Local mud runner will chase next dream on the world championship stage
At the end of 2011, Todd Steben, an Olympia resident, was at one of the lowest points in his life.
“I was out of a job, out of work, out of shape and out of youth because I was almost 50 years old at that time,” he said. “I thought, ‘I better get my act together ahead of time.’”
So Steben decided to pick up a sport: mud running. Over the years, local races became bigger competitions, and finally a 2015 age group win. He’s navigated race courses that featured slippery obstacles, electric shocks and bouncy, inflatable structures.
Now, about a decade later, he’s just qualified for the U.S. national team for the Fédération Internationale de Sports d’Obstacles (FISO) Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) world championships, held in Genk, Belgium, from Sept. 14 to 17. He will compete in the age-group team for both the 3K and 14K runs.
Races typically come in a few different versions, Steben said, including a “sprint” under 4 miles, a middle run under 7 miles and a long one under 14 miles. While navigating trails, runners are also tasked with obstacles — physical, like lifting heavy sandbags, and mental, like electric shocks.
“The part I love about OCR is that it’s overall fitness. It’s your strength, your endurance, your creativeness and your problem solving,” he said. “The course is slightly different every year.”
He said he enjoys seeing unique parts of his communities, state and country that he otherwise wouldn’t seek out. A ski slope takes on a whole new look when you have to run up in the heat of summer, he said.
One of Steben’s more memorable races took place at a Lake Tahoe ski resort. Organizers put participants in freezing waters, and then it started to snow. People were getting pulled off the course with hypothermia.
Even through tough times, the OCR community is a uniquely supportive one with good camaraderie, he said. Over his years of involvement, he’s also pushed his wife and sons to try out some of the courses with him.
“If somebody’s having a hard time getting over the obstacle, there are three to four people there to help them. Some people help pull ‘em from the top and some people push ‘em from the bottom,” he said. “If somebody’s dragging and running out of gas, there are four or five people who push them on.”
Steben’s interest and drive have grown with each new challenge, and he said he’s gotten stronger over the years. These days, he runs five times a week, at varying distances and speeds, and strength trains to endure the obstacles. Though he was never a strength trainer, he said the sport helped him become an all-around athlete.
On the trails, his mantra is a simple: “I got this.”
Steben, who recently turned 60, said he hopes that above all, his story can inspire others who might think it’s too late to start something new. Just a decade ago, he said he could not imagine being where he is today. He has no intentions of stopping anytime soon, and has races lined up over the next year.
“Through sport, through training, we can be the best versions of ourselves,” he said. “By doing that, we have the chance to be the best versions with others and team up in a good, positive way. I’m trying to walk the talk.”
This story was originally published September 9, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
