FAQ

The 2021 Grit OCR race at Mt. High is set to take place on Saturday, August 21, 2021.

Grit OCR at Mt. High is hosted at Mt. High East resort. Check-in will be available on race day starting at 6:00 AM.

We recommend competitive participants to arrive shortly by 5:30 AM to park, check-in, and get ready as the competitive wave will start at 7:00 AM.

WHAT: Grit OCR at Mt. High 
WHEN: Saturday, August 21 at 6:00 AM
WHERE: Mt. High East  - 98FF+25 Wrightwood, California (approximately 1-mile east of Mt. High West).
PARKING: On-site parking at Mt. High East parking lot only. Parking is $5 cash only.

There is absolutely NO PARKING outside of Mt. High East parking lot, cars will be ticketed and/or towed at your expense.

See details in "Where do I park?" FAQ below or the Directions & Parking page.

We recommend arriving 2-hours before to your scheduled start time. This allows time for parking, check-in, gear drop, bathroom, and getting ready for the race.

Yes, every participant is required to turn in a completed and signed a release waiver and show your photo ID at the check-in to receive your bib and to participate in the race. You may download and print the waiver ahead of time and bring it with you to help expedite your check-in.

PICKING UP FOR A FRIEND?

If you are picking up for a friend they must complete and sign the waiver in advance and give it to you along with a picture of their photo ID.

 Download Waiver

GENERAL PARKING

General event parking is located at the Mt. High East Resort parking lot right by the race festival and check-in.

Location: High East  - 98FF+25 Wrightwood, California (approximately 1-mile east of Mt. High West).

On-site parking fee: $5 (Cash only!)

PARKING TIPS

• Pay attention to event parking monitors
• There is absolutely NO PARKING outside of Mt. High East parking lot, cars will be ticketed and/or towed at your expense.
• Lock your car and do not leave any valuables visible (Gear drop is available at the start)

View Directions & Parking Page

Yes, carpooling with friends is the best! Parking space is limited, to help ensure there is enough parking, we encourage participants to carpool to the race. If you are doing the race with friends or family then hook up and ride in one car together. If you are part of a large team then consider setting up a team canopy in the Wolf Den (team village). Besides, nothing beats carpooling with good friends and family!

Obstacle course race features multiple start waves to ensure there are no bottlenecks during the race when coming into the obstacles. We want to make sure that every participant is able to come into each obstacle and dive right in without having to wait for others to get through first.

When registering you can choose which start wave you wish to participate in at the race. Tell your friends and family right away so they can register and participate with you in the same wave before it SELLS OUT!

The competitive waves will be at 7:00 AM for men and 7:30 AM for women. General start waves will be every 30 minutes with the first wave starting at 8:00 AM and the last wave at 1:30 PM.

Please arrive 2-hours before your start wave to allow for parking, check-in, and getting ready.

Grit OCR reserves the right to adjust your start time, despite your "preferred" start time, based on team size and space availability.

*Note that final race day start times may vary.

There are Competitive and General entry formats.

COMPETITIVE ENTRY

Designed for competitive athletes that race in the spirit of pure sportsmanship, following all the rules and completing every obstacle or penalty so they compete fairly against their fellow competitors and see who is the best. Competitive waves are split into men’s and women’s waves, chip timed, obstacles and penalties are monitored and logged, there is no skipping obstacles or challenges, participants must complete every obstacle or do the penalty. Any skipping of obstacles, penalties, or sections of the course will be disqualified. You're only cheating yourself if you do not complete the race fairly. All participants will receive a finisher medal, top 3 male and female finishers will receive a trophy and prize goodie bag.

NOTE: Competitive is limited to 100 participants per wave, they do SELL OUT!

Register for Competitive Entry.

GENERAL ENTRY

Designed for everyone, open to all over 14-years old to participate. Great for participants that enjoy challenging themselves, weekend warriors, first-time racers, and teams participating as a group, everyone is welcome. General entry participates in the same racecourse and obstacles as the elite competitive race, but going at your pace and abilities. Push yourself as far as you can go, if you are not able to complete an obstacle then do the penalty. General entry is chip timed for overall results and age group ranking. All participants will receive a finisher medal.

Register for General Entry.

No. Due to the extremely challenging course, we are not offering a special ruck division option at Mountain High as we do for our other races.

OCR stands for Obstacle Course Racing, a sport in which a race participants must overcome various physical challenges on the course that is in the form of obstacles. The Grit OCR event is a trail running race combined with challenging obstacles throughout the course that are designed to physically and mentally test your strength, agility, endurance, with the outcome of you becoming a stronger and healthier person. Register for Grit OCR today take on the challenge!

• ENTRY INCLUDES:
• Run Grit OCR Course
• Collectible finisher medal
• Official finisher shirt
• Official finisher certificate
• Official patches*
• Volunteer support
• Course aid-station support
• Finish line water & food
• 1-Finisher beer (21 & over)
• FREE race photos
• Event insurance
• An awesome race experience!

*Patches include Legacy Club if returning participant, Ruck Division if racing with a weighted ruck, 2-Race patch if you are registered to run both East Walker Ranch and Mt. High races in the same year.

We will have a designated kids obstacle pen with several of the junior obstacles that they can go through. All parents will be required to turn in a signed waiver for their kids to allow them to play in the kid's obstacle pen.

Note that parents or a related adult or family friend must be present with their kids at all times. While the junior obstacles are scaled-down, they are still a challenge and require safe usage and adult supervision.

Below you will find a list of mandatory and recommended items for participating the race.

MANDATORY ITEMS

• Completed and signed waiver
• Photo ID
• Cash

RECOMMENDED ITEMS

• Trail running shoes
• Lightweight fitness apparel
• Sunscreen and lip balm
• Personal medicine/salt capsules
• Garmin/GPS tracking
• Camera/Cellphone
• Cash
• Arrive 2-hours early
• Mind of a champion!

POST RACE ITEMS

• Water
• Recovery drink, we highly recommend coconut water!
• Refueling food or snacks
• Towel
• Change of clothes
• Cash

Yes. The minimum age requirement is 14-years old. As this is a challenging obstacle course race that requires heavy lifting and climbing walls combined with trail running, young runners must be in good physical shape and regular fitness training to participate.

Younger runners can participate in the race with approval from the Race Director. Younger runners that wish to run the race need to be accompanied by an adult and must request approval from the Race Director. Please contact the Race Director.

Yes. There will be a gear drop available at the event staging area so you can drop off your bag before the race and quickly access it after finishing the race. Gear drop is $2 cash only.

Yes. The entire course will be clearly marked using a combination of colored flagging tape and directional signs at key turning points. However, you should still be familiar with the course and it is your responsibility to pay attention to the course markings to ensure you don't veer off course and get lost.

Yes. You can accomplish anything you want as long as you set your mind to do it and train for it. The race is planned for participants of all abilities. If you are new to obstacles and trail running or this is your first obstacle course race we suggest training as much as possible to prepare for an awesome race.

Trail running in general is can be more challenging as it consists of dirt pathways, uneven surfaces, steep hills to climb up and down, all of which require additional attention and focus while running. This race has some challenging hills to climb and a variety of obstacles that will challenge your physical strength and endurance. It is those risks and challenges that are part of the adventure that makes obstacle course racing so much fun!

Yes. There will be portable toilets by the event staging area. However, there will not be bathrooms available on the course. As this is mostly a trail course you can hop off the course to relieve yourself if needed.

Yes. There will be stations with water, electrolytes, gels, and basic first aid if needed. At the finish line there, will be water and food.

Proper hydration is essential when participating in any endurance sporting event. One of the greatest dangers for runners is completing the race in a dehydrated state. We encourage runners to hydrate extra the day before the race, the morning of the race, and plan on being hydrated throughout the event.

Grit OCR will be chip timed with a MyLaps timing system using a multisport ankle chip tag. Bib and timing chip will be provided when checking into the race. Participants must wear their bib and chip to ensure they are being tracked accurately. Final results will be posted on this website in approximately 24-hours after the race. After receiving your packet at check-in, follow these steps to prepare your chip:

1. Wrap around ankle.
2. Leave space between chip & ankle.
3. Peel off and stick.
4. Run race!

DO'S & DON'T:

• Always keep the chip visible; do not remove or cover for race
• Do not excessively bend or twist the chip
• Do not attach beside or under a zipper: metal has a negative impact on the chip
• Do not wear on your back or side, or around your arm
• Do not cover the chip with when crossing the finish line
• Always remember that the mat must 'see' the number when you cross the finish line
• Do not separate the chip from the start number

FREE BEER TICKET:
After the race, cutoff chip and turn in for 1-FREE beer in the beer garden (must be 21-years old).

August usually offers some of the best weather to run a race in Wrightwood. The average high temperature is 82º with the average low at 60º. Plan for the morning starts with pleasant temperatures warming up throughout the race. We recommend checking the weather forecast a week before the race so you can plan appropriately.

• The average temperature on race day: High 82º / Low 59º
• Average rainfall in August: 0.1 inches
• Sunrise: 6:21 am
• Sunset: 7:30 pm

As this is an endurance event you want to ensure you are fit for running a 10K trail race with hills and obstacle challenges. Our awesome leader Antonio Alletto has provided a great list of exercises with video examples to help guide you in the right direction focusing in 3-core areas: GRIP, CORE, and QUADS.

View Training Tips

For your safety and the safety of all participants, we do not recommend wearing headphones while participating in a race. However, if you do, we ask that you keep the volume down at a safe level so you can hear other runners and instructions from event personnel. It is important for you to be aware of other participants coming up behind you as well as being able to hear potential wildlife animals or even rattle snakes. The important thing is paying attention to everyone’s safety and maintaining basic race etiquette.

If you love to wear headphones while running then we can recommend using bone conducting headphones that do not cover your ears, these allow you to fully hear your surroundings while also listening to your favorite music or audio. To learn more take a look at Aftershokz Trek Titanium headphones from our vendor and sponsor Edrald Enterprises.

No. The event insurance policy does not allow dogs. We love dogs, but there are those who may not be comfortable around them and there are also dogs that are uncomfortable around hundreds of other people.  We have no doubt that your dog is well behaved, but we simply have no way to be sure about all the other dogs and thus we have a “no dogs on course” policy.

No. Unless there is severe weather or a natural disaster on the days before or on the race day, the Grit OCR event will be held whether it’s sunny, raining, snowing or anything in between. The weather only adds to the adventure to make for an awesome race experience!

Yet, there are still potential risks that are beyond our control that could force a race to be canceled or postponed. We hope that will never happen, however, we do have an event cancellation policy if that need ever arises.

No. This is an all trail mountain obstacle course. Unauthorized bicycles, motorized vehicles, wheelchairs, and strollers not permitted on the racecourse.

As this obstacle course race takes place on trails in nature there is always the risk of coming across wildlife including snakes, tarantulas, coyotes, deer, and even a rare mountain lion or bear.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU SEE A SNAKE

If you see a snake, do not panic! Back away slowly and carefully look for a way around. Also, be sure to shout out "snake" and point out the location so other participants are aware and can carefully get around it. Snakes will generally leave you alone if they are not provoked. Simply left alone, snakes will continue on with their life, they do not actively seek out confrontations with any of their natural enemies, humans included. The number one reason people are bitten by venomous snakes throughout this country is because of the attempt to catch, kill, or tease them when we find them.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU SEE A BEAR

Identify yourself by speaking in a calm, appeasing tone. Back away slowly, preferably in the direction you came. Walk, don't run, and keep your eye on the bear so you can see how it will react. In most cases, the bear will flee.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU SEE A MOUNTAIN LION

Stay calm. Hold your ground and back away slowly. Face the lion and stand upright. Do not approach a lion. Most mountain lions will try to avoid confrontation. Give them a way to escape. Do not run from a lion. Running may stimulate a mountain lion's instinct to chase. Instead, stand and face the animal, maintaining eye contact. Do not crouch down or bend over.

There are several lodging options available in Wrightwood, Mt. High has a very thorough list available here.  Also, check this Google search or on Airbnb for additional options.

Yes. Start wave change requests are available if there is space available in the desired start wave, the cut off for all changes is 5-days prior to the race date. Submit the change request from the contact page.

Request Change

No. Entry fees are NON-REFUNDABLE and entries are NON-TRANSFERABLE. Sorry, no exceptions. Once we receive and accept your entry, you will not receive a refund if you cannot participate or even if the race is postponed or canceled. You may not give or sell your entry to anyone else. Submit a cancellation request from the contact page.

Request Cancellation

No, it is not. While the parks and lands where races take place are not open to the general public. Those entering into the start/finish area or intentionally jumping into the race just after the start, using the marked course, racing against other participants, etc. are essentially freeloading off of the race and the other runners, regardless of whether they take aid station supplies, medals or other race supplies.

Permits, insurance, and race materials for the event are obtained with set numbers of participants planned and accounted for. Costs for events are also planned, taking into account those numbers and sharing the race costs among all entrants.

When people “hijack” a race they jeopardize the race’s ability to come back, create a potential for problems for other runners trying to determine their place in the race, and for support personnel to identify participants and (if necessary) provide emergency support. Like shoplifting, being a race bandit does not cost the person taking anything, but the cost ultimately goes to the people who follow the rules and pay to run the race.