Off Course: Inside the Mad, Muddy World of Obstacle Course Racing

Sportswriter and world champion triathlete Beresini has written a fascinating first book about the compelling, and oftentimes wacky world of obstacle course racing%E2%80%94ORC, as its proponents call it%E2%80%94and its meteoric success. "By 2013 more than 3 million people had run an obstacle course," including Beresini, who used ORC to fill her need for competition after an injury prevented her from participating in Ironman triathlons. Her book is both a chronicle of her involvement as well as an in-depth look at the three major ORC event organizers: Tough Mudder, a team challenge that gives people such obstacles as "dunking them in neon ice water or running them through fields of charged wires," the Spartan Race Series for individuals racing to see if they can survive a combination of mental and physical challenges, and the Warrior Dash. Beresini chooses to run the Spartan "Ultra Beast," with a course that includes "2,100 feet of barbed wire, 250 sandbags . . . and 115 spears." Throughout the various events leading up to it, Beresini captures the thrill of ORC as well as defines the key to a successful race. "The trick is to find the sweet spot where obstacles are tough and scary enough that people are challenged, but still want to return." (Oct.)