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Racers Slog Through The Mud For Run Amuck
(August 19, 2010) |
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| MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. (MCN - 8/16/2010) — Hurdling
over hay bales, crawling through pipes, braving two mud pits
and running 3.5 miles. This may sound like a Marine Corps
run, but this was the Run Amuck, a race hosted by the Marine
Corps Marathon that tested the endurance and speed of 2,130
runners August 14 aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. |
While most races end with the runners drenched in
sweat, the draw of this race was to get dirty, said
Rick Nealis, the director of the Marine Corps
Marathon.
“It’s a culture thing. When we’re young, we’re told
to stay out of the mud. Well, now we’re saying to
get muddy and wet,” he said.
Runners faced a variety of obstacles and exercises,
ranging from crawling under barbed wire to ten
jumping jacks, but the mud pits were where most of
the fun was, said Jessi Cisewski, a graduate student
from Chapel Hill, N.C. After the race, she had a
message for the onlookers who weren’t into getting
dirty.
“Suck it up and do it next year!” she shouted.
While Run Amuck is technically a race, not everyone
came dressed for |
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Run Amuck racers charge the hills
of Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., Aug. 14, 2010. The race
drew 2,130 runners, who climbed walls, crawled through pipes
and slogged across mud pits, all while running the 3.5 mile
course.
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speed. A Viking hat, ballet skirts, and the combat
utilities of the German Air Force were considered
appropriate attire for the mud. Some of the runners
even took their time to enjoy the different
stations, said Nate Delong, an Arlington, Va.,
native. |
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“We had a mini mud fight in the second mud pit,” said Amy
Lang, who came with Delong. “I’m definitely glad I wore old
clothes.”
Run Amuck is the most unusual of the ten-race Marine Corps
Marathon series, said Nealis. Making the runners stop and
get out of their rhythm makes the challenge more
“Marine-like,” a test that wasn’t lost on some of the muddy
finishers.
“This was great – even awesome,” said Chris Park, a
17-year-old Stafford, Va., native who plans on joining the
Marines. “I feel more prepared, because Marines do stuff
like this.”
Sgt. Justin Jensen, a food service specialist with
Headquarters and Support Battalion, Marine Corps Base
Quantico, signed his wife and himself up as a chance to bond
and show her a part of his life.
“It definitely was a lot of fun … and dirty,” exclaimed the
Murphy, N.C., native. “It’s a good example of what Marines
are like because we’re amphibious and willing to do
anything.”
Runners started in waves, so the winner wasn’t announced
until long after the last finisher dragged his muddy shoes
across the finish line. William Mikolajczak, 24, a Triangle,
Va., native whose father is a retired Marine, claimed his
third victory in the three-year-old race, and Robin Witlin,
an Oak Hill, Va., native, claimed the title of fastest
female. But the result for most of the finishers was that
they had fun, which made the race director call it a
success.
“Mud is a badge of honor out here,” said Nealis. “Run Amuck
is truly a special event.” |
Article and photo by LCpl. Benjamin Harris
Headquarters Marine Corps
Copyright 2010 | |
Reprinted from
Marine Corps News
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