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Photo Information

A participant in the MARSOC 8K Run on the Beach, hosted by U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command, races towards the finish line.

Photo by MARSOC Public Affairs

MARSOC hosts beach run

24 Jul 2010 | Lance Cpl. Kyle McNally Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command

  More than 225 Marines, sailors and civilians gathered at Onslow Beach recently to participate in an 8K beach run hosted by U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command. The run was the latest challenge in Semper Fit’s Grand Prix series.

         “Semper Fit represents health and fitness, and getting people out here at the beach in a healthy manner on the weekend is a great opportunity,” said Ensign Cameron Loos, project manager of Camp Lejeune’s Navy Public Works and all-around winner of the 8K run. “It’s good that MARSOC helped sponsor the event because it educates people on who MARSOC’s personnel are.”

The 38-year-old Loos finished with a time of 27:49 and a pace of 6:28 per mile. A passionate athlete, Loos trains almost 20 hours a week, racking up about 10,000 meters of swimming, 200 miles of biking, and 45 miles of running, he said. Unsurprisingly, this was not his first Semper Fit race.

“I did several events in the series last year, and this was my fourth one this year. I like the variety of races Semper Fit offers – they’ve got beach runs, mud runs, race distances from 5K to a half marathon, so it’s a good mix,” he said.

The event ended with an awards ceremony, where participants and their families enjoyed refreshments and a live DJ. Many eagerly waited for a free massage from one of four massage therapists.

“This is a great unit function,” said Navy Lt. Jason Mathys, the head of MARSOC’s dental department and a race participant. “I think any time you get people from your unit that come out on their own time to do something like this, it always shows support and pride for the unit. It’s also a great way to meet people,” he said.

 “I met five or six people from MARSOC out here, and they got to talk about their command and what they do,” said Loos. “Normally we’d never have met. This is the only time you’d get a chance to meet people like that.”

Semper Fit is sponsored by Marine Corps Community Services. The Grand Prix season runs from February to November each year, and includes a variety of running, swimming, and biking events. The events are open to the public and cater to all age groups and fitness levels.

For more information on the Grand Prix series, visit www.mccslejeune.com/grandprix.