The OCR Report

The Spartan US Championship series starts this weekend and we talked with Jack Bauer about what we can expect this year.

Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook this weekend to watch the race as it happens.

Jack says to expect more dominance from the three-man combo of Ryan Woods, Ryan Atkins, and Robert Killian and look for Mark Batres to join those men in the upper group of male athletes.

On the women's side he says to expect three new women to join the top five of 2018, but still plan on Lindsay Webster showing why she is the three-time winner of the US Championship Series.

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Do you think you know who will win Jacksonville? Go to YancyCamp.com and click the TRIVIA tab to predict the top five male and female finishers. There will be prizes for the best predictions!

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• 0:00 Intro
• 2:14 Let's talk some news!
• 5:32 FIVE STARS
• 7:54 Let's go to the phones! with Jack Bauer
• 22:08 Women's Predictions
• 36:24 Men's Predictions
• 50:34 Competitive Series Date Conflicts
• 59:50 Outro. Go spend time with someone you love

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Welcome to The OCR Report Podcast!

We are the only podcast to focus exclusively on the Elite SPORT side of Obstacle Course Racing. Each week we talk about who won the latest race, who lost, and what that means for next week's race.

The OCR Report Podcast is hosted by Will Hicks, the host of World's Toughest Podcast, and presented by The OCR Report, home of Overcome and Run with Heather Bode and Obstacle Running Adventures with Mike Stefano and Katelyn Ritter.

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What do you think of The OCR Report Podcast? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and let us know. Subscribe to get new episodes as soon as they are available and find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

The 2019 Spartan US Championship Series kicks off this weekend in Jacksonville, Florida. Ryan Woods and Lindsay Webster will be there to defend their 2018 series wins.

Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook this weekend to watch the race as it happens.

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Ryan Woods won the 2018 title by holding off Ryan Atkins by one place in the final race of the series. One of his series wins came in the first race of the series in San Jose.

Lindsay Webster won the title in 2018 for the third consecutive year. Since Spartan introduced the series in 2016 Webster has won the series title every year.

We talk about their experiences last year, their plans for this year and who they think their greatest competition will be. (Hint: Webster is married to Wood's competition.)

Ryan Woods is a member of the 2019 Spartan Pro Team. He is sponsored by EndurElite. You can find him on Instagram at @rjwoodsy.

Lindsay Webster is sponsored by HumanN the makers of BeetElite, and VJ Shoes. You can find her on Instagram at @lindsaydawnwebster.

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Before we talk with Ryan and Lindsay we talk about the first championship race of 2019 held in the United Arab Emirates.

We also break down the new qualification requirements for the Spartan World Championship held in Tahoe, California.

There have been diagrams and charts and wordy explanations, but it's very simple. You have two options for Tahoe qualification: a) National Series or b) Regional Series. We break down the details and what they mean for you. We also answer the question: "Is there a way to run ONE RACE and qualify for Tahoe?" (Spoiler: Nope.)

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• 0:00 Intro and Welcome
• 1:43 How to follow the US Series online
• Let's talk some NEWS!
• 4:27 Middle East/Africa Regional Championship Results
• 5:35 How to qualify for the Spartan World Championship
• 11:31 US Championship Series Overview
• 12:11 Two BIG rule changes for 2019
• 14:03 FIVE STARS!!!
• 16:55 Guest Intros
• 17:51 Ryan Woods
• 30:12 Lindsay Webster
• 42:08 Outro. Go spend time with someone you love

Note: In our talk Ryan mentions a former Spartan employee, Joe Di. This is not the same person as Spartan CEO Joe DeSena.

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Welcome to The OCR Report Podcast!

We are the only podcast to focus exclusively on the Elite SPORT side of Obstacle Course Racing. Each week we talk about who won the latest race, who lost, and what that means for next week's race.

The OCR Report Podcast is hosted by Will Hicks, the host of World's Toughest Podcast, and presented by The OCR Report, home of Overcome and Run with Heather Bode and Obstacle Running Adventures with Mike Stefano and Katelyn Ritter.

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What do you think of The OCR Report Podcast? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and let us know. Subscribe to get new episodes as soon as they are available and find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Nicole Mericle may be the fastest woman in OCR.

Nicole is the reigning two-time back-to-back 3k champion of the OCR World Championships. In 2018 she won the Red Bull All In OCR in Oberstdorf, Germany. In 2018 she also placed second in the Spartan Trifecta Championship in Athens, Greece.

This year she has won three of the four Spartan races held so far and she will be on the start line at the first race in the Spartan U.S. Series on February 23 in Jacksonville, Florida.

Nicole is a member of the Spartan Pro Team, and is sponsored by Darn Tough Socks, and AltRed Beet Supplement. She is an ambassador for Salomon Trail Running shoes. (Nicole likes the S/Lab Sense 7 SG.)

Before we talked with Nicole we talked dates and venues for the Spartan Mountain Series and Spartan Stadion Series. We also answer the question: "What is a Stadion?" (Spoiler: It's a distance. Not a location.)

We also read our first batch of reviews from Apple Podcasts. If you would like to be a part of the show by leaving a review:

1. Open the purple podcast app on your iOS device
2. Search for "The OCR Report"
3. Click our logo
4. Scroll down and click "Write a review"

And we will read it on a future episode! THANK YOU for helping the show by leaving a review.

For more on the Spartan Arizona race be sure to listen to the latest episode of Overcome and Run with Heather Bode.

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• 0:00 Intro and Welcome
• 1:48 World's Toughest Podcast 2.0?
• Let's Talk Some News!
• 3:33 Spartan Arizona Race Results
• 4:53 Mountain Series Dates and Venues
• 6:07 Stadion Series Update
• 6:55 "Stadion" sounds like a made-up word
• 7:47 Stadion Series Dates and Venues
• 8:15 Change in Series Points for 2019
• 11:12 24-Hour Ultra Champs Date and Venue: Åre, Sweden!
• 15:07 FIVE STARS!
• 18:44 About our Guest: Nicole Mericle
• 19:13 Let's go to the phones! with Nicole Mericle

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Spartan Arizona Sprint Results (Feb. 9, 2019)

Elite Men

1. Veejay Jones, 35:17
2. Matt Rock, 36:39
3. Daniel Sorenson, 37:50

Elite Women

1. Nicole Mericle, 37:11
2. Amanda Nadeau, 41:37
3. Ashley Heller, 42:24

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Spartan Arizona Super Results (Feb. 10, 2019)

Elite Men

1. Veejay Jones, 1:06:50
2. Ivan Santana, 1:07:26
3. Nikolaj Dam, 1:10:26

Elite Women

1. Nicole Mericle, 1:14:47
2. Amanda Nadeau, 1:21:04
3. Ashley Heller, 1:25:44

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Welcome to The OCR Report Podcast!

We are the only podcast to focus exclusively on the Elite SPORT side of Obstacle Course Racing. Each week we talk about who won the latest race, who lost, and what that means for next week's race.

The OCR Report Podcast is hosted by Will Hicks, the host of World's Toughest Podcast, and presented by The OCR Report, home of Overcome and Runwith Heather Bode and Obstacle Running Adventureswith Mike Stefano and Katelyn Ritter.

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What do you think of The OCR Report Podcast? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and let us know. Subscribe to get new episodes as soon as they are available and find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

The 2019 OCR season is underway! The first race of the year was Spartan Socal and the big winners were Veejay Jones, Nell Rojas, and Nicole Mericle.

Spartan Socal Super Results

Elite Men

1. Veejay Jones, 1:02:27
2. Nikolaj Dam, 1:02:46
3. Kirk Dewindt, 1:03:39

Elite Women

1. Nell Rojas, 1:10:37
2. Nicole Mericle, 1:11:48
3. Natalie Miano, 1:15:24

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Spartan Socal Sprint Results

Elite Men

1. Veejay Jones, 27:33
2. Nikolaj Dam, 27:57
3. Ryan Kent, 29:14

Elite Women

1. Nicole Mericle, 31:41
2. Nell Rojas, 32:19
3. Natalie Miano, 34:18

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We talk with Jack Bauer about the results and how they stacked up to expectations. After we talk with Jack we talk with Heather Bode of the Overcome and Run podcast about the race. Heather ran on Saturday and Sunday and talks about the course, the venue, and the new obstacles Spartan is rolling out for 2019. We wrap up the episode with another chat with Jack about upcoming races. Just before this was recorded the news began leaking out that Tough Mudder would no longer pay prize money for their competitive races. Jack and Will give their first takes on the news, less than an hour after it was made known.

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Welcome to The OCR Report Podcast!

We are the only podcast to focus exclusively on the Elite SPORT side of Obstacle Course Racing. Each week we talk about who won the latest race, who lost, and what that means for next week's race.

The OCR Report Podcast is hosted by Will Hicks, the host of World's Toughest Podcast, and presented by The OCR Report, home of Overcome and Run with Heather Bode and Obstacle Running Adventures with Mike Stefano and Katelyn Ritter.

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What do you think of The OCR Report Podcast? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and let us know. Subscribe to get new episodes as soon as they are available and find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Amelia Boone and Kris Mendoza join us to talk about the recent announcement that Tough Mudder will no longer offer prize money to top finishers at World's Toughest Mudder and their other races.

Amelia Boone is a Spartan Race world champion and a three-time champion of World's Toughest Mudder. She has been a part of the OCR community since running in the very first WTM in 2011. With her TV commercials, magazine covers, and endorsement deals she is the most high-profile athlete, man or woman, in Obstacle Course Racing.

Kris Mendoza is the 2018 champion of World's Toughest Mudder. He won the closest race in WTM history by passing 2016 champion Trevor Cichosz with less than one mile to go in the race. Mendoza finished the race with 100 miles, his second time breaking the 100-mile mark at World's Toughest Mudder.

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Welcome to The OCR Report Podcast!

We are the only podcast to focus exclusively on the Elite SPORT side of Obstacle Course Racing. Each week we talk about who won the latest race, who lost, and what that means for next week's race.

The OCR Report Podcast is hosted by Will Hicks, the host of World's Toughest Podcast, and presented by The OCR Report, home of Overcome and Run with Heather Bode and Obstacle Running Adventures with Mike Stefano and Katelyn Ritter.

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What do you think of The OCR Report Podcast? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and let us know. Subscribe to get new episodes as soon as they are available and find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Tough Mudder announced they will eliminate all cash prizes for all their race brands in 2019. This includes TMX, Tougher Mudder, Toughest Mudder, and World's Toughest Mudder.

We talked with two-time women's champion Rea Kolbl to see what she thought of the decision and if she would defend her title as women's champion at World's Toughest Mudder.

Rea WILL NOT race World's Toughest Mudder this year. She gave us her reasons and talked about what OCR races and non-OCR races she will run this year.

We also held a panel discussion with Will Hicks, Heather Bode, and Katelyn Ritter about Tough Mudder tightening the purse strings. There was agreement that this is bad for the elite side of the sport but there are possible silver linings for those that are not full-time professional athletes. They also made a few guesses about how this decision may play out over the next several months.

What do you think about Tough Mudder removing prize money? Let us know in a review on Apple Podcasts. Open the purple podcast app on your iOS device and search for The OCR Report. Click our logo and then scroll down to click "Write a review". We want to know what you think!

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Welcome to The OCR Report Podcast!

We are the only podcast to focus exclusively on the Elite SPORT side of Obstacle Course Racing. Each week we talk about who won the latest race, who lost, and what that means for next week's race.

The OCR Report Podcast is hosted by Will Hicks, the host of World's Toughest Podcast, and presented by The OCR Report, home of Overcome and Run with Heather Bode and Obstacle Running Adventures with Mike Stefano and Katelyn Ritter.

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What do you think of The OCR Report Podcast? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and let us know. Subscribe to get new episodes as soon as they are available and find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Jack Bauer joins Will Hicks again to discuss the women's field for the 2019 Spartan season. Last year there were five women who dominated the Spartan US Series. Jack says this year there will be six women fighting for the podium each week.

The six women to watch this year are Lindsay Webster, Faye Stenning, Rea Kolbl, Alyssa Hawley, Nicole Mericle, and newcomer Rebecca Hammond.

Jack also talks about the dominance of Lindsay Webster. Jack says Lindsay will be a heavy favorite going into every race she enters this year.

Do you want to help mold The OCR Report Podcast? Listen to the end of the episode. We are deciding between three songs for our new outro music. Listen to all three and then let us know your favorite in a review on Apple Podcasts.

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Welcome to The OCR Report Podcast!

We are the only podcast to focus exclusively on the Elite SPORT side of Obstacle Course Racing. Each week we talk about who won the latest race, who lost, and what that means for next week's race.

The OCR Report Podcast is hosted by Will Hicks, the host of World's Toughest Podcast, and presented by The OCR Report, home of Overcome and Run with Heather Bode and Obstacle Running Adventures with Mike Stefano and Katelyn Ritter.

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What do you think of The OCR Report Podcast? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and let us know. Subscribe to get new episodes as soon as they are available and find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Jack Bauer joins Will Hicks to discuss the men's field for the 2019 Spartan season. Topics include the first race of the year in Socal, the US Championship Series and the point structure for 2019 and the 2019 Spartan Race World Championship at Lake Tahoe, California.

Jack says the top men to watch this year in the Spartan US Series are Ryan Woods, Ryan Atkins, and Robert Killian. When Championship season starts, he says you can be sure to add Jon Albon to that mix.

Jack also talks about some new names to keep an eye on and breaks down exactly how much money Ryan Atkins would have lost last year if the 2019 US Series point system was used in 2018. (Spoiler: THOUSANDS of dollars.)

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Welcome to The OCR Report Podcast!

We are the only podcast to focus exclusively on the Elite SPORT side of Obstacle Course Racing. Each week we talk about who won the latest race, who lost, and what that means for next week's race.

The OCR Report Podcast is hosted by Will Hicks, the host of World's Toughest Podcast, and presented by The OCR Report, home of Overcome and Run with Heather Bode and Obstacle Running Adventures with Mike Stefano and Katelyn Ritter.

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What do you think of The OCR Report Podcast? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and let us know. Subscribe to get new episodes as soon as they are available and find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

From the home of World's Toughest Podcast, Overcome and Run, and Obstacle Running Adventures: The first podcast to focus exclusively on the Elite Racing SPORT of Obstacle Course Racing. Each week we talk about the latest results from Spartan Race, Tough Mudder, and other elite OCRs. Who won? Who lost? And what does that mean for next week's race? Join us on The OCR Report Podcast. Subscribe now to get the first episode straight to your mobile device as soon as it is released.