Two members of the same Hertfordshire based men’s fitness programme have qualified for the World Obstacle Course Racing Championships in Ohio on October 25.

David Pearson and Chris Ferguson both qualified at the London Spartan Race on August 31 after achieving fifth in their respective age categories and earning a spot to compete with the best obstacle course racers from around the world.

oth men train at ManAlive; a programme specifically for men aged 30+ who are bored of the gym but still want to have a lean and athletic physique.

“I am now training as hard as I can to turn up on the day with as much preparation as possible,” said Pearson.

“There isn’t the remotest chance that either of us could win the race but we are both aiming to smash the course. It promises to be something quite epic as it is the fifth year anniversary of the Spartan Race movement.”

Both men are now going through extra training sessions with Craig O’Toole, the founder of ManAlive, to ensure that they’re in the best possible shape to compete on the day and enjoy the experience.

“We’re all extremely proud of the guys to have made it to the very elite of an extremely competitive sport,” added O’Toole.

“It’s been amazing to see their progress over the last few months from normal guys who want to lose a few pounds and get fit, to the super fit athletes they now are.”

The course is set to be the most demanding ever seen with a mixture of climbing, crawling, swimming, traversing and running over eight cross country miles.

“My military background means that I’ve always enjoyed training and competing but wasn’t able to fulfil this part of my life until I joined ManAlive,” explained Ferguson.

“The training has allowed me to get back to the level of fitness I think I should be and I can’t wait to test myself against some of the top guys in the world next month.”

For more information on the OCR World Championship, visit ocrworldchampionships.com