MCRD San Diego -- Service members, families and Department of Defense personnel are getting in shape at the fitness center aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego during a six week training course to prepare for the BootCamp Challenge.
The BootCamp Challenge is the kick-off to San Diego’s fleet week and serves as an open house to the community aboard MCRD San Diego. The depot will host the 10th Annual BootCamp Challenge on Sept. 29 with drill instructors providing direction and encouragement for participants.
With a three mile course ahead of participants, holding more than 50 obstacles to complete, contestants must strengthen their endurance before facing the rigorous course.
The purpose of the training schedule is to prepare participants for the challenge, allowing them to be more prepared for the event. The classes will cease three days prior to the main event.
“I designed the course with the challenge in mind and using my previous Marine Corps knowledge and training that I have to help them prepare for it,” said Josh Waters-Jackson, recreation aid, Semper Fit, Marine Corps Community Service. “We try to mix it up every time (participants) come out here.”
The training schedule has consisted of running drills, sprints and circuit courses with multiple exercises. These exercises are preparing everyone for the drills they will face later on, such as hay jumps, tunnel crawls, trenches, cargo netting and push-up stations.
So far, nearly 80 percent of the people who started the training are still involved, with roughly 30 to 40 participants in each class.
Although, training for the challenge is demanding, volunteers and participants managed to make it enjoyable, according to Waters-Jackson.
“It’s a great family activity. Our whole family comes out here and we have a lot of fun doing it together,” said Edward Zimmerman, a participant in the training. “We’ve put our youngest daughter in the stroller and ran with her. I even carried our son on my shoulders as we ran.”
Halfway into the course, participants have shown good progress and have been getting more used to working hard, according to Willie Covington, fitness trainer, Semper Fit.
“Every week we have to challenge them. When we started some people said they will just walk it if they get tired,” said Covington. “My reply to them was ‘you’re not walking, you’re running.’ At the end of the six weeks, before they face the BootCamp Challenge, I want them to say I can do this.”