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JB MDL hosts 'Beast of the East;' thrills community

Published Sept. 14, 2012
By 2nd Lt. Alexis McGee
Joint Base McGuie-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Tu-tus, kilts, Disney characters, and business suits were just a small assortment of costumes at this year's Fifth Annual Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst "Beast of the East" Mud Run Sept. 8 at Doughboy Field here.

Participants came from across the Northeast to test their mettle on the 10K mud-run course.

The 2,500 runners faced more than the distance challenge during this physically-demanding event. Running enthusiasts tackled 23 obstacles in which they low-crawled, jumped, balanced, climbed, trudged and even swam their way through.

"This year's event was tougher than last year," said Heather Scott, a fitness instructor from Red Bank, N.J.

The first group of runners was scheduled to lace up their sneakers and hit the road at 9 a.m. but Mother Nature had alternative plans. The skies opened up, providing perhaps an additional effort to ensure the mud run did not become a dirt run and rain poured over JB MDL and its surrounding areas. Runners shuffled from the starting area to Doughboy Gym to wait out the one-hour delay.

Like clockwork the sun made its appearance at 10 a.m., just in time for the race to begin.
Runners took off from the start line in heats of 300 making their way through the first seven obstacles before reaching what many deemed their favorite obstacle, Slide for Life.

Slide for Life featured a blue tarp laid over a 50-feet-tall hill that runners slid down to make their way to the sandy pit at the bottom.

"The slide was the best part because it's intense and high speed," said Justin Colon after making his way through the Lejeune Crawl. Colon is a native of Ewing, N.J.

Volunteers who were stationed along the course not only passed out water, directed runners and provided safety tips, they also provided encouragement along the way.

"Get on your hands and knees and stay close to your belly to pull yourself through," said Staff Sgt. Lorris Wilson, Marine Aircraft Group 49 company gunnery sergeant who supervised the Lejeune Crawl.

"I'm a martial arts instructor so I know it's important to motivate them through," he said.
Be it encouragement, safety or supervision, the volunteers abounded at the event. Race Director Mark Smith credited the joint base volunteers for making this event a success.

"One of the best parts of the events was having the last two volunteers walk up to me and ask what else they could do," said Smith, 87th Force Support Squadron Lakehurst fitness director. "They were picking up garbage when the race was over and everybody else was gone and they still asked how else they could assist. That moment really showed me selfless service, which is the strength of all our military organizations. It was quite a humbling moment to have two of these volunteers who had already given so much of their time ask what more they could do."

The mud run was open to service members and community members alike, giving adrenaline enthusiasts an inside glimpse to the joint base.

"This event is a great way to celebrate our military traditions on base and have esprit de corps for our service members of all branches," said Col. John Wood, JB MDL commander.

"It's also a great way to open the base to the community to show them what the military does and the kind of training they do every day. It gives the community members a chance to see our obstacle course and military equipment, which is great for both us and the community members."

The official date for next year's mud run has not been finalized, but many of the race participants encourage other runners to join in on the fun next year.

"This is a mud run you really have to do," said Chief Master Sgt. Terrance Greene, JB MDL command chief. "This is one of those must-do bucket list items for people anywhere in the area."