Saturday afternoon in the lobby of the Westin Trillium Resort in Blue Mountain Village, someone asked me how I would rank the OCR World Championships against other races.

I paused. Then paused some more.

I’m sure there was a blank stare on my face. My mind churned as I quickly tried to form an answer. Steam may have come out of my ears as the question almost fried my circuits. What ranking algorithm should I use?  Is the algorithm based on difficulty? Based on how fun the event is? Based on customer service? Based on venue? Based on innovation? Based on…based on…based on…?!!

I knew that OCR World Championships was at or near the top of races I had done, but I had never tried to rank it.  On the spot, I just didn’t have an answer because I couldn’t figure out the algorithm.

Then it came to me.  I knew exactly where it ranked.

When the answer came out of my mouth, it was definitive, beyond the shadow of a doubt.  The OCR World Championships is simply the BEST OVERALL EXPERIENCE.

The OCRWC experience is comprised of many, many things.  It’s athlete village.  It’s the short course format.  It’s the obstacles from around the world.  It’s the qualifying requirements. It’s the languages and accents. It’s the multi-day celebration. It’s the OCR Humanitarian Award dinner. It’s the spectator-friendly course. It’s Adrian and Rachelanne always being honest and upfront.  It’s the world class athletes.  It’s the medals.  It’s the athlete credentials. It’s the communications.  It’s the printed athlete guide. It’s the media coverage. It’s the stories. It’s the athlete-first mentality. It’s the commitment to charity. It’s the volunteers, build team, and support crew. It’s the music and emcees at the finish line. It’s the free (and fabulous) pictures. Add them all together and you have an event so good that it’s hard to describe.

There is not a higher compliment.

While you’re here, take a quick glance of the OCRWC 3K short course race through the lens of Arnel Banawa of OCRTube.