Strength & Speed

Ep 131: Co-founder of the largest OCR media website, Mud Run Guide, Brett Stewart joins Evan to talk about the current state of the OCR industry.  The two talk past (Warrior Dash World Championship, BattleFrog, rise/fall of races), present (OCR PQ, changes brands have made) and future (what to do to support brands).  Ultimately they attempt to answer the lingering question, "Is OCR Dead?"   Mud Run Guide articles referenced:      It's Complicated      Supporting Brands in 2020      Going to the Xtreme: Do I Need to Shave My Body? Mud Run Guide's Ultimate OCR Bucket List hard copy and digital book Ultra-OCR Man book, digital book and audio book   Episode brought to you by Rapid Reboot, the best recovery product money can buy and something you can put in your home/easily bring with you to races. Music provided by Marc Capaldo of Madison Ambush

(Updated: Delete and re-download if the guest audio sounds very low) Visually impaired runner, known famously throughout the OCR world as "Blind Pete" joins Evan to talk about upcoming projects he has for 2020 and beyond.  The two are joined by one of Pete's guides Spartan SGX Certified coach Christy Chapman who is also his business partner for "Blind Man Running".  Blind Man Running is taking virtual events up a level requiring you to do them completely blind adding a new challenge to even the simplest tasks.  Plus, Pete shares his long term plans including running on water.   Episode brought to you by Juice Performer.  Use code CTGPROJP for 15% off all Juice Performer products from Amazon including: Cherry Performer , Beet Performer and Beet Performer with Pineapple! Music provided by Marc Capaldo of Madison Ambush

Morgan Schulz has already made a big impact in the OCR and HYROX worlds.  In 2019 she had 4x1st place, 3x2nd place, 1x3rd place Spartan finish as well as finishing 7th at Spartan's North American Championship.  She recently switched her focus to HYROX where she won Dallas doubles competition and narrowly missed a world record.  Strength & Speed athlete who competed in HYROX virtual competition Kelly Williams joins Evan as a cohost.  The three talk hybrid athletics, functional fitness, overcoming injury, horror movies and more.  Plus, Morgan shares some very personal stuff and how she managed to overcome it returning to top form.   Episode brought to by VJ Shoes making OCR shoes with #BestGriponthePlanet Music provided by Marc Capaldo (my Halloween Haunted Host co-host) and singer for Madison Ambush    

Gary Shaw and Nicole Fleming are a power couple with impressive ultra-distance race resumes includes podium finishes at 100 mile races as well as top finishes in Ultra-OCR such as Tough Mudder's World's Toughest Mudder (Nicole 7th) and OCR World Championships Enduro (Gary 12th Elite and Nicole 1st 40-49 AG). They can also power through some short stuff too including a string of podiums in the beer mile (four beers and four laps of the track). However, in April of 2020 they took on the insane #RunTheDate challenge where they ran the number of miles equivalent to the date. They join Evan Perperis to talk about training, racing and preparing for such crazy endeavors. Plus, there is some funny/enjoyable digression at the end of the podcast about non-OCR "fun" stuff.   Gary also followed it up with a 42 mile run on the 31st day, then on May 16th did 24 beers / 24 miles / under 24 hours. He demolished the previous known record of 14 hours with a 9.5 hour finish and without going to the hospital or throwing up.

Professional wrestler and multi-time champion The Greek God Papadon blesses the Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) audience with his presence in this crossover sport episode.  Papadon has been pro wrestling for 20+ years, appeared in the movie The Wrestler and is the greatest unsigned talent today.  He joins Evan to talk training, comparisons between OCR and wrestling (i.e. unification of a single brand similar to WWE and Spartan), following your dreams, dedication and much more.    Episode brought to you by RockTape, stay race or wrestle ready with RockTape's tape and training products like Assassin Knee sleeves. Music provided by Marc Capaldo of Madison Ambush

Spartan purist and 2nd year veteran of the Spartan Pro Team, Immie Cross, joins Evan to talk Obstacle Course Racing (OCR).  She runs through her tryouts for the Spartan Pro Team, how she found OCR, what makes her keep coming back, how she finally conquered one of her most challenging obstacles and a ton of great mental tips for racing/training.  Plus, the two talk Spartan World Championship, global travel and lots more.    Episode brought to you by YOLKED, protein's perfect partner.  Use code Strength20 for 20% off every order from www.Yolked.com Music provided by Marc Capaldo of Madison Ambush

Strength & Speed owner/podcast host Evan Perperis has some close friends that have done some pretty amazing stuff.  In this bonus episode Evan talks to two of his friends, Rob (EMT for 7+ years) and Mike (EMT for 12+ years), as they deal with the coronavirus outbreak in New York. No politics, just hard working Americans doing their best to keep New York and the rest of the country safe.  Here is what they are seeing...   Episode brought to by HYLETE, makers of fitness apparel including shirts, shorts, pants and backpacks.  HYLETE is a long time supporter of both the military and First Responders as you will hear in this episode.  Music provided by Marc Capaldo of Madison Ambush

Dr. Kirk Iodice returns to the podcast for a listener Q&A episode.  Athletes submitted questions via Facebook posts and Kirk answers them in depth.  Included are questions about dry needling, heat/cold therapy, benefits of unilateral exercise, tendon/ligament specific injuries, inversion therapy and more.  The episode concludes with some immunity boosting health tips and how small businesses like Kirk's Kansas City based Advanced Healthcare and Sports Injury are dealing with the consequences of the virus outbreak.    Episode brought to you by Advanced Healthcare and Sports Injury, providing you the knowledge and treatments you need to be successful as athletes and pain free in your day to day life. Music provided by Marc Capaldo of Madison Ambush.

CTG Pro, short course specialist and 2018's 15k and 3k Age Group World Champion Ashton Abraham talks his training, backgrouind, injury, consistency in performance, Conquer The Gauntlet, Savage Races and future plans.  Ashton's joined by host Evan and guest cohost Master of the Rig World Champion and Exatlon star Jay Flores.  Random facts include extreme sports, bootleg movies, Persian-Farsi, races interrupted by typhoons and more.    Episode brought to you by the leader in recovery technology, Rapid Reboot. Music provided by Marc Capaldo of Madison Ambush

888km Infinitus finisher Helene Dumais joins Evan again for another episode but this time as a co-host.  The two of them talk to Northman Race's Sebastian Dion whose team won the 24 hour Platinum Rig World Championship in 2019.  Sebastian tells how he got involved in OCR, how he quit smoking (it's not what you think) and his experience at the event.  Helene adds in some further details about the event and they all share what else is on their calendar in 2020.    Episode brought to you by MudGear.  Our favorite OCR sock company just released a whole new line of products including Seatshield, lifestyle t-shirt and the new Ruck Sock. Music provided by Marc Capaldo of Madison Ambush  

Conquer The Gauntlet Pros Scott Wierzycki and Doug Snyder join Evan to talk over the last weekend's events.  After some background on Scott (the first athlete to triple podium at Conquer The Gauntlet, elite, masters and Continuum), Doug jumps into his double podium (elite and endurance) at Battle Race in Louisiana with its plethora of OCRWC featured obstacles.  Then Scott talks CTG Pro Team Takeover which included workout at ROKC Olathe, shooting range and ninja competition at Motus Ninjas.  Finally, Evan tells some stories from the weekend including KC's Advanced Health and Sports Injury along with Stoke Shed's Bobby Ross getting kicked out of a gym.    Episode brought to you by CTG Pro Team sponsors RockTape & Squirrel's Nut Butter (providing prizes for the ninja competition).  Plus special thanks to free products given out at the CTG Pro Team Takeover including Hammer Nutrition (use ref #240887 for 15% off your first order), Ambari Nutrition and Juice Performer.  Music provided by Marc Capaldo of Madi

Only four men have reached 90 or more miles 3x or more at World's Toughest Mudder.  Trevor Cichosz, Kris Mendoza, Ryan Atkins and Matt Hanson.  Evan interviews Matt about growing up, his rise from eating disorder to top level OCR athlete and Death Race finisher.  Plus, things get weird when they start sharing random facts including Matt's insane unofficial world record and the weird collections each of them has.  One has 40,000 Pokemon cards and the other a jewelry armoire full of knives...can you guess which collection belongs to each of them?   Donate to OCR America's fundraiser for Folds of Honor: https://www.facebook.com/donate/2552384038375902/ Pick up a hard copy, digital or audio book of Ultra-OCR Man: From Special Forces Soldier to Record Setting Obstacle Course Racing Athlete here Episode brought to you by HYLETE, the best race bags for OCR and the most comfortable clothing, head over to HYLETE to pick up your race apparel.  Music provided by Marc Capaldo of Madison Ambush

Contest winner Daniel Leonard and podcast co-host Brenna "Red Beast" Calvert return from Hannibal Race Kuwait to share their experience with Evan.  New culture, Hannibal Race upgrades, OCR World Championships qualification and an international crowd made their 2nd annual race one to remember.  Then the crew talks about their opinion on Spartan World Championship moving to United Arab Emirates with some strong opinions on the situation.  Includes a shout out to Amine, Hiba, Fat Gripz and Stoke Shed. Donate to OCR America's fundraiser for Folds of Honor: https://www.facebook.com/donate/2552384038375902/ Pick up a hard copy, digital or audio book of Ultra-OCR Man: From Special Forces Soldier to Record Setting Obstacle Course Racing Athlete here Episode brought to you by MudGear, the world's best OCR socks now have SeatShields, lifestyle t shirts and Shower Toga available on their website. Music provided by Marc Capaldo of Madison Ambush.

Gold Star wife Colleen Katzenberger talks about the loss of her husband Jeremy Katzenberger in Afghanistan in 2011 while serving with Ranger Regiment (1/75).  She talks through the loss and what it has been like raising a growing boy as a single mom and wife of a fallen soldier along with how Folds of Honor has helped her. Donate to OCR America's fundraiser for Folds of Honor: https://www.facebook.com/donate/2552384038375902/   Pick up a hard copy, digital or audio book of Ultra-OCR Man: From Special Forces Soldier to Record Setting Obstacle Course Racing Athlete here Music provided by Marc Capaldo of Madison Ambush

OCR America is finished ... or at least the physical challenge of it is! The fundraiser will continue for another month so be sure to donate, share our content, and listen to how it all ended! Michael Stefano from Obstacle Running Adventures podcast sits down with Bobby Ross from Stoke Shed, the tireless driver Jacob Stone, Evan's dad Terry Perperis, and the Ultra OCR Man himself to discuss how the last event went and some fun behind the scenes information about their journey together! Day 7 Stoke Shed Video OCR America Details Support Folds of Honor or Backside Support! Ultra-OCR Man Audio Book Link for Audible   Episode brought to you by Obstacle Running Adventures and Stoke Shed, be sure to check out the incredible work that they put out!

Day 7 of OCR America is complete and we have arrived in Evan's home state! Today was a mix of locations as we needed to balance the 5 hour drive from Missouri to Kansas! Michael Stefano from Obstacle Running Adventures podcast talks to Evan while he is on his treadmill about how William Shell's course was, his own wife's views on these challenges, and how ready he is to be finished tomorrow! As of uploading this Evan still has 10 more miles on the treadmill and many more obstacles to do in his gym but as for this podcaster it's time for a solid 6 hours of sleep to prepare for the finale, day 8 at KC Timber Challenge in Bonner Springs, KS tomorrow! Day 6 Stoke Shed Video OCR America Details Support Folds of Honor or Backside Support! Ultra-OCR Man Audio Book Link for Audible   Episode brought to you by Ororo Heated Apparel, stay warm on those windy cloudy days!

Day 6 of OCR America is complete and we are getting closer to Evan's home state! Today we had the chance to play around at Michelle Warnky's Movement Lab in Columbus, OH! Michael Stefano from Obstacle Running Adventures podcast asks Evan why completing obstacles here was one of his highlights of the trip, how he is fighting against his body's desire to sleep, and the way that he explained to his daughter why he has been away for so long! Now it's time for our 6 hour drive for day 7 at William Shell's obstacle course in Cape Girardeau, MO tomorrow! Day 5 Stoke Shed Video OCR America Details Support Folds of Honor or Backside Support! Ultra-OCR Man Audio Book Link for Audible   Episode brought to you by Rock Tape, make sure you're able to patch yourself together to keep pushing through!

Day 5 of OCR America is complete so we are well on our way in the second half! We had the opportunity to run Erie's OCR Battlegrounds in Erie, PA! Michael Stefano from Obstacle Running Adventures interviews Evan about how the shortened course affected him mentally, who came out to pace almost the entire event, and how he was able to stay energized enough to take on his 5th marathon OCR! Now it is time to rest up for day 6 at Michelle Warnky's Movement Lab in Columbus, OH tomorrow! Day 4 Stoke Shed Video OCR America Details Support Folds of Honor or Backside Support! Ultra-OCR Man Audio Book Link for Audible   Episode brought to you by Elite Ops Energy Strips, when you need an extra bit of energy to get through your challenges! Use code CTG10 for 10% off every order from www.EliteOpsEnergy.com

Day 4 of OCR America is done so we are halfway there! We had another great time at Newbsanity's Mud Gauntlet in Binghamton, NY! Michael Stefano from Obstacle Running Adventures talks to Evan about how he dealt with the obstacle dense course, the amount of supporters who showed up to help, and how he is a big fat liar to himself! Now it is time to prepare for day 5 at Erie's OCR Battlegrounds in Erie, PA tomorrow! Day 3 Stoke Shed Video OCR America Details Support Folds of Honor or Backside Support! Ultra-OCR Man Audio Book Link for Audible   Episode brought to you by Hammer Nutrition, fuel yourself through any distance of obstacle course race!

Day three of OCR America is done and we had a great time at Newbsanity's Extreme Ravine in Binghamton, NY! Hear Michael Stefano from Obstacle Running Adventures interview Evan about how he dealt with the cold icy trail, his race nutrition, what makes Newbsanity such a great community, and thoughts going into day 4 at Newbsanity's Mud Gauntlet in Binghamton, NY tomorrow! Day 2 Stoke Shed Video OCR America sign up and details: https://www.teamstrengthspeed.com/ocr-america-2-2020 Ultra-OCR Man Audio Book Link for Audible   Episode brought to you by MudGear, take care of your feet with the best compression socks for doing what we do!