Welcome!!
If you have typed any of the following into a search engine:
...then you've come to the right place.
My name is Katie Purcell. I'm an eating disorder recovery advocate and an elite endurance athlete in the sport of OCR (a.k.a., obstacle course racing).
OCR is what helped me live to my full potential: now I want to take what I've learned and help you reach yours.
The goal of this site is to help you get solid, reliable info you can trust: to make your Race Day better. I know first-hand what a difference it makes when you step up to that Start Line feeling 100% ready to rock: and that's what I want for you.
I'm all about frameworks, and that's how most of the info you find here will be structured. I'll typically start with an overarching view of the "big picture" - and the major components within it - then a "drill down" to explain each component in more detail. And I will always, always include a ton of links to external sites/resources: to point you in the direction of even more high-quality content. I want you to come away from your experience here feeling confident that you can make your own, informed decisions about what to do next: because knowledge is power...amiright??
If this is your first time to the site (which I'm assuming it is, if you're reading this!) here's the general breakdown of what you can find/do here:
...Because merch is awesome!
I had the vision...and my friends over at cab511 had the a-mazing creative design skillz...and the end results are pretty spectacular! But don't just take my word for it: Check out the whole collection of Fierce Gear OCR branded merch here, and some fun testimonials from happy #FierceFam members on why they dig our stuff.
The all-time bestsellers are definitely the sunglasses, but the "Train DIRTY // Race CLEAN // Live FIERCE" performance tanks are such a perfect way to show off what OCR is all about (& the slight difference in design between the "men's" version and "women's" version is a cool detail!)
Ever since I started posting more on my Instagram account sharing details about my experiences training & racing, people have reached out and asked for product recommendations. But I never thought much about affiliate marketing...because I don't want to try to sell you something just for whatever commission I could get. (Doesn't really jive with the whole "authenticity" thing that I'm going for.)
...But then I realized that a bunch of the brands/products I already been endorsing/linking too in my articles already had affiliate programs...and better yet...they came with a discount that I could pass along to you as well! So I said BOOM done deal.
SO how it works is: some of the links on this site are for brands/products that I'm an affiliate for: meaning if you click that link and end up buying that thing....or using whatever code you got here to purchase it...I get a small commission from that sale (& no - that doesn't mean it costs you more - it is the same cost for you either way don't worry!)
But not all of the links you'll see are affiliate links: sometimes it's just a discount I saw that I am letting you know about, or a link to point you in the direction of a brand/company you should check out.
Discount Codes & Affiliates Page is here...and still under construction...and constantly evolving! So be sure to check back!
That is a great question...and the answer is one of the reasons why I think this site is so unique/helpful!
A lot of the content is written by me, and based on my experiences over the several years I've been racing, so it's either stuff I've found works well for me, or tips/tricks know are "tried and true" among OCR athletes who I know, etc.
HOWEVER: I'm no expert...and I've never claimed to be! So for the more specialized content like nutrition advice or WODs/training recommendations, I always bring in the professionals: because while I'm happy to share my experiences/personal preferences, I am not qualified/certified to give advice in those areas.
So you can rest assured that any info you find here in areas like that is left up to the pros, and the pros only! Which is pretty cool, because it has led to some really cool and valuable content contributed by people who really know their sh*t from all different corners of the OCR world, including:
If you're looking for a little bit more of a backstory on how this thing all got started, check out any of the links below! You can learn about our humble beginnings...check out the profile of WHO is actually looking at this site, and get introduced to some of the AMAZING individuals who have been there supporting & representing from Day 1: the Fierce Gear OCR Ambassadors.
Hopefully this page made it a little more clear what the site is all about and what you can expect to find here (that's what a "Start Here" page is for...right??)
So take a look around the site! Feedback always welcomed: what do YOU want to learn about/see/try? What stuff do you find most helpful, and what do you totally hate? I want you to walk away from a visit here feeling confident that you got something useful out of it, and inspired to take your next steps!
Click any of the icons below to connect via social media:
...Thanks so much! I look forward to connecting, and hope to see you out on course someday!
--Katie