2017 10K Ruck Challenge & 5K Fun Run has record turnout at Veterans Park
Running a 10K (6.2-mile) race can be a challenge, but imagine adding an extra 25 or 40 pounds for the trek.
Forty-one people did that today at the 10K Ruck Challenge at Veterans Park off Valleydale Road, toting their rucks (weighted backpacks or vests) as they ran and walked. The men carried an extra 40 pounds, while the women added 25 pounds.
The event was a fundraiser for the National Veterans Day Foundation and an effort to raise awareness for upcoming Veterans Day events in the Birmingham area.
Another 39 people took part in the 5K fun run/walk, resulting in an overall record turnout of 80 people for the fifth annual event. The first four years drew a combined 90 people, said Lacy Gunnoe, an Air Force pilot who is captain of the Birmingham chapter of Team Red, White and Blue and lead organizer for the 10K Ruck Challenge.
Gunnoe, who also is the operations flight commander for Detachment 12 of the Air Force ROTC program at Samford University, said he was amazed with this year’s turnout.
Joshua Mixon, 33, of Alabaster was the top finisher in the 10K ruck race, with a time of 1 hour, 5 minutes and 1 second. Abigail Hathaway, 19, of Athens, Georgia, was the top female with a time of 1 hour, 18 minutes and 7 seconds.
In the 5K run, 16-year-old Austin Bachman of Alabaster, a member of the Thunderbolts cross-country club team, came in first with a time of 22 minutes and 43 seconds. Pamela York, 31, of Calera was the top female finisher in the 5K and fourth overall, with a time of 26 minutes and 9 seconds.
John Michael of the Oak Mountain community was among five members of the Red Mountain Ruck Crew who formed a team for today’s race.
Their group, which is made up of people throughout the Birmingham area, initially formed to train for the GoRuck Challenge, an endurance event based on Special Forces training that is designed to push people past mental barriers. But now they’re just a bunch of friends who meet together for fitness training in Birmingham’s Railroad Park on Saturday mornings.
Seth Powers, a 25-year-old from Holt in Elmore County, wasn’t on a team. He just read about the 10K Ruck Challenge on Facebook and decided to give it a try. He’s a runner and wanted to show support for U.S. veterans, he said.
Several veterans groups also were present this morning to share information about their groups and honor military members who were killed while on active duty since 9-11.
Retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. David Burford of Hoover was there representing the National Veterans Day Foundation, a nonprofit group whose purpose is to recognize, honor and support U.S. veterans. He said events like the 10K Ruck Challenge help get younger veterans involved in veterans groups.
Several people also were there from Gracie Barra Alabama, teaching Brazilian jiu jitsu self-defense moves, and Kiva Hot Yoga led a free morning yoga session.