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Lakehurst community members conquer new obstacles

  • Published
  • By Lawrence Lyford
  • NAVAIR Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  Military and civilian community members at Lakehurst answered the question, "Can you conquer the obstacles a second time this year, on a new course?" August 1, 2013, at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.

Competitors proved they could at the Lakehurst Fitness Center's Dog Days of Summer Obstacle Challenge set up in the grass covered field across the street from Hangar 1.

"We were watching the rain clouds roll this way the whole time we were setting up for the competition," explained Laura Dempsey, Lakehurst sports and fitness staffer, as she looked up from placing plastic wrap over the sheets for recording finishing times.

Mark Smith, fitness coordinator and event organizer, called the first competitor to the starting line and called out, "go!" Then, like a ringmaster, he followed him encouraging him and offering directions, "On this low crawl, you'll have to get your butt down right away or you will knock down the first board."

Dempsey called and wrote the finishing times as Smith called over the next competitor, "Are you ready? Go." By the time the third competitor was finished, new competitors were arriving to stretch, watch and compete.

Obstacles included jumping over a row of cement vehicle barricades, low crawling, flipping tractor tires, tossing a heavy ball, running with two weighted ammunition boxes, running zigzags and running through hula hoops, dragging a heavy object 25 yards.

Top male military finishers included: first place, Petty Officer 2nd Class Max Torres, 3:49; second place, Petty Officer 2nd Class George Shaw, third place, Col. Jack Mateer, 5:45. Top female finishers included: first place, Lt. Col. Kaylin Haywood, 5:28; and second place, Petty Officer 2nd Class Jennifer Woznick, 5:49.

Mateer and Haywood had conflicts preventing them from participating during the event so they arranged to compete later than the others. This decision left them willingly participating in torrential downpour according to Smith who was with them the whole time.

Top male civilian finishers included first and overall winner, Billy Mehl, 3:09; second place, Chris Cardone, 3:11; and third place, Juan Baute, 3:12. Top female civilians included first place, Margaux Pickell, 4:05; second place, Jamie Reiff, 4:34; third place, Christine Yezzo, 5:06.

"Cheering for each competitor was great," said Smith. "I had to take short cuts around the course but hope I helped each one. They were all racing themselves so they all had to win."