FORT SILL, Okla. (April 24, 2014) -- Soldiers from H Battery, 26th Field Artillery, have taken it upon themselves to organize an informal physical training group to improve the physical fitness of the unit and establish a rapport amongst battery members that few other units can match.
By voluntarily meeting Wednesdays after work hours to run and exercise, this egalitarian corps of the "Wolfpack" push each other without quibble to perform their best and go beyond previous bounds.
While the group's intent is for individual and organizational self-improvement, the Soldiers will test their physical endurance and mental fortitude, as well as the group's coherence by running the Austin Super Spartan Race May 17, in Burnett, Texas.
The Super Spartan is an eight-mile trek through mud and rough terrain that features more than 20 soul-crushing obstacles designed to exhaust and test the will of all participants who dare undertake the challenge. With obstacles such as the Herculean Hoist, where athletes must hoist a cement block or heavy bucket off the ground using a pulley system but is more difficult because the rope is often muddy and slippery, the Soldiers must prepare themselves for numerous types of strength and teamwork challenges.
A test whose rewards include personal pride and satisfaction, accomplishment trophies and best of all the honor of supporting the mission of building specialty homes for Soldiers who have been severely wounded by funding the Homes for Our Troops charity group through race proceeds.
The H/26th FA training group has forgone quotidian training to get the most out of their weekly meeting by running anywhere from four to 12 miles of backcountry mountain trails with up to 400-foot elevation changes in the Wichita Mountains. Other routes take them along the shores of Lake Lawtonka in Medicine Park, that include hurdling rocks, braving snakes, scorpions and spiders while also incorporating various exercises to replicate the accomplishment of the crippling obstacles.
"Participation is entirely voluntary and each week's meeting completely optional, but still we consistently get five or more participants every week," said Capt. Brian Carlson, battery commander and group organizer. "Seeing every rank from private to captain helps strengthen the unity of the team and constantly pushes us to be more competitive. Just the fact these Soldiers show interest in their own physical development during non-duty hours is a huge motivation."
Like true Spartans, a warrior caste of the Mothax tradition known for great valor, dedication to training and pursuit of absolute excellence, these Soldiers give it their all every day in organized unit physical training and especially in their weekly, voluntary workouts.
The training group is dedicated to developing group camaraderie in order to be an unstoppable force on the race course, increasing personal fitness and unit physical readiness as well as making this third of the battery model Soldiers of the entire Leaders Brigade while inspiring their peers to do better themselves. By fostering an atmosphere of friendly competition, each runner strives to improve both themselves and their team.
"This training is serious, but serious fun,," said Cpl. Bonnie Brewer. "The tough pace and friendly competition really makes you work to see what you are capable of."
Even after running six miles across rough, uneven terrain interspersed by countless burpees, pushups, rowers and more, this group never stops or gives in, just like the 300 Spartans who faced the massive Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae. These warriors work with the constant focus of an army fighting for their very survival in the Peloponnesian War. An onlooker could not guess that their foes are but mud and obstacles and not the Athenian phalanxes staring down from across an open battlefield, yet their joy of training stands to prove the benevolence and peaceful aims of these Soldiers' limitless goals and utilitarian purpose.
"Ultimately, I would like to see the battery continue this training or something similar with an expanded group," said Carlson, "because it obviously shows the cohesion of the unit itself when 10-30 percent of the organization is willing to sacrifice their own personal time every week to participate in an entirely voluntary unit event."
Such a continuation of the trail running and training after May's Super Spartan Race's completion would be no surprise to this Spartan Wolfpack, for their love of both development and camaraderie goes beyond any single event, and the existence of additional challenges on the horizon will always be too great a temptation to pass and decline.
"Out here you learn that you just can't run or workout, especially for something like a Spartan Race, you have to do it all, and that turns you into a real fitness junkie, so that once you get started you really can't stop," said Brewer.
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