News

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW/AW) Elizabeth Merriam, Fleet Public Affairs Center Atlantic

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (NNS) -- Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek (NABLC) hosted Rudy's SEAL Challenge Cross Country Race, June 21.

Retired Master Chief SEAL Rudy Boesch hosted the run to raise money for the Naval Special Warfare Foundation (NSWF). The NSWF is a nonprofit organization that assists families and members of the special warfare community.

"Every time they have a Rudy run, I'm here. I have several medals at home because there is no one that can catch me," said Louis Cruz, 86. "I run with my buddy. He's a retired SEAL, and he's the one who got me into all of this. We work out with the SEALs three times a week."

The eight kilometer obstacle course travels the length of NABLC, taking runners into the ocean, across the beach and into the woods over and under various obstacles, including mud puddles, logs and sand dunes.

"I've done runs like this before, but this was a really good one. I liked when we went into the ocean because it was really hot this morning, and it was nice to be able to go and cool off in the water," said first time particpant Marine Corps 2nd Lt Bridget Bohman, Navy Marine Corps Intellegence Training Center.

While a number of the runners participated as individuals or pairs, others formed as teams. The team from USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) had a unique approach.

"We run in ranks calling cadence, and we run at the slowest person's pace," said Aviation Structural Mechanic 1st Class (AW/SW) Christopher Scottdean. "That is how we ran the entire obstacle course. We started together and we finished together."

Participants ranged from age 7 to 87 and included retired SEALs, active duty and civilians.

"This is the first time we've done it as a team. We knocked it out together. It was an awesome race," said Micah Hoevelman, a team member of Compound Crossfit. "We had eight people come out today. We all finished together. The first one came in at one hour and one second. As a team we knocked it out."

Children age 12 and under also participated in the Kid's Frog Jog, a one-mile obstacle course.

"I had a great time out here today. My kids ran the children's race and finished together. I'm very proud of them," said Lt. Cmdr. Thomas Kait, USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) executive officer.

Last year, the event raised more than $10,000 and included 500 participants.

For more news from Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, visit www.navy.mil/local/nablc/.