Spartan Race uses the warriors of ancient Sparta as the inspiration for their events, so it is only fitting that Operation Enduring Warrior pitted itself against this Obstacle Course Race that tested determination, strength, commitment, and loyalty. Saturday’s race at Ft. Bragg was an incredible display of every positive quality that can be attributed to Veterans, Adaptive Athletes, and those who support them. I’ve now run in 16 Spartan Races and over 60 in total so far, yet running this course on this day with these people made it one of my best experiences ever.
What is Operation Enduring Warrior?
Who are those Masked Men (and Women)? And Why?
The Masked Athlete Team (MAT) is composed of active duty and retired military members who run together as a team in full battle gear including gas masks, to honor their fallen and wounded comrades. Masks, boots, and uniforms signify the burden that all Veterans bear. They’re running with these hardships because wounded Veterans live with hardship every day.
They go by callsigns such as Courage, Dedication, Sacrifice, Unbreakable, etc. and answer only to those callsigns when they are in uniform. Athletes who don the mask have each gone through a rigorous selection process known as Warrior INDOC. This process is composed of fundraising as well as a 48 hour physical and mental endurance component where candidates will don the mask and complete a series of challenges under the close supervision of team members. Upon completion, candidates may then be invited to join the ranks of the team.
OEW Community Ambassadors (OCAs) are individuals who feel strongly about supporting our Veterans and OEW’s Mission. Civilians who choose now to “serve those that served” work alongside active duty and retired military personnel to raise funds and awareness for OEW while running in OEW gear. Each OCA has a donation page created where donations are accepted for OEW through a charity organization.
Biggest Team, Biggest Celebrities
Saturday’s Race saw OEW capture the Biggest Team award with over 170 people registered to run. The MAT ran alongside Adaptive Athletes who were invited to run with the team. Amazing athletes in wheelchairs, on crutches, with prosthetic limbs, with missing limbs, suffering from PTSD and TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), people with service dogs, and folks with other assorted injuries all competed together with the support of the OCAs and people who chose to run with us.
Joe De Sena, Spartan CEO and Founder, came in for the event and donned an OEW shirt as he sent us off from the Start Corral and ran with us. Lt. General Stephen Townsend, Commander of Fort Bragg, was there in support. And Mister Dancing With The Stars and Men’s Health Coverboy, Noah Galloway (who had his flight delayed), was there at the Finish Line to hand out the Medals and congratulate each Finisher.
Tackling this course as a Team
From the moment everyone assembled at the Biggest Team Tent we knew this was going to be much, much more than a “normal” 5k OCR. Friends from all over the country were delighted to see one another and the excitement kept building. Armitron Watches, a huge supporter of our Veterans and the organizations that help them, donated beautiful watches for everyone who ran with OEW. Their generosity and support was highly appreciated. It was funny later in the day to hear someone ask a group what time it was and then see 30 or so OCAs all look at their watches simultaneously.
Helping the Adaptive Athletes enter the Start Corral by climbing the wall was the first indicator of the displays of courage, determination, and strength that we all were about to be blessed to witness and be a part of all during the 4 ½ hours we were together on the course. There are so many unbelievably miraculous things witnessed that day that I cannot separate each life-changing moment into a narrative without this being a novel to rival “War and Peace”.
Many of us carried the American Flag with us, and the shout outs and high fives from the people who sped past us or stopped to chat or just lend some support was very heart warming. These (and all) Veterans are the people who volunteered to serve our country and fought for our freedom. Patriotic displays of pride should be normal and not the exception. Everywhere.
As we approached the Finish Line we could hear the cheers from the crowds and once again emotions were running high. Spectators were scrambling for their cellphone cameras so they could capture what was about to happen. The Team and Adaptive Athletes climbed the ropes and rang the bells, some carried flags to the top with them. We got up the slip wall and down the other side, then jumped over the fire together, as a Team.
The Internet and Social Media has been flooded with images and videos and stories of what we accomplished on Saturday, but the enormity of it all has taken a while to settle in. What we did for ourselves and our teammates was wonderful and fantastic for every person who was at that race. But it’s the many thousands of Veterans, injured folks, and depressed people out there in the world that we want to reach. To show them through our examples that they can do anything they want to do, and there are people out here who want to help. A person’s injuries, or struggles, or scars do not define them; what they do to work past all of those things is what makes them who they have the potential to be. Life is beautiful, and no matter what you may be going through right now, you can get out there and mix it up and have fun and experience all the beautiful blessings that life has to offer.
