Strong Viking Mud-Edition, 2019 Fürstenau

There is no off-season for real ocr! Only a time in the year when ocr-events are rare. So we also were at the Strong-Viking Mud-Edition in Fürsteuau. The only thing, but it doesn’t care, is the weather. It should be cloudy, windy and rainy. But it only makes it harder. And, i quote the moderator, everyone can do it in the summer!

North of the village of Fürstenau, near the German border with Holland, is the largest outdoor park in Europe - the Fursten Forest. This 400-hectare former training ground for the German Federal Armed Forces has been transformed into a unique amusement park where nature and adventure meet in grandiose ways. Right here is the best place for an OCR-Event, for the Strong Viking.

I had to leave my house at 5:30am because we met friends on half-way to the event. Normal this is not an acceptable time for me. But I do much for my sport, and I’m willingly accepted many restrictions.
Also, for the first part, I wasn’t alone in the car. But we had an agreement: No talk for the first hour! Only coffee was allowed!
A meeting in this group is every time a pleasure for me! I like these idiots - I like them really! I like their sexual ambiguity, sarcasm and humor! And so it was a fun getting there.

Once again, the organization was very good! Check-In, changing clothes, showers…everything was good. The event village was great again and the start area and simultaneously finish line was impressive like it is every time at the Strong Viking.

The obstacles? Who cares about the obstacles? Everyone! It’s one if not the main part of the run!

All of them were possible: climbing, cold water, mud, jumping, carrying loads, horizontal rigs, ramps…. All kinds of obstacles were used to test our skills. I just left out one of them. But I jumped over this kind of obstacle at every event: electric hazard. Often electric power is used for an obstacle. Like an electric fence device you will be shocked if you touch the wrong part of the obstacle. Sometimes combined with water, but it’s never a sporty obstacle (for me!). And it could be dangerously.

I’m sure it had nothing to do with the Strong Viking, but how dangerous this sport can be we could see one more time at this event.
One participant died on this Saturday! I don’t know any details and I don’t want to know details. All I know: He was ill before the event, and he wasn’t completely healthy. Like I heard he fell down and was dead. Cardiac death! Some other athletes tried to reanimate him and called the emergency doctor, who could only determine the death.

My team and I finished the run. We only noticed this dramatic incident marginally and did not get told until the return trip.
During I’m writing this blog I have to try not to overthink this too much! I did over 50 ocr-events and never something considerable happened to me. I saw some broken legs and arms. I saw some bruises and sprains (some on my own body). But this is something other! The OCR - family have to handle a hard loss. Let me express my sympathy to the friends and family of the runner! And let me express that I hope something like this will never happen again. Please be careful and please care about yourself! Please listen to your body and pay attention to the signs that he sends to you.

I do not want to get too emotional, but let us remember the dead comrade!