Frontline OCR

09/25/2026

Before Frontline had the Kraken, the Vest Collector or many of the obstacles athletes now recognize, there was Thermopylae.

The now-retired obstacle debuted at the Second Wave in 2018 after being donated by HartFit ELEVATE OCR , doubling the version already waiting for athletes at their Illinois training facility.

Thermopylae was like Spartan’s Olympus—except it wasn’t.

Imagine taking Olympus, inverting it and forcing athletes to traverse laterally while feeling as if they were hanging from the side of a cliff. Keep your feet off the ground. Maintain control. Reach the other side and hit the bell.

Simple enough.

Now put on a 20-pound vest.

Suddenly, every grip mattered. Every shift of the hips mattered. And gravity became considerably less interested in your plans.

Thermopylae appeared at Frontline for only three races before the realities of time and weather caught up with it. Wooden obstacles have an expiration date.

The memories they create do not.

For everyone who fought their way across Thermopylae—or found themselves introduced to the ground beneath it—this obstacle remains part of Frontline OCR history.

09/24/2026

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09/24/2026

Before Frontline OCR became what it is today, athletes like Matt Lloyd were helping define what it could become.

Matt was one of the OGs—standing on the starting line for the very first Frontline wave in Lockport, Illinois, in 2017. He finished ninth that year with his vest still secured.

In 2018, he returned and did more than retain it.

He won the entire Special Forces Division.

Then, in 2019, Matt came back and successfully carried the vest across the finish line for a third consecutive year.

Three Frontlines. Three vest retentions. One championship.

Matt wasn’t only a pioneer of Frontline OCR and our unique Special Forces Division. He was part of the generation that helped establish obstacle course racing throughout the Midwest.

Anyone who raced during those years will remember the legend of Matt Lloyd—a speedster who may have been small in stature, but was absolutely enormous in performance.

His speed was dangerously fast. Pound for pound, his strength was nearly unmatched. And adding another 20 pounds to his frame didn’t slow him down nearly as much as everyone chasing him probably hoped it would.

Before people fully understood what it took to race Frontline with a vest, Matt was already showing them.

Fast. Strong. Relentless.

An original Frontline champion—and one of the athletes who helped set the standard for everyone who followed.

09/23/2026

If you raced OCR in the Midwest during the height of the sport’s popularity, there were certain athletes you could virtually guarantee you’d see on the starting line.

Scott Longley was one of them.

And more often than not, you’d eventually see him standing on a podium—or crossing the finish line with his band still securely in his possession.

A versatile athlete and member of Wisconsin OCR and SAO, two of the most dominant teams from that era, Scott brought the complete package to every course. He had the speed, strength, obstacle ability and experience to compete anywhere—but also the personality that made racing alongside him just as memorable.

Scott’s sense of humor kept himself and everyone around him in good spirits, even if that encouragement came in the form of a quick pat on the butt and a few supportive words as he passed you.

Because apparently getting beaten wasn’t enough. Scott wanted to make sure you felt appreciated while it happened.

He first accepted the Frontline Special Forces mission in 2019 and successfully carried his vest across the finish line.

When he returned in 2024 and again in 2025, however, Frontline took it from him both times.

That doesn’t erase everything Scott has accomplished. It simply leaves one chapter unfinished.

Maybe—just maybe—2027 becomes the year Scott Longley returns to Frontline, straps that vest on one more time and finally earns the redemption he deserves.

Scott didn’t merely show up during one of the strongest eras of Midwest OCR.

He was one of the athletes who helped define it.

09/23/2026

K9 FOR FREEPORT — LET’S SHOW UP. 🐕‍🦺💙

On Saturday, October 3rd, Frontline OCR and Absolute Fitness LLC are coming together for a FREE Bootcamp & OCR Prep workout benefiting the Freeport Police K9 Unit.

Come out. Get a great workout. Meet some great people. Support those who serve and protect their community.

But here’s the important part:
You don’t have to attend to make a difference.

If Freeport is too far.
If you already have plans.
If working out isn’t your thing.

Please consider making a donation.
Every dollar raised goes toward supporting the Freeport Police K9 Unit. Attend, donate, or do both, what matters is that we rally behind a great cause.

📅 Saturday, October 3
⏰ 8:00–9:30 AM
📍 Freeport, IL
💪 FREE Bootcamp / OCR Prep

Can’t make it? Donate anyway.
Can make it? Bring a friend.
Register or donate using the QR code on the flyer or at the website listed.

Let’s show Freeport what the OCR and fitness communities can do when we come together.

09/22/2026

If you don’t know Baxter Hummel yet, then you haven’t been paying attention to the Midwest OCR scene over the last few years.

Two trips through the Special Forces Division at Frontline OCR.

Two successful vest retentions.

In 2025, Baxter brought the vest across the finish line and missed the podium by just one spot. In 2026, he returned and proved the first performance was no accident, successfully completing the mission once again.

That level of consistency should impress people.

It should probably scare a few of them, too.

Baxter is still incredibly young in the sport, and even younger in age. He’s already accomplished something many experienced athletes have attempted without ever achieving—and he’s only going to become stronger, smarter and more dangerous on the course.

He isn’t even old enough to drink yet, which means our sponsor, Luxury Wine Partners, may need to keep some sparkling cider on ice for Frontline OCR 2027… just in case Baxter finally claims that podium. 🤣

He is the 2 Time defending champion in the 10k 20 and under Division in 2024 and 2025 and took 1st place overall in 2026 at our friends The Midwest OCR Bearded Challenge meaning Baxter would be as dangerous in our endurance division as he already is in Special Forces.

Two missions. Two vest retentions.

And his story is only getting started.

And even better?

09/17/2026

The Gray family doesn’t simply run Frontline OCR.

They run it in the Open, in Special Forces and in Endurance.

Maureen Gray has found success in all three.

At the inaugural Frontline OCR in 2017, Maureen was among a select few women who proved that wearing—and retaining—the Special Forces vest was never exclusive to the men.

She didn’t simply preserve it.

She finished third.

Before years of results demonstrated what women could accomplish in Special Forces, Maureen was already establishing the standard herself.

In 2022, she returned to her competitive roots in the Endurance Division.

Three laps. Hours of fatigue, obstacles and opportunities for the course to expose every weakness.

Representing the FLATliners alongside teammate Beatrix Pollack, Maureen secured second place and helped complete a FLATliners sweep of the women’s podium.

Then there is the Open Division, where Maureen and the Gray family—about as close-knit as any family you’ll meet—protect another important part of Frontline’s mission: struggling, laughing and overcoming obstacles together.

The simple joy of doing something difficult with the people you love.

Like her father, Ken, Maureen is a maestro on obstacles. She understands movement at an analytical level, studying each challenge, finding the most efficient solution and often making the incredible appear routine.

That ability comes from years of competition, teamwork and understanding that OCR rewards more than speed or strength. It rewards patience, adaptability and composure when an obstacle refuses to cooperate.

Special Forces podium finisher.

Endurance runner-up.

Open-wave regular.

The Gray family may run Frontline OCR, but Maureen has repeatedly proven that she can run Frontline OCR exceptionally well.

09/15/2026

If anyone could make you want to see an athlete take another run at the Special Forces Division, it’s Yaris Cruz.

Yaris competed at Frontline OCR just once—and made that one appearance count.

Her first-place finish in 2023 was so impressive that it still leaves us wondering what could happen if she returned for another shot. Could she reclaim the top spot? Could she put the hammer down and carry another vest across the finish line?

Technically, Yaris has already returned to Frontline—but in 2025, she did it behind the scenes as part of the build crew. There’s something fitting about watching her help construct the same kind of obstacles she dominated two years earlier.

She has proven she can build them.

She has proven she can beat them.

Now we’re hoping 2027 gives her the opportunity to do both—and reminds everyone exactly what happened the last time Yaris Cruz stood on a Frontline starting line.

One appearance. One victory. One vest.

Come put the hammer down again, Yaris. 🇺🇸

09/13/2026

Mark Robinson’s Frontline story isn’t defined by an easy road. It’s defined by how hard he continued fighting when that road tried to break him.

In his Frontline debut in 2023, Mark finished fourth—one position away from the Special Forces podium.

He returned in 2024 even stronger, with a podium seemingly within his grasp. But painfully close to the finish line, it slipped away—and so did his vest.

Still, Mark fought until there was nothing left to give. His hands were bloody and battered, but he refused to surrender quietly. That effort told us more about Mark Robinson than any result ever could.

It told us exactly what kind of athlete he is—and what kind of man he is.

A tremendous family man. A hardworking, talented athlete. A genuinely fantastic human being. The kind of man you would want standing beside you in any foxhole, because you know he will keep fighting long after most people would have accepted defeat.

In 2026, Mark returned to Frontline and successfully carried his vest across the finish line.

That is absolutely huge.

Not simply because he retained it, but because of everything he endured before earning that moment. The fourth-place finish. The podium that disappeared. The bloodied hands. The vest that was stripped away.

Mark Robinson didn’t allow any of it to become the ending of his story.

He came back and wrote a better one. 🇺🇸

09/12/2026

Emmett Larson has never left Frontline OCR without his Special Forces vest.

In 2024, he finished 3rd. In 2025, he climbed to 2nd. And in 2026, he missed another podium by just one position, finishing 4th against another unforgiving Special Forces field.

Three consecutive top-four finishes. Three successful vest retentions. Not one failure when the vest was on the line.

That is remarkable consistency at a race designed to make consistency nearly impossible.

Frontline doesn’t care what you accomplished the year before. Every trip through the course brings a new opportunity for the rigs, carries and accumulated fatigue to take back what you earned. Yet Emmett continues to answer the same way—by surviving every test, protecting his vest and finishing among the very best athletes on the course.

A podium spot may have narrowly escaped him in 2026, but Emmett Larson has already established himself as one of the most dependable and dangerous athletes in the Special Forces Division.

When Emmett reaches the starting line, that vest almost feels automatic.

Almost—because nothing at Frontline ever is. 🇺🇸