By Lindsey Frazier, Editorial Assistant
Eight years ago, Courtney Washington was gifted entry to her first Obstacle Course Race. This month, Washington and 15 other athletes will represent the U.S. at the Obstacle Course Racing World Championship in Costa Rica.
Participants are chosen by The USA Obstacle Course Racing (ORC) committee using a point system that tallies winnings of the athletes from the past year. Athletes send in their application and are hand-picked by the committee.
For Washington, 2009 Southside graduate, these winnings included her most recent win of first overall female in the Barbarian Challenge at Noccalula Falls this year and in her first overall female win in 2023.
Washington will compete in the standard and short course against athletes from 140 countries. The courses will feature a mixture of obstacles from each country. The Short Course is a 3 km (1.86 mile) stadium and cross-country style race with around 20 obstacles. The Standard Course is a 15 km (9.3 mile) cross country style race with up to 50 obstacles.
The problem solving of the obstacles is Washington’s favorite part about OCR courses.
“To see what other people are doing in other countries and what obstacles they come up with there is probably the best thing about this whole experience,” Washington said. “I’m excited to see what they come up with, honestly.”
Washington said that up until this year, she had never trained for a race. She has been a rock climber for many years, and she attributes her success on the obstacles to her time on the ropes. She said that the courses are always different; she has a matter of seconds to look at the puzzle and prepare her strategy before starting the obstacle.
“The Southeast is some of the best climbing,” Washington said. “Horse Pens in Steele it’s known for its climbing. People come from all over the world. I’ve met people from Australia and New Jersey.”
Running, however, she said is her biggest weakness. To prepare for the championship, she hired a running coach in Florida. Chris Stangle with RunFluent sends her workouts and consults her on how to improve her running skills. Since January, Washington’s running time has improved by 10 minutes due to her collaboration with Stangle.
“I honestly do not like running,” Washington said. “To force myself to do all this running, it has been hard.”
Washington works as a Physical Therapist at Northeast Orthopedic in Gadsden. She said is lucky to works with active people. On their lunch break, Washington and her co-workers will go up to Noccalula and run.
“The trails are so well kept up there,” Washington said. “There are so many trails, you can get tons of miles in. Noccalula has great elevation. So, tons of hills, you can get 12,000 feet of elevation in five to six miles.”
After work, she trains for a few hours at Absolute Fitness with coach Ryan Condy. She said that Condy will go out of his way to incorporate workouts he knows she will need for the competition.
“Absolute has been great; they have let me basically take over the [obstacle course] rig,” Washington said. “They let me hang rings and random stuff.”
The City of Gadsden has also supported Washington’s training by allowing her to use obstacles from the Barbarian Challenge.
Washington said her competitive nature is what keeps her motivated. It gives her a reason to work out and a goal to work toward.
Most days, she said, she does not feel like training. She forces herself to get up in the morning and run, which on average totals up to 30 to 40 miles a week.
In the last four years, Washington has placed in the top three overall female in five Savage Races from in Florida, Georgia and Alabama.
Washington said more than anything, the support from the community has surprised her the most. Originally, she did not want to make a big deal of the championship and did not even want to tell anyone. But once she told one person, it snowballed.
“This whole experience has made me feel super blessed and grateful as far as I didn’t think this many people would come out to support me. I’m just a small person going to a cool event, and everybody has come out. It’s overwhelming to know that many people believe in what you’re doing.”
Running OCR has taught Washington discipline, dedication and has shown her what she is capable of, while giving her more confidence in her athletic albitites.
“Most of all, it’s made me reflect on where I’ve come from,” Washington said. “In college, you’re just this person who you don’t really know who you are or where you’re supposed to be in life. Through this whole journey, I’ve found out who Courtney is.”
Washington will leave for Coast Rica on August 20 and will compete on the 23 and 25. The estimated cost of the trip is around $5,000. The price includes travel expenses, registration and supplies. T-shirts were designed by Bethanne Mashburn as a fundraiser and can be purchased at Absolute Fitness. Donations can also be made to @Courtwash13 via Venmo.