Gear Reviews

A few months back I saw an advertisement pop up on my Facebook news feed for this Georgia Death Race (GDR) branded headlamp! Like any other race junkie, race gear is always something I want to try and experiment with to find what's perfect for me. The more I'm involved with the different race groups on Facebook, the more I am realizing that everyone has an opinion on gear, and everyone wants to know what you think! I've gone through three different headlamps last season; none of them were bright and most of them were of poor quality.

When I first heard about Spartan Race's Winter Sprint, I knew it was something that I had to do. I have never been a fan of running when it is cold, but something about putting snow and obstacle course racing together entices me. Mostly, I spend my winters hunkered down in a weight room packing on some muscle, and fat, for the upcoming race season. Having an extra layer of fat means more fuel for the upcoming race season that usually kicks off for me with an Ultra Beast in NJ. This year, however, would be a bit different. This year, I would run no matter the weather, no matter the conditions; like the United States Postal Service, "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."

If you are in the market to compete in a long distance OCR event, or even if you are just looking for a high-quality headlamp, there seems to be no shortage of options. We have already taken a look at what Black Diamond had to offer in their Spot model, but Princeton Tec thinks they have a product that can sway you.

Let's face it, there are few things that an OCRAddict will usually have more than they need. For some, it is pants, others, shorts. For me, I have more shoes than I know what to do with. I don't know what it is, but I just can't rest until I have tried them all. I do have a goto pair for certain races, but Altra thinks they have a shoe that can take the top spot and provide me with a shoe that can tackle it all. Enter the Altra Superior 2.0.

There is nothing worse than running the race of your life and you take a slip, smash your knee or clip your arm and knowing you are going to be limping along the course or won't be able to grab onto an obstacle. Sleeves and leggings only do so much, mainly slight compression and cosmetic appeal, and most pads out there are bulky; while helpful they can be their own hazard as they are more likely to snag onto something like barbed wire. However, I found something new. Something came along that has a shot at meeting all my needs: sturdy, takes a hit, and keeps a low profile to avoid snagging.

We’ve all been there; we overdid it on Leg Day, on race day, or just not giving our bodies time to recover and now it hurts with every stride. After BFX San Antonio, I couldn’t run more than a 5k before I had to shut it down. Rest, ice, and stretching were not doing the trick and I was quickly growing frustrated. It was just the start of race season and having to shut down my cardio was not an option. I wanted to explore. I found the Opedix KneeTec Leggings and everything changed quickly. These are not your normal leggings and it shows, or more appropriately, it feels.

I have no issue admitting that I wear tights, well not tights exactly, but... for training. If you have been reading my "'Till Killington" articles, you will note that I have been doing far more running than I detailed out in my OCRAddicts Workout Routine article. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to do as much running as I think I will need to have in the bag before Killington so I have been on the hunt for something that can take my running to the next level and allow the workouts that I do log to be more effective. Physiclo thinks they may have the answer.

If you have ever registered for a race early in the season, or late in the season for that matter, you will undoubtedly have started your morning off with a bit of a chill in the air. You know you will heat up once you start running, but before is a different story. Outside of wearing layers of clothes and ditching them somewhere on the course, or freezing your butt off, there has really been no clear solution, until now. Enter the Sheddable Shell WeatherShield Jacket and Pants.

Somewhere around Independence Day, I saw these Patriotic, and absolutely Sexy, new shoes starting to raise their head like a gopher in your yard. The Shoe was the Acceleritas OCR in Red, White and Blue glory. Honestly, I knew I had to get my hands on a pair. They would look just fabulous with my THEE Lone Star Spartan Jersey.

Call me crazy, but for some reason, I get excited about shoes and hydration packs. I don't really know what it is about them. They don't come with a manual transmission, girls don't go gaga over them, and they don't come stuffed with wads of cash. When I got my first taste of Nathan, it was while shopping for the perfect pack for my Ultra Beast. Nathan VaporCloud seems to have all the features many of us are looking for on paper, but how does it fare in the real world.