CAMDEN — It was Jack Hauprich, of Camden, who came in with the fastest time in the second annual 5K Run For Your Life Emergency Service Challenge at Camden Snow Bowl May 24. He ran the Ragged Mountain course — moving over, through and under its 13 obstacles — in 44 minutes and 42 seconds. Close behind him was his friend Caleb Pease, of Appleton, barely a minute behind. Leading the women was Katy Genther, of Waldoboro, who completed the course in 51 minutes and 10 seconds, followed in... Read more
Run For Your Life, May 24: on Ragged Mountain, where they got run ragged
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Local first responders held their the second annual Run For Your Life Challenge, Saturday, May 24 at the Camden Snow Bowl. Building on last year’s success, the Emergency Service Challenge — a collaboration of local fire departments and ambulance services — took the competition to another level, and maintaining the core mission: To raise awareness in the communities for the need of volunteer and career path involvement in public safety.
Learn more at emergencychallenge.org, or call the Camden Fire Department, 207-236-7950.
It was a great day on Ragged Mountain May 24! Read all about it, and see photos and video: Camden’s Jack Hauprich takes the lead in annual Run For Your Life Service Challenge
http://youtu.be/fI1s6bLNWFw
Up and down Ragged Mountain, 13 obstacles, 44 minutes
Camden’s Jack Hauprich takes the lead in annual Run For Your Life Service Challenge
The Run For Your Life Challenge, a fun and competitive adventure race, was a huge success in 2013, and organizers are planning for even more participants this spring. On a rugged obstacle course that is sure to challenge everyone, runners will push themselves mentally and physically up and down Ragged Mountain, along the loops and descents of ski and bike trails.
In teams or as soloists, participants — firefighters, local business owners, college students, cops and others ranging from endurance enthusiasts to hose who just like to run and climb — will swing on ropes, crawl under barbed wire and leap over fire as they conquer the summit, which overlooks Penobscot Bay.
The race appeals to both the seasoned triathalete and the novice runner. With obstacles, including “Blazing Forearms,” “Bucket Brigade,” “Rescue Sandy” and “Highrise Hell,” the event promises an invigorating exercise in teamwork and fitness. The Challenge is inspired by actual situations encountered by firefighters, emergency medical services providers and law enforcement officers.
This competition serves two goals: To challenge runners along a demanding course, and to motivate individuals to actively engage through volunteering and/or as a career path in providing emergency services within communities. Run For Your Life is organized by Emergency Service Challenge, a local group of committed firefighters and paramedics who encourage more citizens to get involved with area fire departments, ambulance services and law enforcement agencies, either as volunteers or as a career.
Diminishing volunteerism has affected fire departments across the country, mostly in rural areas where communities rely heavily on volunteer firefighters. The declining rate of volunteerism began in the early 1980s. As firefighters age out, there has been a corresponding lower number of younger men and women stepping up to take their places.
Emergency Service Challenge intends to reverse that trend, and is actively recruiting a new generation of volunteers and career first responders.
Sponsors of the 2014 Run For Your Life challenge include Pen Bay Healthcare, Allen Agency, Apartments on Elm, Cappy’s, Rankin's Hardware, Penobscot Bay Pilot and the Maine Lobster Festival, French & Brawn, Camden National Bank, Union Farm Equipment and Hammond Tractor. The Emergency Service Challenge welcomes volunteers to help stage the event and sponsor on a variety of levels. To learn more, and to get involved, visit the Challenge website; friend them on Facebook; email: info@emergencychallenge.org, or call 207-236-7950.
Sign up now; registration is limited.
CAMDEN — Rockland Police Officer John Bagley works fulltime, usually the city’s night shift, a job he loves, because it brings him close to the heartbeat of a community, with all of its human beauty and warts. He is also raising three boys, ages eight, six and one. And, now he is now spending a little more time at Stone Coast Crossfit, in Rockport, training for the second annual Run For Your Life adventure challenge, which takes place May 24 at the Camden Snow Bowl.
“Fire department volunteers are a dying breed — people just don’t volunteer like they used to,” said the 14-year veteran of the Rockland Police Department. “This event raises awareness that public safety needs community involvement.”
In less than a month, adventurous runners will gather at the starting line in front of the lodge at the Camden Snow Bowl, waiting for the start, which will send them bounding up Ragged Mountain to tackle 13 obstacles, including “Blazing Forearms,” “Bucket Brigade,” “Rescue Sandy” and “Highrise Hell.” It’s the second annual emergency service challenge, an adventure race that draws participants from Maine and New England.
Registration is now under way at emergencychallenge.org.
Inspired by actual situations encountered by firefighters, paramedics and law enforcement officers, the Challenge appeals to seasoned triathaletes, as well as novice runners, and runners include local business owners, doctors, high school students, firefighters, police, wardens, and those who just love to run.
But it is more than just another brawny adventure race; the goal of Run For Your Life is to raiseawareness of about the role of public safety in communities, its careers and volunteer opportunities. The competition is organized by Emergency Service Challenge, a local group of committed firefighters and paramedics who encourage more citizens to get involved with area fire departments, ambulance services and law enforcement agencies.
On May 24, a number of agencies, including Maine foresters, wardens, state police, Knox County Sheriff’s deputies, marine patrol, Knox County Emergency Management Agency and Regional Communications Center (dispatch) and LifeFlight will be at the Camden Snow Bowl to talk about public service. If weather permits and there are no other emergencies around the state, there may be mission helicopters there as well.
Sign up now; registration is limited.
In addition to Bagley, two Camden police officers are now training for Run For Your Life.
“The Chief [Randy Gagne] put out an email about the Challenge, saying ‘we’re not just donut eaters,’” said Camden Police Officer Tim Davis. “I want bragging rights and to compete with the fire department.”
Camden’s Fire Department, which is one of the organizers of the Challenge, shares the same public safety building with the Camden Police Department.
“I like the competition within the department,” said Camden Police Officer Wes Butler. “I just want to be like, ‘Ha! I beat the Chief.’”
Davis and Butler work out consistently through the week, so they are not adjusting their fitness habits dramatically to train for the Run For Your Life.
Davis, who has four children (eight, six, three and a four-month-old baby) also goes to Stone Coast Crossfit in Rockport a minimum of three days a week, arriving there at 6:15 a.m. for a 45-minute workout. He tailors his workout with a program put together by cops, for cops. (See leo-fit.com)
Butler goes the the Penobscot Bay YMCA six days a week, usually around noon, to work on the machines. He is on the overnight shift, 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., and when he gets off, he runs four to eight miles before going home to bed.
Camden police officers Jeff Boudreau, John Tooley and Allen Weaver, along with Chief Gagne, are also expected to run the Challenge.
But, Camden will have some stiff competition from Rockland Police Office Bagley, who participates in conventional running and bicycling races.
“I feel stronger now than I was in my 20s,” he said.
He is currently training for Run For Your Life, and a Spartan race, a warrior obstacle dash that will take place in November at Fenway Park in Boston.
“Run For Your Life is my first obstacle mud-race,” said Bagley, who participated in a GORUCK challenge a few weeks ago. GORUCK is teambuilding event, born in the military, and involves rucking — moving with a rucksack, with action, energy and purpose. In the GORUCK, participants place six bricks in a backpack, heave it over their shoulders and then do push-ups, log carries, and swim.
Bagley also rides in the Police Unity Tour, an annual event that raises awareness of police who have died in the line of duty.
The ride starts in New Jersey and ends in Washington, D.C., accomplished in 80-mile daily stints.
“Put me on a bike, and I can bike all day,” said Bagley.
These days, he is running, rowing and lifting weights. He is not all that fond of running, so for the Run For Your Life, “I’ll probably up my running a little bit more.”
Diminishing volunteerism has affected fire departments across the country, mostly in rural areas where communities rely heavily on volunteer firefighters. The declining rate of volunteerism began in the early 1980s. As firefighters age out, there has been a corresponding lower number of younger men and women stepping up to take their places.
“There’s not that call to duty, to service,” said Bagley. “But it is important to serve your community, your country.”
People assume “somebody else is going to take care of it, but nobody signs up to do it,” he said. “Society is very me, me, me.”
Emergency Service Challenge intends to reverse that trend, and is actively recruiting a new generation of volunteers and career first responders.
Butler and Davis are issuing a challenge to other police departments to run in the Challenge.
“And the sheriff’s department,” said Butler.
“It’s good for the community to see us out of uniform, having a good time, and getting dirty,” said Davis. “It brings a lot of other people, and is good for the community as a whole.”
Sponsors of the 2014 Run For Your Life challenge include Pen Bay Healthcare, Allen Agency, Apartments on Elm, Cappy’s, Rankin's Hardware, Penobscot Bay Pilot, Maine Lobster Festival, French & Brawn, Camden National Bank, Union Farm Equipment and Hammond Tractor.
The Emergency Service Challenge welcomes volunteers to help stage the event and sponsor on a variety of levels. To learn more, and to get involved, visit the Challenge website; friend them on Facebook; email: info@emergencychallenge.org, or call 207-236-7950.
Pen Bay Healthcare doctors, surgeons, staff dial it in for Emergency Service Challenge
ROCKPORT — ”Who wants to do a 5K with me,” asked Pen Bay Healthcare’s Chief Operating Officer Erik Frederick, sending out a group email last winter. The response was healthy; ‘sure, I’ll do it,’ came a bunch of replies. That’s when he added, ‘uhhmm, yeah, it’s an adventure obstacle race up and down a mountain, with crazy things like crawling under barbed wire and jumping over fire.’
The Run For Your Life theme naturally resonates with Pen Bay Healthcare, whose doctors, nurses and staff work directly with first responders. Their mission is shared, at its most basic intent of saving humans. Strong prehospital care, such as tending to stroke and heart attack victims, makes the hospital transition smoother and safer, said Frederick.
“Anything they are doing to build that strength and community care is important,” he said.
Pen Bay’s spirits are running high in advance of this unique challenge, with two teams have training through the late winter and spring, albeit a little differently. The organization is sponsoring employees’ participation in the event, as it is with several other outdoor, athletic competitions. The organization’s goal is to build morale from within.
The Employee Team consists of “active, athletic people,” said Frederick. On that team are Bob Augustine, Bonnie Augustine, Katy Genthner, Katie Holm, Gary Carleton, Kelly O’Brien Ball, Patrick Johndro, Kathy Smith (with her husband, Connor), April Totman and Irene McGonagle.
“And they are young!” said Tom Girard, a vice president with Pen Bay Healthcare’s human resources department.
The Executive Team, on the other hand, is, well.... not so young.
But they are determined. Doctors Julie White and Mark Eggena are joining Girard and Frederick, as well Mike Rich and Rachael McCormick, on that team.
“We try to cover all the things that might happen to us out on the Run For Your Life Course course,” said Frederick — surgery, infectious disease, insurance.... “And I’ll sign checks for whatever breaks.”
Those on the Employee Team are training individually, or, as in the case of Bonnie and Bob Augustine, together at times.
“We married,” said Bob.
“That’s its own form of training,” said Bonnie.
While Bonnie works in Rockland, Bob works at the Pen Bay Medical Center campus. She runs during lunch break, sometimes three to five miles. Sometimes on weekends, when they have a chance (they have two young children, three and five years old, they will run together. Besides the Run For Your Life Challenge, they want to participate in the upcoming Tough Mudder race in Windham, this coming August.
“When she’s running, she’ll be moving,” said Bob. “I run, and she will be moving up and back, running backwards while she talks with me. If I can talk.”
Bob also does CrossFit, checking in on the program of the day, and finding time to exercise; likewise, Bonnie will move from her desk at work and onto a yoga mat, maybe for 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups and 100 squats. It’s not unusual at Pen Bay Healthcare these days to find employees working out wherever they can.
What is the Executive Team’s work-out regimen?
“We’re emailing very well,” said Rachel McCormick.
A former competitive runner herself, and mother of two young children, she circulated to the Executive Team a six-week training program. It includes a combination of several days of cardio work with one to two days of Boot Camp workouts. She advised the duration of the workouts to increase in duration over the six-week period, with the same holding true for the boot camp routine.
”Boot camp workouts are designed to simulate what we will see in the obstacles on the course,” she said. “There are bodyweight exercises (push-ups and get-up, lunges, etc), weighted exercises (walk/jog carrying 25- or 35-pound weights) and ‘old school’ sports camp training drills (ladder drills, tire runs, etc.).”
Some of the team has been getting together every Saturday morning, meeting at the track at Camden Hills Regional High School.
“It has been a lot of fun,” said Rachel. “We even made it a family event bringing our young kids to watch and participate in the training.”
Frederick has four children: five, four and twins, ages three years-old. It is a household, and for the former member of the U.S. Army, another workout in itself. He remembers the boot camp drills, and despite the joking about fitness, it is fundamental to the mission of Pen Bay Healthcare.
“It’s all about teamwork and raising the level of the organization,” he said. “We support our employees who are supporting the promotion of health and fitness.”
This year's course begins at the Camden Snow Bowl lodge and swings up the east side of the mountain and descends down the north side, opposite of last year's route. The black dots designate locations of obstacles or key points of reference. The black dot with green center is the start and the black dot with red center is finish. The markers are not exact, but provide general locations of the obstacles.
What a Challenge it was! The 2013 Run For You Life drew more than 75 adventure racers for the first annual event of its kind at the Camden Snow Bowl.
CAMDEN — The first heat of the three-heat 5K Run For Your Life adventure race at Camden Snow Bowl began just after 9 a.m. with 34 intrepid runners starting up Ragged Mountain. Just before the second heat began, the first batch of runners crossed the finish line, successfully swimming across Hosmer Pond and leaping over fire. The third heat finished at approximately noon. A range of runners turned out for the first-ever emergency service challenge, for a wild morning filled with high spirits and laughter that spilled over the mountain.
Morgan Laidlaw, of Camden, made his way through the muddy course in 40 minutes, 14 seconds, the fastest time of the day. He was followed by Jack Hauprich, 43 minutes and 21 seconds, and then Jake Feener, 43 minutes, 44 seconds.
Rain, cold and mud meant nothing to the runners in 2013, who crawled under barbed wire, leapt over fire, climbed up and over walls, and picked their way through rocks and field.
Obstacles included:
Obstacles for the course include:
Blazing Forearms - Hoist cinder blocks 15 feet into the air with a rope and pulley, hand-over-hand.
Bucket Brigade –Fill two 5-gallon buckets with gravel and carry them to the dumping location.
Maiden Cliff Rescue- Climb 15 feet up a rope.
Rescue Sandy - Using teamwork, carry Poor Sandy on a stretcher over a wall and to her destination.
The Burning Building - Crawl 15 meters under barbed wire with smoke pouring over your head.
Abigail's Alibi - Use your brain to solve the puzzle and get Abigail's Alibi. You will be quizzed about Abigail's Alibi before the Get Wet! Obstacle.
High-Rise Hell - Carry a hose pack on your back up and down a steep ski slope.
Mighty River Jump - Using a rope, swing like Tarzan over a a mighty stream.
Who Put These Here? - Run through a sea of tires, just like football players.
Just Add Water - Crawl through a culvert that is partially filled with water.
Get Wet! - Swim 160 meters across Hosmer Pond
Fire Jump- Need we say more?
