Rob Rowald Didn’t Let His Weight Stop Him From Obstacle Course Racing

Today I will be going a few easy miles with Rob Rowald.

Rob Rowald

Rob is a self-described gadget geek, fitness enthusiast, tech evangelist, an an OCR guy.

His road to fitness was slow and steady and for each pound lost he gained more confidence to push himself further.

Half the Man He Used To Be

Rob’s fitness journey began 7 years ago when he was on the verge of turning 40.

At nearly 400 pounds, Rob came to the realization that he was not ok with being 40 and obese.

In the beginning, he couldn’t run for more than 30 seconds. But slowly, he worked his way up to a 5k distance.

It wasn’t long before he began entering local races and quickly became passionate about the sport.

Obstacle course racing (OCR) events had always intrigued Rob.

Once he had lost 185 pounds he had gained the confidence to take the leap and enter an OCR event.

The Warrior Dash was his first foray into the OCR world and he was hooked.

This Episode Is Sponsored By: DKMS

OCR Obsessed

Rob has experienced a learning curve while gaining experience doing OCR events.

His first 2-3 times he didn’t give or accept any help from anyone, but rather preferred to conquer it solo.

The experience of doing a few helped him to realize that these events were about camaraderie and making sure everyone gets to the finish.

Rob’s advice for anyone wanting to try an OCR event is:

• Wear clothes that wick moisture.
• Regular clothes will weigh you down with mud and water.
• Wear old shoes and make sure they are on tight, especially if the course is muddy.
• Opt for an early morning start time if possible, to avoid the heat.

Training for an OCR event will vary from a typical plan that focuses solely on running.

Upper body strength is key to successfully complete many of the obstacles.

Successful training can easily be done by only using body weight exercises if that’s all that is available.

Rob Rowald Celebrating Post-OCR?

Then And Now

A significant move recently brought Rob to Canada.

The running culture, as he is learning, is not that much different regardless of where you live.

He has been an avid participant of, “Park Run,” which takes place in various locations worldwide.

In May of 2019, Rob will be running in his first overseas race in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Rob has always been tech obsessed and taking up running has only magnified that.

He rarely if ever goes on a run without all his gear which include, a garmin, multiple foot pods for tracking data, and high tech headphones to name a few.

Tracking and comparing his data allows him to find out what his optimal running conditions are.

Being a runner to Rob has meant being willing to push himself and do what others won’t.

There is no one thing that defines a runner.

Mentioned In This Episode:

• AfterShokz Trekz Air
• Park Run
• The Savage Race
• Spartan Race
• Toughmudder
• Warrior Dash

Stay connected with Rob by checking out his Website and/or following him on Instagram and Twitter.

Rob Rowald is a self described gadget geek, fitness enthusiast, tech evangelist, and an OCR guy that was pushing 400 lbs not too long ago. #runchat Click To Tweet

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