After each mud run or obstacle race I compete in, you'll get my review and grades for each event to help you decide which ones you might want to sign up for. The following categories will be discussed:

1. COURSE- the design, venue, and setup of the race itself- how creative/ adventurous/ difficult the obstacles were, and obviously... how was the MUD?!?

2. FESTIVAL- all the fun beyond the actual race- the social atmosphere which usually includes food, beer garden, dj/ music/ concert, contests, vendors, and more during the after-party

3. SWAG- the included goodie bag and prizes up for grabs- all the "free" stuff that comes with price of entry and the quality of awards, shirts, and other giveaways

Feel free to use the search box to read up on any past topics you might be looking for.

GEAR REVIEW: Reebok All-Terrain Thunder (OCR) shoes


Last year, I gave my Report on Reebok's debut footwear for the obstacle race athlete with their All-Terrain Supers, which have since become one of the more commonly seen shoes at OCR events around the country. The were followed shortly after with a more minimalist, but seemingly less popular, Sprint version that had frequent issues in durability.  Fast forward to Spring 2015 and the good folks at Reebok were nice enough to send me the new All-Terrain Thunder 2.0's to play around with and let everyone know what I thought of them.  There are some new features and ones they brought back as well, and its almost hard to keep track of all the literally trademark* named add-ons that you'll discover all over these.  So without further adieu, here's the breakdown...

1.  FIT/FEEL-  Even just by plain sight, you could tell these would have a much more comfy feel than its Super/Sprint predecessor "racer" style. I'm not sure that the Thunders are really meant for quite the same type of regular OCR beatdowns anyway, most obvious because of the significant added FoamFusion* cushion that looks more akin to typical road racing sneakers.  But they would be sure give a much smoother ride for navigating rocks, tree roots, and such on trails.  Overall, they also just have a much bulkier (heavier?) appearance, but their 8.8 oz weight will surprise you just how light and airy all that bulk actually is. Maybe the biggest surprise I found was their new speed Lock and Load* system (think Salomon SC's) that replaces the traditional laces the other All-Terrains had, though I will admit I have never been a fan of this style.  The lace/wire gets pulled tight to fit, and then the long excess slack needs to be tucked into the shoe's very thin tongue, which might be a task in itself.  GRADE = B


2.  FUNCTION-  The whole idea behind these new All-Terrain shoes is to be extra comfortable and protect against the elements of off-road running, especially with the extreme nature we find in muddy obstacle races. Like their Sprint/Super cousins, the Thunders have both similarities and differences with their older relatives.  You see a much less pronounced tread than in the other shoes, which might have me question how well they'll do on steep muddy uphill climbs when I want some aggressive lugs to dig in.  That same H2ODrain* feature returns to imply these could also deal with being soaked and shed water well, which was probably the best thing the older models had going for them. A big upgrade is the molded rubber DirtShield* along the forefoot and laces, though I'd need more time to see how it performs on actually keeping debris out of entering the top of the shoes.  And the same goes for the main composition of the shoe's TerrainSkin* upper to see how this does against even smaller grit and sand.  I see these being a good option for flat and fast shorter races, and of course for trail run training. But the biggest test still remaining will be how durable these shoes are after many miles of muddy mayhem.  I should trademark* that last line?  GRADE = A



3.  FASHION-  As the trend of super-bright flashy colors is rampant across all types of sports footwear (ever watch an NBA game and see a player NOT in crazy glowing kicks?), these shoes certainly wouldn't fit into the boring meat-and-potatoes category of shoe flair.  I know these come in several designs and color patterns, including a few Spartan race logo'd models, but these fluorescent yellow/green ones are probably the most attractive IMO.  I might even wear these for regular workouts or CrossFit, because you can really never have too much neon there haha.  And why not be able to even rock these casually with a pair of jeans?  Ok, maybe I went too far.  GRADE = A


OVERALL GRADE = A

And for those Reebok fans that thought these weren't "busy" enough, here are a few other options to consider... HOT!!