Nelson-based Obstacle Course Race (OCR) the Wairua Warrior has gained accreditation as a World Championship qualifying event for its annual Wairua Warrior race in March.
For the first time, New Zealand’s OCR athletes will get the chance to qualify for the OCR World Championships on March 25 at the event which is held at Nelson’s Happy Valley.
The top three men and women at the Wairua Warrior will qualify to compete in the Pro division at the Obstacle Course Racing World Championships, while the top 10 men and women will qualify to compete in their respective age group divisions. The Championship will be held in Ontario Canada, October 13 to 15.
The Wairua Warrior has seen an increasing rise in participation since its inception, with numbers doubling in 2016 – interest has already been strong, particularly with international athletes from the USA, Canada and Australia booked to compete in this year’s race.
The race itself includes 6km and 12km distances, features more than 20 obstacles ranging from balance beams to barbed wire crawls, to sand bag carries, climbing walls and tyre drags, with some obstacles requiring pure physical strength, with others requiring endurance, balance and technical ability.
Event organisers Greg and Donna Witika created the Wairua Warrior to bridge the gap between “mud runs” and “obstacle course racing”.
Greg says he couldn’t have imagined how much the event has grown since its inception in 2014.
“This is great news for our elite athletes but we also want the event to continue to grow with all people giving it a go.”
Reid Carnegie and Ben Bolitho are two Nelsonians who have already qualified for Canada, but they had to do it by competing in Australia.
Both men agreed this was an exciting development for the event and the sport as a whole in New Zealand.
OCRWC athlete services manager, Rachelanne Gladden, says the organisation is thrilled to have the Wairua Warrior as part of its qualifying schedule.
“The athletes in New Zealand have proven themselves to be more than formidable, and to have a race of the quality that Wairua Warrior brings to the table, offering them the opportunity to join us at OCR World Championships, is a terrific honour for us on the OCRWC team.
“We look forward to having a powerful showing of NZ competitors in 2017 from OCRNZ, thanks much in part to this new affiliation.”
