“Each participant is given a five-minute time limit and allowed to drop once, giving them a strike before being eliminated on the second strike,” said Klein. “The hardest obstacle on the course is by far the battering rams which is made up of two giant logs that the participants have to shimmy across with a section of rings they have to swing from separating them.”
Those who finished the Battle Rig obstacle course with zero strikes against them were awarded with the prestigious Battle Rig coin.
The male and female finisher with the best time will go on to the regional competition at Whiteman AFB, Missouri. There they will compete for the chance to win a spot in Alpha Warrior National Finals in San Antonio, Texas, Nov. 11 where the course will be spread out over four acres.
Senior Airmen Vicente Escalante from the 88th Medical Support Squadron, participated in this event.
“I love doing warrior dashes and other fitness-related competitions like that,” said Escalante. “However, with those you can use your legs and here you are limited to the upper body so it was the hardest thing I’ve done yet.”
Beyond the competition, the event also allowed participants to build camaraderie among each other, which Escalante said he loved about the event.
“The camaraderie between the Air Force members is very inviting,” said Klein. “You guys live like a brotherhood and when one person does well the whole team is happy.”
“We have seen many Airmen who hop on the course and do not finish, but don’t leave defeated,” continued Klein. “Instead they leave encouraged that they have something to work on for next time which is awesome.”
For Escalante, this is especially true.
“This course helped me identify areas I need to work on with my upper body strength,” said Escalante. “I really think it is awesome that they came here to Wright-Patt so that we could participate and show off what our members can do.”
With this goal in mind, Escalante and others from around the base can go to work on the new mini course, which has been built inside the Jarvis gym.
In the end, it was Ryan Druss with a time of 1:33 from the National Air and Space Intelligence Center and Stephanie NeCamp with a time of 1:08 from 645th Aeronautical Systems Group who finished with the best time and will move on the regional competition.
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