Runners and walkers from across the McNamara Headquarters Complex hit the trails for the Spring Fling 5K March 20.
Just days after the official start of spring, more than 180 employees took the opportunity to celebrate warmer weather and embrace the event’s theme of “Honor the Warrior.”
The 5K ties into the 12-week Winter Warrior Project, said Brandon Rudolph, program manager at the Defense Logistics Agency HQC fitness center.
“‘Embrace the Warrior’ goes hand in hand with the Winter Warrior Project. If you’re a part of the Winter Warrior Project, you get bonus points for participating in the race,” Rudolph said.
“A lot of the people taking part in this are a part of the Winter Warrior Project. They’ve been working out for the past 10 weeks, so they’re feeling a lot more confident about working out and running,” he added.
Entire teams from the Winter Warrior Project took part in the event. Jana Lewis from DLA Finance had the support of her team, the Numberettes, with her goal of doing an even pace.
“This is my third race,” Lewis said. “I love the esprit de corps and coming out with my fellow teammates.”
Air Force Capt. Brandon Bryan, from the Air Force Petroleum Agency, said he’s a regular at the HQC races and was pleased with both the turnout and the weather, which was in the mid-60 degrees.
“I’ve done this race several times; this is probably my fourth or fifth. Running 5Ks and 10Ks is just a hobby for me to stay in shape,” Bryan said.
Bryan was the first-place male runner, with a time of 19 minutes, 53 seconds, beating his win from the 2015 Halloween 5K by one second. Erin Hall with DLA Strategic Materials was the first place female runner with a time of 23:43.