CHARLESTON, S.C. – A cool breeze
wafted across the nervous participants gathering at The Citadel Saturday morning, March 13 2010.
Some old-timers told stories of
races past – each time becoming faster and previous competitions more grueling
with each retelling. Other less-experienced participants made nervous small
talk to fill the time in the hope of alleviating the anxiety caused by their
pre-race jitters.
It was the
beginning of the 14th Annual Bulldog Challenge, designed to test the
mental and physical toughness of competitors from all walks of life, along a course
of roughly six miles that includes several obstacles and challenges along the
way.
The
event was established by The Citadel Chapter of the Semper Fidelis Society to
raise money for the Captain Warren A. Frank Memorial Leadership Fund and
Extreme Outfitters of Jacksonville, North Carolina was there again this year.
“With the
fund we hope to provide leadership development opportunities for students at The Citadel,” Marine officer instructor
Capt. Shawn A. Rickrode said. “We would not be able to do this without the help
of our wonderful sponsors, like Extreme Outfitters. Through their participation
and generosity we are able to put on a first class event that has grown year
after year.”
Capt. Frank
was a 2004 Citadel graduate who was killed in Baij, Iraq in 2008 and his father
was present on race day to help begin the event that included a Marine Corps
obstacle course, stadium run, fireman’s carry, flipping a tractor tire for 25
yards, a grenade toss, a 300-meter swim & crawl through coastal marsh and
mud, a stretcher carry up several levels of a parking garage; all while
carrying three 30-lb sand bags.
This means
the participants must work together in teams of four to be successful.
“This year’s
event was the largest ever, as we saw 570 competitors from all around the
country, ranging from ages 16 to 62,” Rickrode said. “We welcomed doctor’s,
nurses, accountants, teachers, firefighters and policemen, retirees, students
and active duty military to The Citadel
campus in Charleston, South Carolina to participate in this grueling event.”
Competitors
traveled to Charleston from Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Virginia, Ohio,
Virginia, New York, Vermont and Maine.
Maybe it was the distance that made
some athletes take the competition very seriously, getting in their own zone,
chanting or repeating a mantra of loyalty to brave heroes past.
Immediately prior to the staggered
start, some of the dedicated teams scuffed their shoes back and forth into the
ground like thoroughbred stallions snorting and pawing at the dirt before the
Kentucky Derby.
But the many military units fielded
teams to compete for annual bragging rights they would tout at every
opportunity until the next year’s competition.
This year’s
winner was a group of college ROTC students from Norfolk, Virginia, finishing
in an hour and 21 minutes.
Still some, determined to enjoy the
experience, were less concerned about the outcome, but more concerned with the
journey; so they wore silly costumes and joked to relieve their nervous
tension.
The
longest time recorded was 3 hours and 55 minutes and the average finishing time
for the race was 2 hours and 13 minutes.
Organizers
were able to donate $12,152 to the Captain Warren A. Frank Memorial Leadership
Fund.
“This year
was a banner year for the Bulldog Challenge,” Rickrode said. “The money raised
will help us to develop the country’s future leaders. The Semper Fidelis
Society believes in selfless service and has put in thousands of hours of work
to help put on this event.”
Extreme Outfitters of Jacksonville, North Carolina donated
hundreds of gifts and prizes to participants that included promotional
T-shirts, Granite Gear Packs and pouches, Camelback water bottles and
hydration packs, Princeton headlamps, Columbia River knives and
tactical eyewear from Oakley, WileyX and Numa with a retail value well
over $20,000.
