no reason to return – what does the Suffering do to address that?

We have a number of formats with varying distances and challenges. We tempt those new to obstacle racing with our 5km distance. Then we offer the chance to further test their metal with the 10km event. Should they survive the 10km there is the prospect of our 10 mile “Pain & Suffering” test to complete!

If you get that far there is another challenge awaiting you, this is not for the faint hearted! It involves completing the 5 & 10km races on the Saturday and coming back on the Sunday to take on Pain & Suffering too. Should you be one of the few to overcome this epic challenge you will receive Legend status and the tech-tee to verify that incredible title. Even this is not the end of the Suffering challenge as in 2015 we have added 3 more venues with completely different terrain and a different format again ranging from 5km to over 25km.

There’s more and more of these events being added to the calendar all the time, it seems, what does The Suffering do that’s different to the rest? Or does it even necessarily need to be?

I sincerely believe that the personality of each of these events varies greatly, there are good and bad aspects to be taken from all of them. We pay a lot of attention to feedback and talk to competitors at our events and to those who have attended others and act upon it. To date no two events have been the same as a result and the feedback we are getting is great!

We will continue to evolve and add more value where we can. What will not change however is a determination to keep our race series reasonably priced and the goods that we sell will continue to be ethical and high quality.

What’s your favourite and most unique obstacle?

That’s difficult to answer. I get a kick out of seeing competitors overcome the challenges of the gauntlet together, which burdens each of them with a form of weight while dealing with numerous challenges and as our Reaper Squad aggravating them with extra physical tasks and words of ‘encouragement’. It’s a cross between a military test of will and endurance and a scene from some sadistic Mad Max styled-quarry. The photo opportunities are endless! Then of course there are the sequences of walls, nettles, relentless hills, mud pits, and then the shear elation of sliding down a huge slide. It’s a cracking spectator sport!

What’s your favourite story you’ve heard about someone completing one of your races? 

Some of the stories are seriously humbling. I couldn’t choose just one. The causes that they benefit and the personal accounts which drive people to enter these events are staggering. This aspect of the race series took us by surprise. The funds raised and the good that results from sponsorship as a result of our races is terrific and makes us very proud.

What do you predict for the movement in the future? Will these races just get more and more extreme, or will they tone-down for the masses? 

We are making a concerted effort to make the level of difficulty appropriate for each of the distances. We want people to be enthused at the prospect of obstacle racing not scared off. There will continue to be a step up in the level of difficulty with the increase in distance of each route. That’s what we are being told by the obstacle race community to do. It’s out of our hands!

How extreme will it get? Who knows? As long as the participants are safe and the risk assessment allows it, we will continue to add the challenges. We are keen, however to get more people participating in our races so we have made the 5km race available to younger adventurers from 15 year olds and we’re also hoping to attract more road runners off the streets and into the picturesque venues where we host the Suffering Series.