FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- "It's like getting a tour of post, but without a tour guide," said local Boy Scout Joel Bryan, about Fort Campbell's City Slicker Urban Orienteering event.
Bryan, the son of deployed Chap. (Capt.) Eric Bryan, 1st Brigade Combat Team, partnered with Maj. Zach Mundell, 159th Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, and his son, Eli Mundell for the Saturday morning event hosted by 2nd Brigade Combat Team.
"They did a great job today," the major said. "They went all across post and all the way back."
City Slicker was the third of 10 events scheduled in the 2013 Eagle Challenge Fitness Tour. The yearlong tour is "designed to promote healthy living and lifestyles among all age categories and fitness levels," according to the Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation website.
More than 150 City Slicker participants used a basic satellite image map to navigate throughout the urban (on-post) environment. Their mission was to locate as many navigation points within the two-hour time limit and return to the starting position. Points were awarded based on their distance from the Division Parade Field.
Navigation points included many landmarks named for 101st and Fort Campbell Soldiers who have been honored for their service and sacrifice. Among these sites was the Brig. Gen. Don F. Pratt Museum, named for the 101st assistant division commander who died on D-Day.
Carrying his son Carter on his back, Sgt. Derek Youngs, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, stopped under the Douglas C-47 Skytrain across from Pratt to punch his card. Together with his wife, Brittnee, the couple celebrated his birthday by finishing the race in one-hour, 40 minutes.
"We had a lot of fun," the sergeant said.
Other navigation points included popular and well-known sites, including the Sabalauski Air Assault School and Task Force 3-502nd Memorial Tree Park, dedicated to 248 "Strike" Soldiers who died in a plane crash at Gander, Newfoundland, Canada, in 1985.
Cynthia Duncan, who retired from military service 12 years ago, stopped at the Gander site.
"I'm really enjoying this," she said about the City Slicker event. "This is good for an old retired Soldier."
The most points -- 70 -- were awarded to participants who trekked across the installation to a cemetery for World War II German POWs who died during a flu outbreak on post. The cemetery is located off Mabry Road.
Sergeant Grant Feeny, Warrior Transition Battalion, and his wife Leslie, planned to run to locations farthest from the start to gain the most point value.
"We're going to try to go for the furthest point in the 40s and collect the highest points; then make our way back before the time limit," she said.
The gamble paid off, as Leslie received the overall award for females with 25 flags found, totaling 704 points.
Top winner in the Family category was Team Super Awesome, the Family of Command Sgt. Maj. Steven Bower, Garrison CSM. The Bowers found 29 flags and logged 815 points.
Top male overall was Matthew Burke, who scored 845 points by finding 32 of the flags.
For many participants, the reward was spending time with their Families. First Sgt. James Fountain, 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd BCT, brought his wife Christina, and four children, Jasmine, Jordan, James and Jada.
"This was my wife's idea. She wanted to get the Family on a fitness kick. So, she said that this would be a good way to start us off so she's been talking about it non-stop every day for about two hours," he said, smiling. "We actually had a lot of fun."
Captain Joe Lopez, a physical therapist at LaPointe Health Clinic, said he had 14 seconds to spare when he and his wife Debbie, son Joe Jr., and infant daughter Jessie, crossed the finish line.
"It's fantastic," he said about the day's event. "We are looking forward to doing more."
Seven more Eagle Challenge Fitness Tour events are slated through November.
"It's a different kind of event each month," said Col. David "Buck" Dellinger, garrison commander.
The next Eagle Challenge event is the Little River Days Bike Tour and 5K Run Saturday in Hopkinsville. The bike tour, which includes three distances, benefits Fort Campbell's Fisher House. For more information on the bike tour, call (270) 885-0613. For more about the 5K Run, call (270) 886-1289.
The SOF Warrior Challenge Mudder follows June 8 in the Clarksville Base area outside Gate 10. The event is a 12 km obstacle trail run through the Fort Campbell training area that will challenge even the toughest competitor.
Children 8 and older can participate in the "Jr. SOF Warrior Challenge," a 1 km race with inflatable obstacles. Hosts for the event will be Soldiers of 160th Special Operations Regiment and 5th Special Forces Group. Register at www.fortcampbellmwr.com/ECFT/index.html.
The events are open to Soldiers and their Families, along with citizens in the surrounding communities of Fort Campbell. Everyone who completes eight of 10 events will receive a Commander's Gold Medal, those who complete six of 10 will receive a Silver Medal, and those who complete four of 10 events will receive a Bronze Medal.
Event Results:
Top finishers in the City Slicker Urban Orienteering event were:
Overall male
• First: Matthew Burke, 32 flags, 845 points, 1:42:42
• Second: Chris George, 31 flags, 825 points, 1:54:50
• Third: James Robbins, 34 flags, 816 points, 2:04:38
Overall female
• First: Leslie Feeny, 25 flags, 704 points 2:16:51
• Second: Kari Burgess, 28 flags, 695 points, 1:46:34
• Third: Teresa Moore, 23 flags, 590 points, 1:58:02
Family
• First: Team Super Awesome -- Command Sgt. Maj. Steven Bower, Garrison CSM, and Family -- 29 flags, 815 points, 1:51:25
• Second: Team [Devin] Henry -- 24 flags, 710 points, 1:55:56
• Third: Troop 101 [Steven Drennan] -- 28 flags, 690 points, 1:52:37
Beginner male (40+)
• First: Anthony Calvillo - 22 flags, 695 points, 1:45:04
• Second: Wayne St. Louis, 27 flags, 695 points, 1:50:56
• Third: Cameron Mitchell, 25 flags, 630 points, 1:58:10
Beginner female (40+)
• First: Michelle Freiberg, 20 flags, 543 points, 2:22:03
• Second: Alice Thompson -- 16 flags, 470, 2:10:06
Beginner male
• First: Matthew Burke, 32 flags, 845 points, 1:42:42
• Second: Chris George, 31 flags, 825 points, 1:54:50
• Third: Keith Montoya, 31 flags, 735 points, 1:56:40
Beginner female
• First: Teresa Moore, 23 flags, 590 points, 1:58:02
• Second: Mary Dieterly, 22 flags, 575 points, 1:59:51
• Third: Kensley Mclellan, 23 flags, 570 points, 1:56:54
Competitor male
• First: James Robbins, 34 flags, 816 points, 2:04:38
• Second: Jeremy Brandon, 26 flags, 740 points, 2:16:51
• Third: Grant Feeny, 25 flags, 704 points 2:16:51
Competitor female
• First: Leslie Feeny, 25 flags, 704 points 2:16:51
• Second: Kari Burgess, 28 flags, 695 points, 1:46:34
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