Military community, Okinawa residents participate in World Famous Camp Hansen Mud Run

Photo By Sgt. Douglas Simons | CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan—Military community personnel and Okinawa residents enjoy food vendors, entertainment and games April 9 during the annual World Famous Mud Run aboard Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan. Attendees ran one, three, five and 10-kilometer courses through mud and hills. Participants received various prizes such as T-shirts, towels and medals. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Douglas D. Simons)  

OKINAWA, JAPAN

04.09.2017

Story by Sgt. Douglas Simons 

Marine Corps Installations Pacific

Approximately 6,000 members of the local and military communities on Okinawa gathered at the parade deck on Camp Hansen April 9 for the fifth annual World Famous Camp Hansen Mud Run.
This yearly fun run encourages participants to get down and dirty while running trails on Camp Hansen, which have gotten more challenging over the years.
Roughly half of the attendees ran in the courses. They dressed in a variety of bizarre outfits, such as onesies with combat boots, to compete in one, three, five and 10-kilometer mud courses.
“It was even better than I thought it would be,” said Cpl. Erick Loarca, a participant in the 10-kilometer race. “To see that many local participants to compete with us was phenomenal. I didn’t get to interact with them on a personal level, but their smiles told me they were having a blast.”
The number of participants has gone up due to proper advertising and allowing Okinawa residents on base to participate, according to Michael Davis, a Semper Fit Sports specialist with Marine Corps Community Services.
“We have tripled participation since the first run,” said Davis, an Atlantic City, New Jersey native. “We’ve increased advertising outlets off base and created an event atmosphere, a more festive feeling, than the average mud run.”
The course has gotten bigger and better since the first year it was hosted.
“The 10-kilometer course was re-mapped, and the second mud pit was enlarged to accommodate more mud, obstacles and runners,” said Davis. “We were surprised to see the great turnout this year. It was great to see thousands of people interacting and enjoying themselves. We hope to have even more people next year.”

• Date Taken: 04.09.2017
• Date Posted: 04.10.2017 23:48
• Story ID: 229919
• Location: OKINAWA, JP