(Photos provided by the Brown family)
The World Obstacle Course Racing Championships took place earlier this month at Brentwood, South Essex in the UK and Daniel Brown has returned home from his competitions. Daniel participated in the 14-17 Age Group Division and this was his first World competition.
To be eligible for the Worlds, Daniel competed in the Ontario Trifecta Spartan races in August. He won a Triple Trifecta to end his racing season – placing first in all three races for his age group of 14-17. These races and his many other wins during the 2019 season enabled him eligible to attend the UK Championships.
Certain divisions of Obstacle Course Racing World Championship events require that athletes qualify to compete by meeting certain results criteria. These divisions include Pro & Age Group divisions of the 3K & 15K events and the Pro division of the 24-Hour Enduro World Championship. Results must be from an event that occurred within one year prior to race day.
For a first time Worlds competitor Daniel can be proud of his achievement at the UK championships. In his 3K race, he placed 11th and the 15K race proved to have gone better for Daniel – he came in with a win of fourth place.
In obstacle course racing, athletes are given a wrist band for each race. Daniel not only had to concentrate on the obstacles placed in his way, he had to be successful in retaining his wrist band throughout the race to be able to earn a medal. Should an obstacle not be completed, the athlete receives a DNC (Did Not Complete) and their wrist band is cut at the obstacle that was non-completed.
The numbers show Daniel’s tenacity and endurance — of the 129 entrants in his age category competing in the 3K race, six percent did not complete. In the 15K race, there were 142 participants and 37% did not complete their obstacles.
One of the obstacle athletes summed up how to retain the coveted wrist band. “Know your own strengths, choose your technique, and commit. Be powerful and efficient, and believe in yourself. Never fear, never falter. Keep moving forward. You can always push that little bit harder than you believe you can. Remember, the distance to the end is so much closer than starting from the beginning. Don’t give up!” advised Francesca Chiorando an obstacle course racer and TV host.
Daniel had this to say about his competition, “The race conditions were very cold and muddy. Thank you to uncle Stephane Parent for travelling with me. A special thank you to all who donated to my Fundify page and personally. I am deeply touched by your generosity”.
Now we wait to see what Daniel will achieve during the 2020 season of Obstacle Course Racing.