Annual event with SEAL-approved obstacles honors and supports troops
OCEAN CITY – Bright and early Saturday morning, hundreds of locals and visitors gathered at the Ocean City Music Pier for a day of competition and honoring those who served.
At 8 a.m., the annual Memorial Beach Challenge kicked off with bagpipes and a military honor guard. All stopped as Taylor Pontari sang the National Anthem. Lifeguard brothers Matthew and AJ Oves rowed an Ocean City Beach Patrol lifeboat over the waves to throw a memorial wreath into the sea.
After the somber reminder about the meaning of Memorial Day, set aside to honor the nation’s war dead, the festivities began.
Isabella Vaules and her family have put on this beach race challenge for 11 years. The challenge offers athletes and families a chance to come together for some healthy competition and camaraderie while honoring those veterans and those who continue to serve.
Proceeds from the day go to 31 Heroes, an organization that helps military families and veterans. 31 Heroes specializes in creating programs, offering financial support and future opportunities for all who have served.
This 2.2-mile challenge consisted of an obstacle course through the soft sand beaches. Navy SEAL-approved obstacles lined the course along with a cold plunge and bear crawls.
The runners took off on the south side of the Music Pier and raced north to Fifth Street, along the way climbing over dunes, jumping over barriers and navigating balance beams. On the way back, the runners passed through the gulley in between the dunes and the boardwalk, went on hands and knees under the Music Pier, had to carry weights, and get hosed down as they pulled themselves on their bellies along a rope over a plastic sheet on the ground. From there they hightailed it all the way to 16th Street before turning around again and ending where they started.
Anyone who wanted to participate in the day was welcome and the different heats helped to accommodate various fitness levels. The first heat of the day called for serious runners who could make a certain time.
Matt Hoffman, 17, was the first finisher for the 2023 Memorial Beach Challenge, finishing the course in 23 minutes and 33.4 seconds. Multiple other heats followed the first and a Kids Fun Run was completed afterward to give the little ones a chance to be involved.
Music was pumping through the speakers, children were running around, and excitement could be felt in the air. With nearly 700 participants this year, the event was large.
People from far and near came to enjoy the day. While all runners were mindful to honor Memorial Day, each had different ideas on what to expect and the difficulty the race provided.
A native of Swarthmore, Pa., John Salvucci comes to the challenge as a way to kick off his summer.
“This race is a great way to get out and remember just how amazing and lucky we are to live in a great country and it’s just a great way to kick off the summer and for the exercise too,” Salvucci said.
For the past five years, Salvucci has come down the shore for Memorial Day weekend with his whole family and entered himself in the beach challenge.
A seasoned challenger at this point, Salvucci said his favorite part of the day was crossing the finish line and that the cold plunge was the most difficult part of the course.
“I love the beginning festivities too, the national anthem, hearing the bagpipes. It’s just an awesome way to start a race,” Salvucci said.
Salvucci has family members who have served and some who are still active members of the military. He said this race gives him a chance each year to think about and honor them.
“I have done other local 5Ks, but this is unlike any other race throughout the year so it’s super exciting when it’s time to come down to Ocean City and compete,” Salvucci said.
Along with a lot of solo runners, many people join in the day as a large group. A pair of high school girls, Grace Kalinchak and Greta Miller from Media, Pa., who have a summer home in Ocean City, shared their reason for participating each year.
“We’ve been doing it for the past few years and just keep signing up with everyone again,” Miller said.
“It’s just a fun thing to do for Memorial Day with all our friends,” Kalinchak added.
The girls have arrived with a bunch of friends from St. Mary Magdalene Parish for the past four years. While they aren’t particularly runners and don’t compete in other races throughout the year, the girls said they really enjoy coming back to Ocean City.
Ryan Logan and Liam Coonahan are another duo who competed together and ran in the first heat of the day. The friends are from Montgomery County, Pa., but come to the shore for the summer.
Logan said the duo competes to support the troops. “They do everything for us and make it the greatest nation in the world.”
This was the second year for them and they raced side by side, pushing each other through the whole course.
Logan and Coonahan participate in other runs and challenges but said they didn’t know what to expect time wise until they saw the course.
“I forgot how long it was,” Logan said. “We do some runs and stuff but never anything like this. The sand is a killer and makes it different from other races.”
The Kids Fun Run kicked off after all the heats in the main race were completed. Tons of excited children flocked to the start to enjoy their time in the spotlight.
Ocean City residents Lily and Natalie Gifford head to the competition every year and are always eager to run with the other children.
“I’m most excited for the fun run and it doesn’t matter who wins, it’s all about just having fun,” Lily said.
Vaules says her favorite part of the day is the Kids Fun Run and actually organizes that portion of the day on her own.
This event managed to bring forth a community feeling with families and friends coming together and competing for the veterans.
“To me this event shows the real meaning of Memorial Day and honors those who have served our country and made the ultimate sacrifice,” Vaules said. “It’s just a fun way to remember those and understand the true meaning of the day.”
By DELANEY CRAWFORD/For the Sentinel
