On weekends, he walks the walk, demonstrating his own resolve as an obstacle course racer.

“When I talk to people about it, they’re like, ‘You do what? That’s crazy,’” McCormack said. “It’s really about stepping outside of your comfort zone and seeing what you’re capable of. You’ll be amazed to see that you’re capable of much more than you ever thought you were.”

McCormack has proven that, participating in the fast-growing sport of OCR, in which athletes compete on a course full of obstacles and challenges. He competes across the country, and raced Saturday at AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, in San Francisco.

“Part of why I race is to be kind of an inspiration here and show that if you make that commitment and set goals and you rest and train and eat well, you can do it,” McCormack said.

McCormack is the wellness coordinator and assistant athletic director at Gray-New Gloucester High School, where he’s also the girls’ soccer coach. He also co-owns a business with his wife, Deanna, TL2 Fitness in Gray.

A longtime soccer player, McCormack came to the United States from Ireland on a soccer scholarship. He tried obstacle course racing on a whim, and he’s since devoted much of his time to training and competing. And the results have followed. Entering Saturday’s competition, he was third in the U.S. in the Spartan Stadium Series for indoor events. He was 23rd in the U.S. in outdoor events, and 31st in the world.

“I’ve already surpassed my goals, and to have to reconsider and set new goals for the remainder of this season is really exciting for me,” said McCormack, who finished his college studies with two years at the University of Maine.

McCormack didn’t get involved in OCR until summer 2013. He and his wife and some friends decided to enter a Spartan Sprint for fun in Amesbury, Mass.

“It was just something that looked like it would be fun to do,” he said. “I finished pretty high up in the open competition, finishing 37th out of maybe 10,000 that day. They say that you’ll know at the finish, as soon as we finished, we were looking for another race because it was so much fun.”

They tried a few more races, and in 2014, McCormack tried competing in the professional category. It allowed him to get an earlier start on the race course and hit the obstacles sooner. It also allowed him a chance meeting with Miles Bartlett, a member of the Nor’ Easter OCR Pro Team. Bartlett and McCormack both attended UMaine. When they met at a race, their UMaine ties sparked a conversation, which ultimately led to a discussion about the Pro Team.

“He started talking to me about how you be competitive and how you can have a ranking and have the potential for prize money,” McCormack said.

Though not completely sold on making a total commitment to the sport, McCormack mulled the possibility of racing as a pro. He decided to purchase a season pass for the Spartan Series and was eventually offered a spot with Nor’Easter Pro Team. His wife is also on the team.

“Even when I tried it, I wasn’t sure,” McCormack said. “I love soccer and identify myself as a soccer player. In November when I bought the pass, I knew I spent a lot of money on this. So I knew I had to give it a good go. I started the training, which is what I really enjoy, the preparation for it. The training consists of such a variety of running, strength training and skill training. I thought that was fun and exciting. I really enjoyed it. That translated into doing well in races and that’s when I fully committed to it.”

The competition is stiffer as a pro, and the obstacles are harder, but there’s greater opportunity for prize money and endorsements. Beyond the team’s sponsors, McCormack has received support from Shad’s Custom Countertops, Mozido, TL2 Fitness, Chiropractic Family Wellness Center, as well as the Gray-New Gloucester community as a whole.

“There’s a group of athletes that are full-time professionals,” McCormack said. “They’re fully funded by professional teams. That’s what they do for a living. That’s a big challenge for me, competing against these guys that train full-time.”

McCormack trains six days a week, sometimes twice a day. He mixes his workout routines and tries to mimic some of the challenges of OCR. He’ll strength train twice a week and often vary his running between endurance, hills and sprints. He’ll train with obstacles, carrying weights or sandbags. He’ll practice certain skills, like perfecting his spear-throwing. With a master’s degree in exercise science, McCormack knows how to push his body to get maximum results.

“I have an understanding of how the energy system works and how to be fit enough at all the different aspects,” he said.

McCormack has already competed in 10 events this season, but only one this year will end up being in Maine. Most of the competitions are around New England and New York, making it easier to carpool with team members. He’s also done stadium events at Fenway Park, AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Citifield in New York and Miller Park, the Brewers’ stadium in Milwaukee.

“It gets tricky in the fall with soccer,” McCormack said. “I have to find that balance, but I’ll do 20 to 30 races each season.”

Though it’s still a challenge to beat the elite pro athletes he’s competing against, he’s starting to edge some of those higher-level racers.

“I set some goals” he said. “I was very realistic coming from my exercise background and working in sports for a long time. Based on where I considered myself as an athlete, I was thinking I could be in the top 50 in the outdoor series and then maybe if I did really well, I’d be top 20 in the indoor.”

Some of the first people to ask about his results after each race are his players and students. They have developed an interest in his competing, and some have even become interested in participating in the sport. Sometimes his workout includes the weekly morning session in which high school athletes can participate at 6 a.m. each Tuesday.

“They get a good kick out of it,” McCormack said. “After a race, you get a finish T-shirt. So I started to give some of the athletes finish T-shirts. It’s kind of become a cool thing. They want a T-shirt and want to be seen wearing that t-shirt. So if they work hard and show the commitment to getting fit and working toward success in their sport, or for whatever reason, maybe just personal fitness, I’ll give them a T-shirt.”

Knowing what their teacher, coach and administrator did to earn that shirt makes it a much more valuable commodity.

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