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Stacey

@stacey2701

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Travel, racing, adventures ✈️🌞🏃‍♀️🧗‍♀️⛰️🤠🎶✨🏳️‍🌈
Happiest outside in the sun ☀️
OCR Age Group racer 🏃‍♀️
Team GBR 2025-26 🇬🇧
London/Essex📍

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2026 OCR Season Recap 🏃‍♀️

What a rollercoaster season this was 😅

After an off-season where I caught what felt like every cold in the UK, my first race of the year was the 14km British Champs in May. I had yet another cold but mentally I felt great. I overcame all my fears much faster than in 2025, only failed 2 obstacles, and achieved a 49 minute PB 🥳 Came 29th woman and was really proud of myself.

But a few days later, some life stuff happened that had nothing to do with racing but totally destroyed my confidence. For 7-8 weeks I alternated between not caring about racing, feeling not good enough, and trying to find happiness in training. I stuck with it even when it felt pointless or empty, hoping eventually things would click into place again and I’d fall back in love with OCR.

The turning point came at Tors Trophy, my favourite race. I couldn’t face the pressure of setting goals and failing so I decided to just go round slowly and hopefully enjoy the obstacles. I ended up loving it and somehow I kept a band for the first time internationally 😯 That gave me a confidence boost and the weekend of OCR, travel, and spending time with friends helped me start to feel more like myself again.

I finally felt ready to race and my season started picking up. I podiumed 3rd in the Beast at Spartan Midlands, loved the experience of World Champs (especially the team race), raced my best yet at Spartan Badminton, and kept 3/4 bands at the PT Barn 3km 🥳

Then my biggest race yet: the British OCR Ultra Champs at Spartan Pippingford. I was shocked to come 3rd in Spartan AG 35-39, 7th in British OCR Ultra Champs, and 10th woman overall 😯
More importantly, I loved it and it became one of my favourite days of 2026 ☺️

I’ve learned a lot this year and am especially grateful to @carrino__ for the running and strength coaching and Scott @theptbarn for the obstacle coaching 🏃‍♀️💪

Also very grateful to all my OCR friends and teammates who have given me advice and support in so many ways this year 💙💚💛💜❤️🖤

Lots of memories made and lots of lessons learned.
2026 OCR season over and out 🫶

#ocr #obstaclecourseracing #obstacleracing by @stacey2701

Spartan Pippingford Ultra - British OCR Ultra Championships 🟣

52.95km 🏃‍♀️
1738m elevation ⛰️
62 obstacles 🐒
9 hours, 40 minutes, 46 seconds ⏱️

3rd in Spartan AG 35-39 🥉
7th woman in British OCR Ultra Champs 🇬🇧
10th woman overall inc. elites & internationals 😯

My biggest race of the year and the one I was most excited for. Happy to say I LOVED the majority of it! 🙌

The first few km went well, until the 8ft wall around 6km in - it took me about 5 mins to get over it as the terrain made it very difficult to do my usual jump onto the step and I kept failing. Got it eventually but I’d lost everyone I was running with, and then missed a turning and found myself lost off-course 🤦‍♀️
Thankfully I spotted a staff member who directed me back and eventually I managed to catch up with some of the other women.

Things picked up then and for the majority of the race I was having a great time, running where I could and hiking the uphills and the difficult terrain. I ran/hiked a lot of it with @emma_ocr_kirkwood which made it much more fun as we had a lovely chat and enjoyed the obstacles, the views and the sunshine together ☀️

I loved the new rigs, the return of tilting ladders and the memory test, and was happy to complete every obstacle except the spear throw on my first lap 🥳

Fuelling, hydration, pacing & general energy management all went really well until about 3km from the end when my race started to collapse 🫠 Fatigue kicked in, I lost all strength and power, and failed proteus, tilting ladders and the low rig on my 2nd lap. Annoying as I really wanted to complete all obstacles except the spears but by that point I had nothing left.

Before that though I had loved it! A full day out in the sun, doing things I love with great company and beautiful views - what could be better? 😍
Soon it will be cold and dark and all this won’t be possible, so my priority was to enjoy it while I could ☺️

Thank you to Ricci @coachcarrino for the running and strength coaching and Scott @theptbarn for the obstacle coaching that made this race achievable 🖤💚

Feeling very grateful for my health, fitness, and energy letting me experience this adventure 🙌 by @stacey2701

In my Team GB athlete era 🇬🇧

This weekend I’ll be heading out to Portugal to represent Great Britain at the @ocreurochamps.

If you’d asked me at 30, I would have said there was more chance of me winning the lottery than representing my country in an international sporting event. Yet here I am at 35, packing my Team GB kit ready to fly out to the Euros and race 🇵🇹

I’m super excited and still shocked I qualified. I know the races are going to be super difficult with a lot of technical obstacles that I don’t have the skills for yet so I’m not expecting to keep my bands, but I’m still going out there to try my best, learn from others, and enjoy the whole experience. Definitely one of the coolest opportunities of my life so far 🤩

I’ve spent a lot of time training at PT Barn recently as well as trips to other training centres (all of which I’ve loved!), so I’m hoping it will all help me put in a performance I can be proud of 🤞

Whatever happens this weekend, I’m incredibly grateful to @britishobstaclesports for the opportunity to be part of the national team. I never thought my life would look like this, but I’m so so glad it does.

Life can be so unexpected, and that’s what makes it so exciting ✨

#ocreuropeanchampionships #ocreuros #teamgb #ocrathlete #obstaclecourseracing #ocrlife #ocrtraining #dreambig by @stacey2701

Storm Race 10km OCR⚡️

Final race of the 2026 season! The course was epic but my race went absolutely terribly 🫠

It was about 6°C when we set off and almost immediately I was struggling with my breathing in the cold air so had to slow my running down a lot and couldn’t properly race. Then I got to the rigs and felt so stiff from the cold 🥶 I had no flow so kept getting stuck on attachments with no swing or momentum to reach the next one so had to drop off. Failed all 3 rigs on both laps 🤦‍♀️

The first picture sums it up - freezing cold, forgotten all technique, and stuck on an attachment wondering how the hell I’m going to reach the next one (I didn’t) 😂

Don’t think I’d quite recovered enough from the Ultra yet to be racing, and living off fries and waffles in Belgium the previous weekend probably didn’t help 🙈

The course was great though and I enjoyed the obstacles I could do, like the walls, climbs, and carries. The pole climb and over-beam was my fave, and hitting the tyre with a hammer was tough but fun 😁

And I managed to avoid the unexpected extra obstacle of the escaped cow running across the course as I approached the sandbag carry, so that’s one success 😂

There were some lovely running stretches where I would have loved to go faster if it was warmer. So frustrating when my legs want to run but my lungs won’t let them 😫

Lesson learned and I won’t be attempting to race in cold weather again! Going to the GP about potential cold-induced asthma is on my to-do list for this winter ✅

Best part of the day was hanging out with friends after the race, celebrating their successes and helping out on the @britishobstaclesports stall. Thank you especially to @kerryeddie1 for hosting me and giving me a lift 🫶

Sad the 2026 season is over now but I’ve learnt a lot this year and have plenty to work on over winter to get stronger 💪

#stormrace #ocr #obstaclecourseracing #obstacleracing #obstaclerace by @stacey2701

Brussels 🇧🇪

Spotted a Eurostar sale a few weeks ago and had one day of annual leave remaining for 2026, so I booked a 3-day trip to Brussels for the sights and the food 😍

Did lots of exploring and sightseeing, ate fries, waffles, and chocolate every day, practiced parler un peu de Français, and spent the evenings drinking wine in Belgian bars with other solo travellers 🍟🧇🍫🍷

Definitely keen to come back to Belgium to visit more cities (and eat more waffles) in future 🙌

#brussels #belgium #visitbrussels #solotravel #belgianwaffle by @stacey2701

September (and early October) life ☀️🎶🏃‍♀️🪩🌳

No holidays/trips away this month (aside from race weekend) as I was too busy preparing for the ultramarathon, but still had lots of fun locally ☺️

🌟 @tenilletownes concert, @avenueqonstage theatre show, & @lilnashvilleuk for @songsuffragetteslondon 🎶
🌟 Lots of catch-ups with friends 💛 (mostly unpictured as I kept forgetting to take photos 🤦‍♀️)
🌟 Long runs, lakeside runs, sunset runs, and every other type of run for Ultra prep 🏃‍♀️
🌟 Probably my last obstacle training session of the year at @theptbarn 🐒

Grateful for the long summer we’ve had this year but still never ready for it to be over. Got a couple of trips (and hopefully one last race) still to look forward to in October and November, then it will be time to bring on spring 2027 💚 by @stacey2701

It’s almost time to take on my first ultra-marathon 🏃‍♀️

Tomorrow is race day and I’m SO excited for this one!
The Spartan South East 50km+ Ultra is also the British OCR Ultra Championship and the course looks epic 😍

I’m choosing to see it as an all day adventure of things I love: running, hiking, and doing obstacles, outside in the sun (hopefully!) ☀️

Training has mostly been fun and as a bonus it gave me the chance to explore more of my local area. I did my longest runs through the Dagenham and Havering parks and found some beautiful trails and lakes there 🌳🦆

I have so many goals for this race, from the realistic to the totally delusional, but the most important ones are to enjoy it and to finish feeling like I pushed hard and did the best I could. Then the results will be whatever they are.

Let’s go 🥳🙌

@spartanraceuk #spartanultra #ocr #ultramarathon #spartanraceuk #obstaclecourseracing by @stacey2701

PT Barn 3km race 🏃‍♀️

Really enjoyed this one!

3km isn’t my usual distance and I know I’m not fast enough at short courses to race competitively in my AG, so my plan was to focus on obstacle completion and hopefully keep all my bands to achieve 100% obstacle completion for the first time🤞

Unfortunately that goal went out the window on the first lap when I slipped off the flying table and lost a band on the very first single attempt obstacle 🤦‍♀️

I completed all the rigs though, including the low rig - first time I’ve ever completed one in a race 🥳
Training here all year definitely helped me as I was able to put lots of the skills I’d worked on into practice to complete the rigs 😁

In the end I kept 3/4 bands and finished 14/18 women with a time of 31:44 - about 40 seconds slower than last year but I’m ok with that because I’ve been focusing my training on distance rather than speed.

I love this course as it has a great mix of technical, strength, and agility obstacles. One of my favourite races in the UK and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone 🙌

I also really enjoyed being a TO for the men’s and junior waves - it was super interesting to watch everyone complete the rigs using their own different techniques.

Thank you to Scotty @theptbarn for all your work in putting this race together and for all the training sessions throughout the year 💚

The goal of 100% obstacle completion is still there and I’ll be back next year to give it another shot🤞

@3km_ocr_seriesuk #ptbarn #ocr #obstaclecourseracing #obstaclerace by @stacey2701

The Long Road 2026 🤠

The year of thunderstorms and torrential rain! Spent quite a bit of time on Friday and Saturday sheltering in my tent and friends’ tents so didn’t see as much as I usually do, but made the most of it once the weather finally calmed down. Sunday was thankfully mostly dry and the sun even made an appearance ☀️

Discovered some great new music (@the502s @hayleyjensen @ryanandrory), saw some I already loved (@marenmorris @joshrossmusic @shaylenofficial @keziagillmusic @twinnieofficial @chanelyates_ @firsttimeflyers and more) and finally saw @geeis4gangster again after discovering her in Nashville in 2022 🤩

The best part was spending time with friends old and new, in our camping circle and at the main stage and afterparties, with all the catch-ups, dancing, and laughing 💛

Didn’t get many photos this year (spent too long hidden in a dry robe 😅) so here are some highlights borrowed from friends ☺️

Still my favourite festival despite the weather.
See you again next year TLR 💙💛

@thelongroadfest #thelongroad #tlr #thelongroadfestival #countrymusic by @stacey2701

Dover to Folkestone hike 🌊🏰

Needed some hill training ahead of Pippingford, so what better reason to head to the Kent coast for a day trip ☀️

21km of cliffs, hills, trails and beautiful views, followed by a couple of hours exploring Folkestone and finishing with fish and chips on the beach 🏖️

#dover #folkestone #kent #hiking #dovertofolkestone by @stacey2701

Spartan Badminton Beast - 4th race in the UK national series 🟢

✅ Beast PB by 18 mins (2:31:23)
✅ 5/11 in F35-39 AG
✅ 16/54 all AG women

Absolutely loved this one! The first of my two A races this year and one of my favourite races to date ☺️

A long distance, fairly flat course really suits me so I was super excited for it, especially after last year’s not going to plan. Redemption time! Not sure what came over me but I had a boost of confidence and decided to aim for podium - something I have never been close to achieving in a national series race, so it was full delusion time 😅

I pushed myself to start with people who are usually faster than me and see how long I could hold on for. Ran hard from the off and found myself in an epic battle with 3 others in my AG with positions switching throughout the race. I didn’t make podium but I wasn’t far off (only 35 seconds behind 3rd place) and am proud of myself for trying. There was under 5 mins between 2nd and 6th which shows how close our AG is!

Running felt good and most obstacles felt great, with the only fails the usual spear and ape hanger. I need to somehow overcome ape hanger because it’s always a mental block with it being over water and costs me time and places. I did attempt it this time but panicked when it was getting higher and dropped off, then still wasted more time panicking and coughing up water 🤦‍♀️ I’m about 80% confident I could do it over land, but because I don’t get the chance to practice, I’m not 100% confident so don’t feel safe doing it over water 🙁

Aside from ape hanger, the rest of the race couldn’t have gone much better. I pushed harder than ever before on the running, made up time on the grip/climbing obstacles, and was neck and neck with 3rd and 4th coming off the A frame - just lost it on the bucket carry as the others are much stronger than me. Really loved it though; close battles are my favourite way to race 🙌

And got myself an 18 min PB, a huge improvement on last year, so I’m happy with that! 🥳

Finished off the day with a fun social Super and Sprint with @team_wildfire_ocr to complete the one day trifecta of 39km and 75+ obstacles 🔥 by @stacey2701

Limerick 🇮🇪

A bit of time to explore once all the racing was done, plus some celebratory food and drinks 🏰🍻

#limerick #ireland #limerickireland by @stacey2701