U.S. Army product manager at Fort Monmouth, N.J., took a break from planning for its annual integrated technology demonstration to support Special Olympics in the 13th Annual Jersey Shore Relay April 18.
The running team for Product Manager Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance On-the-Move (PM C4ISR OTM) placed first in the Government Team Category with a combined time of 3h: 21m and placing 62nd out of 395 teams overall.
"The excitement and energy that everyone feels in being a part of this great cause makes it unforgettable," said David Mullen, systems engineer, PM C4ISR OTM.
The PM, an asset of the Research Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM), is part of the Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) headquartered here at Fort Monmouth.
As an Army capital investment, PM C4ISR OTM is an R&D program of record that supports Army, DoD and industry technology development efforts by providing a relevant environment to assess emerging technologies in a C4ISR System-of-Systems.
This is the team's second year participating in the 26.2 mile relay sponsored by the Jersey Shore Running Club. Last year they placed 8th in the Government Category and 120th overall.
"I heard that the PM was going to run in it again this year, and I remembered how fun the experience was, so I was definitely going to run it again," said Mullen.
The team members were Product Manager Lt. Col. William T. Utroska and government civilian engineers Mark Griffis, Adam McCauley, David Mullen and Darren Stephens.
Many of them first ran together in 2007 when they decided to participate in a 10k while on travel duty at Fort Benning, Ga. In 2008, they officially trained as a team and ran the Long Branch Half Marathon, said McCauley.
"Some of us train together during the year by going for runs during lunch or after work. We'll usually go for either a four- or six-mile run maybe two to three times per week," said Adam McCauley, PM C4ISR OTM. "Lt. Col. Utroska keeps up a rigorous daily PT in order to stay in running shape."
The dedication and training helped as they improved their time this year by 13 minutes and raised almost $250 for the cause. The Relay has personal meaning to McCauley who was a volunteer for the Special Olympics back in college.
"It really is a great thing," said McCauley. "It's the greatest day of my life!"
C4ISR OTM E09, the largest integrated technology demonstration of its kind, is scheduled to begin June 1 at Fort Dix, N.J. and culminate with its Presentation Days, Sept. 15 - 17.
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