San Diego -- Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego it scheduled to open its gates to the public Sept. 27, allowing people to get a small taste of recruit training during the 13th Annual Boot Camp Challenge as part of San Diego’s Fleet Week.
“The Boot Camp Challenge came along when we were looking for a way to feature the depot as part of Fleet Week,” said Kelly Sitar, deputy Semper Fit director and Boot Camp Challenge race director. “We decided to showcase what we do best – boot camp.”
The Boot Camp Challenge is a three-mile obstacle run, consisting of more than 50 obstacles used by recruits, including hay jumps, tunnel crawls, log hurdles, cargo net climbs and more. Drill instructors will be at each station, motivating participants through the course.
“A lot of people have said that they never realized how much they could push themselves until the Boot Camp Challenge,” said Sitar. “The drill instructors helped them and motivated them to keep going. The drill instructor experience is what people enjoy.”
According to Sitar, there were approximately 2,800 participants last year. This year she is anticipating more than 3,000 participants for the race, which has a capacity for 4,000 participants.
“The race has evolved significantly over the years. Every year it gets bigger,” said Sitar. “This year we have more obstacles, and for the first time we are going to be using chip timing, due to feedback we have gotten in the past.”
Participants must be at least 15 years old and can choose to compete as an individual or create 3 or 5-person teams. The oldest participant in Boot Camp Challenge history, says Sitar, was an 88-year-old, legally blind woman who ran the race with her granddaughter.
All participants will receive an official race t-shirt and are invited to participate in a post-race party, which will include food, music, drinks and beer. Gen. James W. Bierman, MCRDSD commanding general, will present awards to the top three finishers in each race category.
“This is primarily for those people outside the gates looking in who don’t know what we do here,” explained Sitar. They get to experience firsthand what a drill instructor does, then after the race they can interact with the drill instructors and take pictures with them.”
Although the majority of participants are civilians, military participation, to include military spouses and family members, has increased over the years and there are award categories for military participants.
Online registration is available at www.bootcampchallenge.com until midnight on Sept. 24. The price for individual participants is $39, $117 for a 3-person team and $195 for a 5-person team. Race day registration is also available at a higher entrance fee.
-30-