MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, KANEOHE BAY -- The 1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment's "Steel Rain" led the pack of military teams that raced in the 12th Annual Combat Service Support Group 3 Swamp Romp held here Saturday. Their winning time was 36:54. The Headquarters Battalion's "Mud Warriors" finished second with a time of 37:28 and Camp Smith's "Soc it to Me" took third, finishing the course in 39:44. The overall category race winner went to a civilian team with a time of 36:52. The overall women's category winner was another civilian team, and the "Swamp Pikas" from 3rd Radio Battalion took top honors in the mixed category, which consisted of both male and female team members.
More than 2,000 people looked on as the mud-soaked competitors fought their way through the 4.5-mile course that was riddled with obstacles, deep mud pits, and murky pond water. Parts of the race were also run on the beach here, according the Stacy Barkdull, varsity sports and race coordinator, Marine Corps Community Services, here.
"There was even simulated machine-gun fire and fake mortars going off in the pond area, blowing up mud all over everyone," said Barkdull.
More than 261 teams, consisting of six members each, from on base and around Hawaii entered to race in the event, which was coordinated and hosted by CSSG-3 and MCCS and sponsored by several businesses from the around Hawaii and abroad, said Barkdull. CSSG-3 provided more than 250 Marines from their unit to volunteer at the event.
"This was the biggest Swamp Romp in twelve years," she said. "We had an awesome turnout. There were so many people involved - it was great."
Barkdull said the reason this was such a huge event was because of the uniqueness of this race as compared to other races in Hawaii.
"It's the only race of its kind done on the island," she said. "You can always find a 10K somewhere, but we are the only ones who have a race like this."
The difficulty of the course caught a few participants by surprise this year.
"The race was a lot tougher than I thought it was going to be," said David Prislin of the "Mud Warriors" team. "But, the ocean part came at exactly the right time and cooled us down halfway through the race though."
"It was equivalent to running three PFTs consecutively," said Tom Jasper, also a member of the "Mud Warriors." "You're knee-deep in water and mud, 75 percent of the course."
Jasper said the grueling course drains every ounce of energy out of you. He admitted that he would have rather run the Oahu Perimeter Race than run the Swamp Romp.
James Connelly, team captain of the "Mud Warriors" said the course this year was more difficult than last year's course.
"I think it was due to all the rain," said Connelly. "There was thicker mud, and we were slipping a lot and sinking."
The "Mud Warriors," who came in second place in the military category and third place overall, said they were pretty satisfied with how they performed March 25.
"We pulled together a strong team this year," said Connelly.
His teammate Prislin added, "We came out here to do well, and I think we did that."
Members of other teams who finished the race shared their thoughts on this year's course.
Adrian Madsen, a member of a Camp Smith team, said he thought the course was great, but it was a smoker.
"You have to dig deep to finish," said Madsen.
Each team crossed the finish line equipped with nothing but their hearts and huge smiles on their faces. They had run the gauntlet and lived to tell about it. Not satisfied with the amount of mud they had already endured, the six-member teams then proceeded to run past the finish line and jump head first into a huge mud pit just to pose for team pictures.
Trophies were presented to the members of the overall winning team, and plaques and medals were awarded to the top finishers in each category during an awards ceremony after the race. Even as the awards ceremony was underway, participants sprayed each other with water hoses, revealing the true spirit of the Swamp Romp - fun.