The Army compound reopened to society so that numerous people could put themselves to the test, both physically and mentally, in a route that was very tough and very muddy, but where camaraderie and support for the competitors prevailed. part of the military distributed by the various key parts of the route, in the midst of a good atmosphere and an enthusiastic public.
Six and nine kilometer races, as well as tests of physical resistance, dexterity, ability or decision made up the OCR Crossfast Race Civic Military Santa Cruz de Tenerife in its thirteenth edition. The common denominator was, once again, its enormous toughness. But for many of the participants, this level of demand is precisely what encourages them to take part again and again to meet their self-improvement goals. If each obstacle requires physical ability, mental strength is also key. Once again, the doors of the Hoya Fría barracks were opened to promote rapprochement between civilians and soldiers through sports and coexistence between friends, colleagues or family members.
The organizers established a race of six kilometers and another of nine. And all the participants had to overcome about 78 obstacles in total. It all started with the warm-up and the delivery of the plate that is placed on an ankle to control the time that each competitor invests in making the route. In each edition the tests to overcome vary. Therein lies part of the challenge.
For some there are no limits. A visually impaired young woman carrying a backpack is helped by a classmate so that she knows how to avoid the difficulties of the journey and warns her about a stone so that she does not trip. In several of the obstacles you have to use the strength of your arms and upper body. In others it is the decision to jump from high heights.
Liceth Canizales: «I like to represent the Tenerife Infantry Regiment 49»
Corporal Major Miguel explains that one of the tests consists of climbing a hill with a 25-liter flask of water. Afterwards, they travel a distance with a bag of earth of about 20 kilos. There are the elite competitors and the so-called “popular”. The difference is that the former cannot receive any help to overcome obstacles, while the latter can be “helped” by peers. In total there were 680 runners.
And the test could be faced as an individual participant, as a couple or in the so-called “trinomials”, made up of three people, who must be of different sexes. In addition to pushing military vehicles, those enrolled had to lift truck wheels. But one of the sections in which there was more public and that generated more interest was the military track. To develop the test, the Army had the collaboration of the City Council of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and various companies specialized in this type of event.
One of the participants who completed the route within the first rounds was Míriam Toledo Jerez, who belongs to the Wonder Woman Box Mencey, a functional gym in Atogo (Granadilla), specialized in training obstacle courses. In his case, he ran the nine kilometers in the popular category. In his opinion, the toughest tests were the dragging of the military truck and the last combo, which consists of going from ring to ring with your arms without stepping on the ground.
For elite competitors, the most difficult thing was the last combo before the finish line
Aissa González also smiles. He is an elite runner and yesterday he finished fourth. It is his third participation in the Military Civic Crossfast Race. The first year he finished fifth and last year, in third place. “Each race has a different essence,” he points out. He lives in Buzanada (Arona) and trains between four and five days a week, since he must alternate breaks with work and family. In his opinion, the Hoya Fría competition is becoming more and more “tough and fun”. The most difficult obstacle? No doubt about it: the latest Canary Holds signature combo.
Five competitors, four boys and one girl, belong to the Vilaflor Sports Club, in which its almost forty members practice functional training, mountain races, hiking or paintball, among other activities. And there are people of different ages.
Another of the participants, David Izquierdo, defines the «Civic-Military» as «quite complete, many obstacles, quite successful, and a lot of mud». In his case, he expected it to be “softer.” He affirms that the concept of the competition in an Army compound «I like it; I had never been here, the military is very supportive and there is a very good atmosphere».
Families, friends and training partners experience the day as a real party
Giuliana Cavano, a young woman of 30, beat the last combo to the first with surprising strength and agility. For her, the competition was “tough, but very fun, with a lot of mud and a lot of camaraderie”. She made the nine kilometer journey in the individual category. She trains five days a week and each day she spends an hour and a half preparing. She estimates that she spent an hour and forty minutes on the entire journey. She considers that the organization “was incredible and the military helped a lot.”
Several participants agree that the only negative element of the Military Civic Crossfast Race was in the “two bridges”. The reason was that to pass that obstacle they had to stand in lines that lasted almost 30 minutes. Dozens of runners waited to access the “Tibetan bridge”. And an additional difficulty was in the mud accumulated by the first to go through each test, especially when climbing walls.
Another young woman who arrives tired but very satisfied with the work done is Liceth Canizales, a Colombian who lives in Tenerife. “I loved her and it’s my second obstacle course,” she says. He assures that “what I like the most is representing the 49th Tenerife Infantry Regiment”. Canizales joined the Army this year and his job is in Hoya Fría. “I train here, I do functional training, racing and the application track,” he says. He ran the six kilometer race in the popular individual category.
Five people enter the finish line embracing and shouting with joy. They are the components of the OCR Los Guanches, a family made up of men and women between 51 and 28 years old. One of its members, G.Gerardo Pérez Perdigón, explains that “we are a team that we train and go together during the test”. Each one runs individually, but when it comes to overcoming obstacles they help each other and everything is more bearable. In their case they did the six-kilometre race. They start and finish each race together. They have just passed the finish line, they put the medal on them, take off the timing plate and let themselves be photographed. Regarding the development of the Crossfast Race, they comment that “it is perfect, with a lot of mud, but to repeat it”. Like many other competitors, they value the support received from the military deployed at each obstacle as “excellent”. And it is that, in addition to motivating, the soldiers also guided each competitor so that they tried to pass the test as well as possible. And if it was hard for them, they also helped them physically, if they were part of the popular category. Several did not reach the goal. Others “crashed” in the last test. There were also the occasional case of injury due to a bad fall in obstacles in which it was necessary to climb several meters in height. For those who passed the finish line, there was the reward of a refreshing drink, some food and a shower to remove the accumulated mud on the way. But almost all proudly wore the medal of having finished.
