Service Members take on All-Terrain Unit Competition

Photo By Lance Cpl. Paul E. Wyatt | A group of competitors help each other climb a hill during the final leg of the All-Terrain Unit Competition on Friday at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. The competition relied heavily on team work and unit cohesion for a team to finish.  

HAVELOCK, NC, UNITED STATES

10.26.2012

Story by Lance Cpl. Paul E. Wyatt 

II Marine Expeditionary Force   

HAVELOCK, N.C. The "Warrior Owls," of the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training posted the fastest time among more than 150 Marines, Sailors, and Coast Guardsmen who competed in the 7.5-mile All-Terrain Unit Competition mud run through the trails of Cherry Point Friday.

Sixteen 10-person teams tackled obstacles including mud pits, fallen trees, and rugged trails from Hancock Lodge to the Shady Grove picnic area.

The race consisted of five legs, each with an added challenge. At each leg the teams picked up items that they had to carry with them to the finish line.

The competition was a cumulative relay race, meaning that two more team members joined those already in the race at the completion of each leg. The starting runners ran the full 7.5-miles, while those who started at the fifth leg only had to run the final two miles of the course.

For one team, an extra challenge presented itself at the beginning of leg five.

Lance Cpl. Yoseph Yemin, a member of the "Motor Boats" from a Marine Air Control Squadron 2 detachment at New River, suffered a sprained ankle near the beginning of the final leg. Though he made his best effort to continue, Yemin's injury prevented him from completing the race on willpower alone.

Determined to finish as a team, Yemin's teammates carried him through the last two miles of the muddy trail to be greeted by cheering spectators at the finish line.

“It was fun,” said Sgt. Dylan Curl, another competitor with the Motor Boats. “There was a lot of trekking through the woods and a lot of endurance was required.”

• Date Taken: 10.26.2012
• Date Posted: 10.30.2012 13:55
• Story ID: 96995
• Location: HAVELOCK, NC, US