Wednesday, December 6, 2000
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Wednesday, December 6, 2000 |
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Tyrone's Capt. Bolton takes on wilderness, competition
Challenge pits military teams
When Marine Capt. Brett A. Bolton and his teammates first arrived at a pristine white water rafting spot nestled next to the rugged New River Gorge national river in the mountains of southeastern West Virginia, they had no idea what lay ahead. Bolton, son of Thomas and Marcia Bolton of Tyrone, faced steep hills, swift rapids and rocky terrain during the first-ever military Wilderness Challenge. The two-day competition pitted teams from all services in a six-mile forced march, a 40-mile mountain bike relay, a 14-mile white water raft race and a 5.5-mile uphill run. Each team consisted of five active duty members with at least one female per team. Bolton was a member of a Marine Corps team representing Quantico, Va. "The hike was very challenging, but the best part was working as a team," said Bolton. "All five members did a great job pulling each other along." The mountain bike relay also was fun, he said, "sprinting through the mud and water for 10 miles. We ended up with a very motivating 5.5-mile run where we ran straight uphill, making it a very strategic run. We had to pace ourselves to make sure we had a little extra at the end." Sponsored by the Navy Morale, Welfare and Recreation Department in Norfolk, Va., the competition was designed to give service members a physical challenge, promote outdoor recreation and give a sense of competition. For bolton, the motivation was in the competition. "I do adventure races throughout the year, and when I saw a competition for active duty military, I was ready to sign up immediately," he said. "Races like his are great because they require a tremendous amount of planning and strategy. It's not always the fastest or strongest who win." With only six months of advance notice, most teams went into overdrive to prepare for the events. "Training evolved from the adventure runs I go through, so this was a natural for me," said Bolton. "I do physical fitness training six days a week, which involves four to five days of running and one to two days of mountain biking. Luckily, it's hilly where I live." When not competing, Bolton is a logistics officer with Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps.
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