Work With OCRA.
Growing the sport, not taking it over
Race organisers create the events that introduce thousands of people to obstacle racing, give experienced athletes somewhere to compete, and build the community around the sport.
OCRA's aim is not to replace independent organisers or take control of existing events. It is to strengthen the Irish calendar as a whole, and to connect recreational racing, competitive sport, National Championships and international qualification into something an athlete can navigate.
You choose the depth
Not every organiser wants the same relationship, and none of these obliges you to the next one:
- List your event on the OCRA calendar
- Promote it to the Irish OCR community
- Work with local clubs and athletes
- Apply for recognition or sanctioning
- Become an approved Qualification Event
- Work with OCRA Technical Officials
- Develop competitive categories within a recreational event
- Explore hosting an Irish National Championship
- Connect your results with OCRA results systems
- Build a longer-term partnership
Your event stays yours
Events do not need to be organised by OCRA to be part of Irish obstacle racing.
Organisers remain responsible for the management, commercial operation and delivery of their own events unless something different has been specifically agreed. Working with OCRA is meant to add opportunities, not remove your independence.
Competitive pathways
OCRA develops the Irish pathways into recognised national and international competition, and independent organisers can become part of them. Suitable events may be considered for sanctioning, Qualification Event status, National Championship hosting and future ranking inclusion.
Each of those must be agreed in advance. Listing your event on the calendar creates none of them — Event Recognition & Sanctioning sets out what each requires.
A calendar athletes can read
Working together, the calendar can tell an athlete what events exist, where they can race, which are recreational, which offer competitive categories, which are sanctioned, which provide international qualification, and where the National Championships are.
That is worth more to the sport than any single event, including ours.
Technical Officials
Competitive events can work with OCRA Technical Officials, who bring consistency to competition rules, obstacle completion, penalties, competition procedures, results verification and protest processes. The level of involvement depends on the type and status of the event.
Let's talk
You do not need to wait until your event is fully formed. Whether you run an established race, are developing something new, or just want to know how your event could fit the wider calendar, get in touch.