Camp Pendleton 3rd Annual Recon Challenge Results Released

Here are the results for the 3rd annual Marine Recon Challenge held aboard Camp Pendleton Saturday:

1st Place: 9:24:08
Gunnery Sgt. Collin Barry, Recon Training Company
Gunnery Sgt. Ryan Cullen, Recon Training Company

2nd Place: 9:24:23
Staff Sgt. Kirby Fanus, 4th Recon Bn
Staff Sgt. Luke Fuchs, 4th Recon Bn

3rd Place: 10:04:29
Sgt. Duncan Shuler, 1st Force Recon Company
Sgt. Lucas Chaffins, 1st Force Recon Company

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Reconnaissance Marines engaged targets and displayed feats of physical strength, while pitted against trying terrain, in a marathon-long obstacle course at the 3rd annual Marine Recon Challenge held aboard Camp Pendleton Saturday.  

It takes a special breed to be a member of the small recon Community of just 1400 men; and the Recon Challenge is meant to separate those who have the attitude and strength to join those special few.

At 3 a.m. Marine recon instructors set up the course, and by 4 a.m. two-man teams from the Marine reconnaissance community set out on the first leg of the 25-mile endurance competition.

Recon Marines were in the news recently, credited with rescuing hostages from Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden without suffering a casualty.

Wearing 50-pound packs and holding their rifles, the recon Marines took to the Pacific Ocean for a grueling 2,000-meter open water swim.

After emerging from the choppy Pacific, and with the clock ticking, the men raced towards the San Onofre ridgeline for a 12-mile hike through rough terrain, finally ending at Camp Horno.  However, not every Marine made it through the hike, as one man gave way to heat exhaustion, forcing his partner to finish the majority of the of the challenge on his own.

Awaiting the Marines at Camp Horno, was an obstacle course, fully rigged with challenging high walls and ropes, which forced the two-man teams to climb and throw their bodies over and through whatever stood in their way, finishing off with a rope climb.

After the obstacle course, the teams proved their marksmanship skills, by shooting targets with M4 rifles and M9 pistols at unknown distances.  

“Amazing, we did the best ever,” an enthusiastic Sgt. Duncan Shuler yelled to his partner after he finished shooting at the range.  

“We made it rain,” Sgt. Lucas Chaffins playfully replied as they quickly put their 50-pound packs on and headed towards the final stage of the challenge.

As the men turned for home, there was an unexpected surprise waiting for them. 

“We like to throw a curveball in there,” Recon instructor Padilla said.  

At last year’s Recon Challenge, the competitors had to carry a water jug 50 yards across the finish line; they were expecting the same thing this year.  However, instead of water jugs, 50-pound tires stood in their way.  The Marines had to flip the tires end over end for 100 yards, until finally being allowed to sprint towards the finish line in order to complete the Recon Challenge.

“Our feet are sore,” said Gunnery Sgt. Marzi. “But that’s to be expected.  What surprised both of us were the leg cramps we suffered getting out of the surf zone. This is the hardest thing physically I’ve ever done.”

“It shows how far a person is willing to go if they want it bad enough,” said Staff Sgt. James Duvall, a recon instructor who completed the challenge himself last year.