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As many of you heard, we will be back at it again real soon.  On August 24th we will be invading downtown Louisville for The Urban Stampede.  This is a race like no other.  It is station to station with challenges to test your wits and dexterity.  Can anyone do it?  Yes, but you have to have a partner for this one!  Think Amazing Race styled race.  And speaking of that, there will be a few former Amazing Racer’s and Survivors there as well.

But that’s not all.  At the end of September will you be ready for the apocalypse?  Zombies will be infesting our Mud Run course.  Will you survive or will you succumb to the masses?  The best part about this is you have so many options.  You can run OR be a zombie!  Some may choose to watch the horror unfold.  It is all up to you.

Registration is open for both events and space is limited.  We have a hard limit of 300 for The Urban race and cannot go over that.  Currently we are over 10% full on that.  The Zombie run will be capped at 2000 and will be closed when that number is reached so don’t delay!

Finally keep an eye out for our two part round up for The Stampede Mud Run coming out tomorrow and Wednesday.  We will be featuring your stories, our observations and pictures galore!  Also we will spotlight our winner and posting results.  So much fun to rehash!  Keep your eyes open…

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Why did you decide to bring adventure racing to the Derby City?

In August of 2011, I met a good friend in upstate New York to participate in an extreme obstacle race. There, my love of obstacle racing was born. Since that day, I wanted to bring this exciting type of race to Louisville. I have always loved competition, but as a 47-year-old, I just did not find much around our region other than an ordinary road race. For the Stampede Race Series, I wanted more to a race than running from point A to point B. The Stampede Mud Race, The Pony Stampede, The Urban Stampede and The Zombie Stampede all have their own unique flavor, but all have two things in common: Obstacles and fun.

Read the rest on courier-journal.com

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Q – So Jeff, how did you hear about the Stampede Mud Run?

A – I don’t recall exactly, but it was online and I think it was through a Google Ad.  When I saw it I remember being excited that there was finally a race close to home.

Q -  I believe you and your wife both ran the race?  What is like running with a spouse as opposed to a buddy or alone?  Is there competition amongst you two or do you both do your own thing and decide to “meet up at the end” or run together at a pace you can both handle? 

A – I absolutely love racing with my wife.  She is a very good competitive racer herself, but there is no competition between us.  We both run our own race and the only time we are together is at the starting line.  However, at the 2012 Stampede, we ran the course a second time together and it was honestly one of the most fun times that I have had during a race.  I’m always racing for time so it’s difficult to just revel in the moment.

Q – What did you enjoy most about the course?  How did it compare against other races you have done?

A – My favorite part of the course last year was that the natural terrain was used very well.  Sometimes course designers create too many ‘artificial’ obstacles.  The best races that I’ve participated in used the natural elements to their advantage.  The race was comparable to other races of that distance with similar target markets…easier than some, more difficult than others.

Q – If you could design an obstacle what would it be?  Be careful, we may take you up on it so be ready with specs! 

A – Good question.  I don’t think much about new obstacle designs, but like I said earlier, I like the more natural obstacles.  Terrain permitting, I would like to see a creek run that had a long series of various sizes of logs to jump over, climb over, crawl under, etc…

Q – One of the things that we pride ourselves on is truth in advertising.   A lot of races say they will be in Chicago, for instance, but are actually a 30-40 mile drive outside of there.  When we say we are in Louisville, we feel we mean it with just a short 5 minute drive to the course.  How far is too far in your opinion to drive to a race?  What is the farthest you have gone?

A – I may not be the best person to answer this question, because I don’t have a limit in mind!  If it becomes too far to drive, then there’s always an airplane!  I’ve driven 8+ hours to a couple of Spartan Races.  I’ve flown to races in Vermont, Arizona, & Utah, and will be flying to more races on both coasts in 2013.  I’m looking to add an international race to my schedule when I’m completely injury free.

Q – Your time really blew away the course average.  What is your training regiment?  Is it year round?  What all sports do you compete in? 

A – I do train year around.  I like to think of myself as a serious amateur athlete and I structure my nutrition, exercise, and rest accordingly.  In obstacle racing (as in many other sports) your body is your weapon, so it is important to treat it with care.  My training regimen varies at different times throughout the year, depending on upcoming races and the time of year.  I was plagued with injuries the second half of 2012 and that altered my routine, but typically a week will consist of 3 strength and core days, a plyometrics day, a cardio day, a yoga day, and rest/stretch/active recovery day.  Within that week I would also work in a long run, a shorter fast run, and speed training/hill sprints.  I workout at home and rotate between P90X and P90X2 workouts, Insanity, and Asylum.  I also change things around some by working out outside with a log, weighted vests, burpees, bear crawls, body weight exercises, etc….  Although my workouts are usually structured, I change them every couple of months or so in order to avoid burnout or boredom.  I have plans to incorporate rope climbing into my routines (once again, when I’m injury free).  To me, keeping workouts fresh is key to staying excited and committed.  In the past I was a basketball player, softball player, and golfer.  I have basically given all of those up to concentrate on racing and training.  I like to tell people that I retired from golf to be an obstacle racer!

Q – Mud running has really come on these last few years, in your opinion what is the attraction to it? 

A – I attribute it primarily to 3 different phenomena.  First, regular road running is just flat-out boring to a lot of people  I count myself at the head of that list.  I have lots of friends who like to “pound the pavement”, but I despise it.  Obstacle racing has provided an alternative for those like me who enjoy running through nature.  Second, the majority of OCRs have a great atmosphere.  My wife, April, describes it as a “field day for adults”.  You get to do things you did as a kid and it is acceptable!  There’s always excitement in the air before and after these races.  No one hangs around after a 10k to talk about the race with others.  What are you going to say “Man, do you remember that one curve??!!  My pace dropped from 7:40 to 7:42!”  Of course not, but at obstacle races there is always something particularly challenging or fun to discuss.  My favorite times at races are always afterwards just hanging out with other competitors talking about their experiences.  Finally, social media has been a major factor in the rise in popularity.  OCR photos and experiences are immediately shared on Facebook, blogs, and YouTube.  The stories are cool.  The photos are outrageous.  Who doesn’t want to be part of that!!

Q – Who will you be running with this year? 

A – My wife for sure.  Probably my daughter, too.  I will be recruiting others to join me this year.  I would like to run one heat competitively and then run later with other friends who just want to do it for fun.

Jeff - I love to talk OCR with others and do so regularly through my blog and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/onmywaytosparta) site.  Feel free to shoot me a message with any OCR-related question you might have.  Within the early part of 2013 I hope to launch my charitable foundation that will support individuals and families of those who would love to participate in the sport, but can’t due to chronic illness or debilitating injury.  The foundation is called For Those Who Would and I will be looking for opportunities to raise money for this charity and to also provide a venue for others who want to raise money to support someone they know who can’t participate.

Stampede - Thanks again Jeff for taking the time to work with us today.  Be sure to check out the link to Jeff’s blog where you can keep up with what Jeff has been up to and also his in depth review of our race from last year.  Here is the link and blog review at: http://onmywaytosparta.com/2012/05/22/stampedereview/.

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Q – As the first winners of The Urban Stampede, we would like to say CONGRATULATIONS! How does it feel?
A – Feels like I am still in a dream I haven’t won a race since my Senior year in High School Cross Country glad to know I still got it at 38.

Q – What did you find to be the hardest obstacle?
A- The hardest obstacle was the building of the pyramid with the little wooden cards. The wind was blowing and it made it difficult to keep everything erect long enough to start the next row.

Q – Easiest?
A – Drawing the picture of the statue for the first obstacle.

Q – Did you have a feeling you were doing well when running the race? How was the teamwork? Any arguments?
A – We had no idea we were even in the running to win. We realized when we finished the puzzle ahead of everybody that we had just gained a lead but we weren’t sure if there any other teams ahead of us. Chase and I are 10 years apart in age I am 38 he is 28 so in life we have lots of arguments but we did not argue at all on race day we worked together and got it done. Teamwork is a must in this race Chase had strengths where I had weaknesses vice versa.

Q – As the winners you have received a trip for two to Cancun. Chase tells me he is taking your brother? Tell us about that.
A – Chase is taking Justin Schultz he calls him his Brother there is no blood kin they have known each other since they were kids Justin is ex military and served many tours in Afghanistan I am glad he is taking him he served our country well glad he is going on this trip. I do not fly in fear of getting blood clots I almost died Feb 18, 2012 from a pulmonary embolism and I never want to experience that again so I will keep my feet on the ground.

Q – What advice would you have for future runners of The Stampede Series?
A – Get a bus schedule and pay attention to your clue read it very well and follow directions and don’t be in a rush you might forget something.

Q – Will you return together next year? Or maybe with different partners?
A – God willing we will both return next year and we discussed getting different partners Chase wants to speed through the race and I am not that fast anymore so I have encouraged him to race with our other Brother Sean Wesley he is fast and very good at puzzles and mind games he is a person who can look at something without instructions and build it he is so smart. I will be in it next year and I have about 5 people that want to do it with me next year so I am going to have to pick one of them maybe I will just draw one of their names out of a hat so that way nobody’s feeling get hurt. Next year can the trip be inland and within driving distance so maybe I will be able to enjoy the reward if my team wins LOL.

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Stampede: Now team Yard Beer was one of our favorite teams! You guys were there at the finish line cheering everyone on for the majority of the day on Saturday. What made you decide to stick around?

Team Yard Beer: We decided to stick around because it was a gorgeous day and it was fun to watch others come down the waterslide and into the finish line. Our typical social activity is drinking beer in someone’s yard (hence our team name) so this was just a variation of that. It also helped that Booty’s Food Truck was around and friendly people were around.

Stampede: It was pretty obvious that your team has known each other for a good amount of time. Were you new to adventure racing or have you done these before? How does The Stampede compare?

Team Yard Beer: I do believe I am the only one from the group that had done adventure racing before, but only once. The one I did was a Tough Mudder, which was more challenging. The Stampede, by contrast, was more about the fun than the physically challenging.

Stampede: On the course we had a wide variety of obstacles. Which were your favorites and why?

Team Yard Beer: As a group, we discussed this in detail last weekend. We all liked the Hay/tires, climbing the walls and the water slide best. Our least favorites were the pond buckets and the car.

Stampede: What are you looking forward to for Stampede 2013?

Team Yard Beer: We all want to recruit more people for our team and stay longer for the concert and perhaps even camp.

Stampede: If you could design an obstacle for Stampede 2013 what would it look like or how would it work?

Team Yard Beer: I loved the course you all designed for the inaugural event. A 5K is the perfect length. The only suggestions we have are to add one or two more obstacles in some of the longer running stretches.

Stampede: Thanks so much for your help gals!

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Even if you don’t run the race, you can still come down for the concert!

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