Making their way through miles of walls, ditches, rope climbs, water-filled tunnels and mud trenches, four members of the Utah Naval Reserve Office Training Corps won first place overall in the Volkslauf Marine Corp 10K.
In Bakersfield, Calif., on Oct. 14, Chris Sanchez, Ryan Himmighoefer, Jeff Monroe and Steven Mackay set a course record with their time of 59:05. Because this year 20 more obstacles were added to the race-which mixes straight running with challenging obstacles for 6.2 miles-the time is actually faster than last year’s 57 minutes.
The four students decided to enter the race when challenged by their executive office, a colonel in the Marine Corps. “He wanted us to go out there and show our colors as Utah ROTC,” said Chris Sanchez, a senior in political science.
In addition to their routine physical training, the team trained with the Westminster cross-country team, since the U does not have a cross-country team. They joined in on sprint workouts on Mondays and Wednesdays. On Fridays, they would do a group run.
“It was mostly something we had decided to do, to go above and beyond. It was more intensive than regular, but not much,” said junior mathematics and economics major Jeff Monroe.
Sanchez said that although the training was difficult, it helped them grow as a team.
“Anytime you’re training together like that, getting your butt handed to you, you can turn to someone and say, ‘You’re going through the same thing I am’-it builds camaraderie,” Sanchez said.
When the time of the race came, the team left Utah at 3:30 a.m. on a Friday morning, drove for 12 hours and finally checked into a hotel in California. The following morning, they had the race and were back on the road later that day.
The race had 2,000 competitors in all-male, all-female, mixed and relay categories. The team received first place overall-an unexpected feat.
The obstacles proved to be the most challenging part of the race, but by staying together, they were able to make it through in record-setting time.
“We didn’t have to stay together-the other teams didn’t stay together-but when going through the obstacles, it helped us get through faster than everyone else,” Sanchez said.
Sophomore geography major Ryan Himmighoefer said the most difficult obstacle was the last big ditch, which came at the end of the race. “There was 4 feet of water in it and a bunch of tunnels we had to go through. It was the end of the race, and we were tired,” he said.
For Himmighoefer, the pain and difficulty was well worth it. “Whenever you are challenged and succeed, it makes you stronger-when you suffer together, it is a bonding experience,” he said.
The team plans on competing in the Volkslauf race again next year, making it a goal to beat this year’s time.
Courtesy of NROTCJunior Jeff Monroe, senior Chris Sanchez, and sophomore Ryan Himmighoefer of the Utah Naval Reserve Office Training Corps crawl through mud trenches on the way to a course record-setting victory Friday at the Volkslauf Marine Crop 10k Friday in Bakersfield, Calif.
Courtesy of NROTCUtah’s NROTC team scales a wall during their record setting victory at the Volkslauf Marine Corp 10K Friday in Bakersfield, Calif.