MCRD San Diego Bootcamp Challenge

It's still a great event but it's different, MUCH different now. What used to be a fun, challenging race to kick off Fleet Week is now trying to compete against Spartan races. They lengthened the course to 4.5 miles and added more and increasingly difficult obstacles. I don't know if I enjoyed it as much as years past.

"Toughen up, buttercup!" might be your initial reaction to my updated review and that's fair to say. I will do it again next year (it will be my 8th year in row) but I won't take it lightly. It will truly be a "challenge" and it won't be as "fun" as it was in years past.

I used to recommend this to anyone who wanted to get off the couch and get moving and thousands of people did that. MCRD Bootcamp Challenge is NOT for beginners (and not for 'thousands' anymore). Train for this race or you'll be sorry.

Saturday, September 26, 2015 will be my 6th Boot Camp Challenge since my Boot Camp in 1977. Yes... just a FEW years ago! Amazingly, I found one other crazy person to run this challenge with me. Thanks Shawn for your 4 years in a row... and for the next 10 Challenges to come.

It's an honor to be able to come back to this Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego and run this same obstacle course as the past and future Marines!

These Drill Instructors are INCREDIBLE; their dedication, their fitness, their determination to motivate others and oh yes... their ability to pick out that 1 boot out of 80 in a platoon, for making a minute mistake. It's been over 35 years since my boot camp and I still can remember my 4 Drill Instructor's names and faces. They still motivate me in my hiking endeavors. They molded me into the person who I became.

http://www.bootcampchallenge.com/

Amazing experience! 3 mile obstacle run. You run 1 mile and then do about 50 or so obstacles and then finish off with another mile run! The Drill instructors are encouraging and aren't mean even though you would like that they would be. It was a great time and would highly recommend it for any age groups and any fitness type.

I've run this the past two years, and I'll be running it again this year. As a prior service Marine and total mo-tard, this makes me so happy. Love the DIs, love the obstacles, love hearing the cadence (which they blast over the loud speakers at the obstacle course). The course is really only 2.75 miles (according to garmin) but, like anything, it will tire you out if you go balls to the wall. Like almost every other race, they could use a few more port-a-johns - it improved last year, so hopefully this year there will be even more.
Safety tip from my own stupid mistake - do NOT wear jewelry while running this race! I caught my wedding ring on a nail while jumping over a wall last year. Broke my finger and had to have my wedding ring cut off (but I didn't let that slow me down - finished the race before seeking medical care :)

My first year running the race (2011). The race was a lot harder than I expected. Run wise, I was okay, but there is a solid mile of obstacles, which will kick your a$$.

Note to contestants: the 5 south exit on Washington St. backs up more than an hour beforehand... the process for getting onboard MCRD is slow. Also, there weren't any facilities to wash your hands after the race ( a necessity because you end up covered in dirt from the pushups/belly crawl).... unless they were near the toilets, I don't know.

Having been in the USMC, I have to say it was weird seeing the DIs before the race without their game faces on. I never saw one of those guys smile until last weekend.

Great event! It was a lot of fun and course wasn't too difficult. I a lot of going over wood planks and haystacks.

They did add the last .3mi so now it is an official 5k.

Will do it again.

Note: My time on my Garmin watch to the time on their website was off by like 12sec. Not a big deal for me, but for some, can be a sore spot.

I did the MCRD Bootcamp Challenge this year - I loved it. It gives you a little taste of what Marine recruits go through on a regular basis.

Here are a few tips to make participating in the event next year more successful for you: Be able to do at least 10 push ups at a time quickly. There are 2 stations for push ups - however I did 30 because a DI on the 2nd station caught me and encouraged me to do more - which I gladly did. Going through tunnels, try to squat and run through them instead of crawling - quicker and easier on your knees. When jumping logs, place your hands on the painted section and swing your legs over. Watch out for people beside you. Sliding yourself over the wood log in shorts will slow you down. When going over walls, look before you jump on the other side to make sure someone is not below you and that you get your footing right for a solid landing. Save some energy for the last 1/2 mile so that you can finish strong - there are no obstacles there. You can get muddy if you want to because they have misters (more like showers) that you can run through before you do push ups and craw in the dirt under the wires. Most of the course was dry.

Arrive there 1 1/2 - 2 hours early because getting through the gate is a process - your car will be searched. You and family must exit your car including kids in car seats, etc. Also, you will need to show your license, vehicle registration, and proof of auto insurance.

If your family wants to watch you do the obstacles, they should be at the buses early - before you start the race. I wore my Garmin which read 2.78 miles total.

I am looking forward to running this again. I want to take a team of my friend next year.

See you there.

This is a great event...I have done this 4 times already and it always bring me back to my Marine Corps Days!! Civilians love the challenge and the donation goes to a very good cause! Hope you guys can join me some year! Go Team DrJays!!! Oooh rah Marine Corps!!

Holy crap!! This was way more difficult than I had expected, but I'm glad we did it. I've done plenty of 5ks, but this one was insanely hard because of the obsticles. It was fun (in a weird way) to be yelled at by the DIs. I'm just glad us 3 girls finished without puking or whining like some (male) runners. LOL