I’ve sacrificed what I have to be able to live the way that I am. I want to say I left no stone unturned and that I am surrounded by people who enrich my life in a positive way by helping each other work towards each other’s goals.
1. Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Chris Champagne from small town Amherst, NH. I work as a design engineer for an office systems manufacturer by day… And OCR athlete by night and weekend. I compete in OCR events all over New England and the surrounding areas including (but not limited to) Spartan Race, BattleFrog Series, BoneFrog, F.I.T. Challenge, etc.
2. What’s a typical day look like for you?
A typical work day for me is waking up at 6am to commute to work for 7:45am, where I am until 5pm. I’m constantly walking around to make sure that I’m not too stationary… and yes sometimes that includes doing burpees at my desk! When I leave work I either head to the gym for about an hour and a half to two hours.. Doing anything from lifting weights, speed work/stair work, to crossfit WODs. I also enjoy working out at home with tractor tires and a sledgehammer, or just going for a run. Weekends, I’ll wake up and either go on a run (sometimes fasted) or hit the gym. There’s a local OCR facility that I love going to (shoutout to Train180!) on Saturday mornings that helps me hone my obstacle skills as well as train with some awesome people. Weekends are also great because I can spend some more time cooking that I would during the week, as well as doing my meal prep.
3. How did you get started on your current fitness journey?
I got started on my current fitness journey in 2013 when I ran my first Spartan Race in Amesbury, MA. Had no idea what I was getting myself into! The race challenged me in ways I had never been before.. so naturally I got hooked. I had been searching for a new sport ever since I stopped playing competitive soccer after my senior year in high school. Ever since, I’ve been training hard as well as constantly researching ways to improve my training and nutrition. OCR has taught me a lot about accountability and discipline that I’ve been able to apply to all aspects of my life. I compete now in at least a few races a month, meeting some amazing athletes that I’ve connected with through social media and making new friends.
4. What’s one goal you’re currently training for?
One goal I’m currently training for is a top 20 “Elite heat” finish. Meeting a bunch of these top athletes in OCR has helped an incredible amount. I can’t thank them enough for the advice that they have given me that has helped me improve far beyond what I thought I could do. It certainly gives me the motivation needed to power through every training session.
5. What’s one life goal you’re currently pursuing outside of fitness?
One life goal that I’m striving towards is actually opening my own OCR gym (or going into the business with a current one). I’m looking at several opportunities to get certified as a personal trainer, as well as a Spartan SGX coach. These will obviously take some time and commitment outside of my current training and work schedules… but they will be well worth it being able to grow the sport and ignite passions for OCR in others.
6. What does it mean to you to Compete Every Day?
To Compete Every Day is to wake up every morning and grind towards what you want to accomplish with your life. Everyone has different goals in their lives, but it is incredibly important to not have a mindset of entitlement. Nothing worth having can be given, you must earn it through hard work and persistence. You also need to be willing to accept failure. As much as it sucks, failure is unavoidable in life. But it is solely up to the individual as to how they respond to it. If you’re not competing for your goals and competing for your life, you’re not truly living.
7. What/who do you compete for?
I compete for others who are working towards their long term goals, whatever they may be. We live in a “now” world. People want “instant” everything from mac ‘n cheese to fitness results. And when people don’t see these results right away they get frustrated, lose motivation, and sometimes even end up quitting. Part of the reason I keep up my @spartan_champagne17 Instagram page is to remind people that “hey, you might not be there yet.. but you’re a step closer than where you were yesterday” and that you shouldn’t give up on your passions and goals even though the going is tough. One of my favorite quotes of all time is, “… life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster man. But soon or late the man who wins is the man who thinks he can.”
Finally, I would be lying if I said I didn’t also compete for myself. I have my own goals and I have my own aspirations as to what I want to accomplish out of life. For OCR, I want to be able to compete at a high level and be the best I can be every single day. That’s why I subscribe to certain podcasts that are on the cutting edge of nutrition and training… That’s why I research ways to train SMARTER instead of LONGER. That’s why I’ve sacrificed what I have to be able to live the way that I am. I want to say I left no stone unturned and that I am surrounded by people who enrich my life in a positive way by helping each other work towards each other’s goals.
Connect with Chris: Instagram
The post Why I Compete: Chris Champagne appeared first on Compete Every Day.