It’s official–the Obstacle Course Racing World Championships will be back in the UK in 2019 and registration is now open with early bird pricing–25% off!

But with this being our second year on British soil, we’re planning on plenty of enhancements to make your race weekend even more special. More specifically, since the inception of the OCRWC, we’ve taken great pride in being responsive to the needs of our athletes, innovative with our race formats, and steadfast in our desire to continuously improve the OCR World Championships experience.

With that in mind, here are seven changes to look for in 2019:

1. Revamped Team Relay Race

This year we reintroduced the concept of team based obstacles during the team leg of the relay. And basically, we fell back in love with them. So, watch out for several new obstacles tailored specifically for the team race in 2019. Additionally, Pro Relay teams must now be comprised of athletes from one nation (e.g. Team USA, Team Sweden). Open teams may continue to be mixed.

2. Expanded Age Groups

As a nod to some of the most inspiring athletes in the OCR community, we’ve expanded our divisions to now include 50-54, 55-59, and 60+ age groups. All will be eligible for cash prizes and podiums awards.

3. New Band System

With our growth and the ever-rising level of competition, we need more robust procedures to ensure the integrity of our results. To that end, next year’s event will bring more marshals, more photo and video review, and most importantly, a new completion band system. Details to follow in 2019.

4. FREE Bag Drop

Bag drop will be available and free for the entire weekend (Friday-Sunday).

5. Streamlined Registration Process

Beginning next year, we’re going modify our packet pick up process to help alleviate crowds during the initial opening hours. In addition, athlete t-shirts will be pre-packaged with athlete bibs–so make your selection carefully during registration!

6. Modified Qualifying Standards

While this is always a delicate balance, we’ve started making adjustments to our qualifying criteria, which includes: tightening up requirements, removing certain races, and adding plenty of new ones. A new program that will award wild-card spots to athletes will also launch in 2019.

7. A New Race Format

We’re keeping this under wraps for now, but watch out for an entirely new and innovative race format during race weekend. It’s not been done in OCR before—but we’re sure you’ll love it!

We hope you find these changes as exciting as we do and we look forward to seeing you next October. As a reminder, a limited number of pre-registration spots are available on a first come, first served basis. Lock in your spot today.