As I reflect on my journey, many of you might see me as a super-strong OCR athlete, pushing my limits and conquering obstacles with unwavering determination. But beneath the sweat, mud, and victories lies the story of the completely ordinary version of me—I'm Ida Mathilde.

Growing up

Growing up in Denmark, I had a regular childhood filled with experimenting in sports. Handball, a national sport, occupied much of my time. Yet, I also ventured into soccer, volleyball, ice-skating , horseback riding, and gymnastics (with less-than-graceful results). While I enjoyed exploring these activities, I never found a sport that truly captured my heart. I soon discovered that team sports, in general, might not have been the perfect fit for me. My competitive nature often clashed with the performance of my teammates, leaving me frustrated and longing for something more.

However, my childhood had a unique aspect to it. Due to my father's job, I had the opportunity to travel extensively, living in England, Australia, and the United States before even reaching seventh grade. These experiences exposed me to different cultures, broadened my horizons, and instilled in me a deep desire to explore the world.

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My youth

During my high school years, I took a break from sports and focused more on partying and enjoying a typical Danish youth lifestyle while attending Gymnasium (11th to 14th grade). I even took two years after Gymnasium working as a tour guide & Ski guide (where the cover photo is from), where, again - maybe you guessed it, I spent most of my time drinking and partying.

I've always had this surplus of energy. During my early years, it was evident in my constant movement between sports and my love for outdoor activities like climbing trees. During high school, it manifested as being the party girl who could pull an all-nighter and still work the whole next day.

But then, a few years into college, at the age of 22, I grew tired of drinking and partying. I longed to rediscover the healthy, outdoor version of myself that I had embraced as a child.

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Finding back to sport at a "late" age

That's when I discovered a special gym owned by Icelanders, which offered a military-style training program consisting of intense, hour-long sessions. I was initially scared every time I attended a class, but I refused to give up. I fell in love with the training style, the sense of community, and the way it pushed my body to its limits—it was exactly what I needed.

After training at this Icelandic center for around four years and getting into better shape, I started signing up for competitions alongside my fellow gym members. We traveled to Iceland to compete, reigniting my love for travel and discovering a passion for competing. When we returned from that first competition, I saw a picture on our gym's Facebook page. It showed my teammates covered in mud, smiling, and brimming with happiness. Intrigued and feeling a hint of FOMO from their stories, I became curious about this "obstacle race" they had experienced, a term I had never heard before back in 2014.

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Not long after, there was another race, and this time, Thomas Johansson, who is now my coach in OCR, asked me if I wanted to join. I decided to give it a shot. And I guess many of you know the story from there.

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If you want to read more about my first-ever obstacle race here in my blog.