When the going gets tough . . . the tough tribe get going
MORE than 700 competitors braved the mud to take part in the second year of the Tough Tribe obstacle course race.
Having moved to Woodbank Park in Stockport, the race introduced one of the longest slip slides on the UK’s obstacle course race (OCR) calendar.
With more space and a new family event, 720 seasoned runners and brave beginners took part in the 10k and 5k courses, which were open to both individuals and ‘tribes.’
Elite OCR competitors travelled from across the country to compete in the 10k course, which ran over open ground, through woodland and into water, making use of natural and man-made obstacles. Competitors tackled a variety of high climbing walls, net crawls, tyre carries, river runs and mud climbs, before completing the race with a messy ‘paint dipper’ challenge, in which they dived into pits of flour, water and neon paint before taking on the 100ft slide.
The year, Claire Jones from Leeds was the first woman across the line, followed by Jo Van DeKalf and Alex Howard-White, both from Stockport.
The first man was Ollie Sterne from Cheadle Hulme, who completed the course in 48 minutes and managed to beat Joel Grocock from Hazel Grove and Jason Jacob from Corby in Northamptonshire, who came in second and third places respectively.
Ollie said: “I thought the race was amazing, the obstacle placement was really good, the technical trails were great fun and the build quality of the obstacles was fantastic.
“The race was marshalled really well and, in my opinion, the obstacles were better placed this year, they were more spread out. It wasn’t too intense at one point, it tested you all the way through. It was also longer than last year, so we had a good running section.
“It feels great winning the race this year, considering I finished fourth last year, but I trained harder and faster, so I’m really happy that I get to take home the trophy.”
Now in its second year, Tough Tribe was launched in 2017 by race directors Andy Brooks and Ruth Lynch, both experienced OCR racers.
Andy said: “After our first year, where many of the elite competitors told us it was the best event of the year, we wanted to make sure we made the course even better.”
Competitors and their families were rewarded after their race with food, drink and family events in a dedicated race village.