BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - Ninty-two teams participated in the 5K "Got Consent?" ruck march here Aug. 3, 2013. The event, hosted by the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing sexual assault response coordinator, was comprised of four-person teams who competed in the march carrying a 30-pound rucksack on their backs.
The ruck march is in the interest of sexual assault awareness and prevention and is an opportunity to keep this important issue on people's minds. It also offers them the opportunity to ask any questions of the SARC.
"This event was a tremendous success and far exceeded expectations," said Maj. Jason Guadalupe, 455 AEW sexual assault response coordinator. "We had nearly double the participation we were planning for. There were Army, Navy, Air Force, contractors and Koreans competing. And all with great spirit and camaraderie."
All who crossed the finish line received a commemorative t-shirt that served as a reminder to ask themselves before making a "conscious" decision to cross that intimate line; whether that is full-blown sexual intercourse or even touching another individual without an invite.
Some of the rules of the event included:
- Teams could consist of only four members;
- All participants wore secured rucksacks/backpacks with a minimum weight of 30 pounds;
- Ruck sack weight included rocks, water bottles, dumbbells or weight plates;
- All team members must cross the finish line within 20 seconds of each other, and the time of the last person was counted as the official time. Failure to do so resulted in disqualification.
- Any team finishing with less than four members was disqualified; and
- No team was allowed to leave a member behind.