Craig Blake Fitness Challenge results

Divers rule the beach at PO2 Craig Blake Fitness Challenge

Par l’équipe du Trident

The ninth annual PO2 Craig Blake Memorial Fitness Challenge was held at MacDonald Beach in Shearwater on September 27. In the Unit Category, competing for Wing Cup and MEGA points, team FDU(A) finished in first place with a time of 27:51, split between Slt Doug Young on the 300-metre swim, LS Dylan Parker completing the 6.5km bike course, and OS Sam Phillips with the 2.5km run. Nine units in total fielded teams, including ships and submarines from the fleet, as well as other groups like NTDC(A) and CF H Svcs (A).

In the open team category, the duo of divers LS Mark Littler and PO2 Josh Oldford combined for a second-place finish with a time of 30:19, and did it with only two team members, rather than the standard three-person group.

While the Fitness Challenge is well attended by members throughout the Formation, FDU(A) typically participates in large numbers to pay tribute to PO2 Craig Blake, the former unit member and avid triathlete who is now the namesake for the annual event. PO2 Blake was killed by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2010.

Outside of the memorial aspect, the mini-triathlon is considered an important PSP event because of the focus on teamwork, combined with overall fitness and endurance, which are all important factors in military operational success.

Full finishing time results from the PO2 Craig Blake Memorial Challenge are as follows:

Unit category

1. FDU(A) – SLt Doug Young, LS Dylan Parker and OS Sam Phillips: 27:51

2. HMCS Toronto – Avr Sienna Quirk, PO1 Kasia Danigier, and Lt(N) Andrew Dionne: 30:56

3. HMCS Goose Bay – MS Rebecca O’Connor, MS John Hynes, and LS Frederic Duclos: 33:45

4. HMCS tragique – PO1 Quentin Locke, PO2 Sheldon Feltmate and PO2 Eric Griffith: 37:21

5. HMCS St. John’s – SLt Jonathan Tallis, Slt Antoine Cheng, and Slt Wiilliam McClelland: 37:28

Team category

1. Morning PT – Guyaume Robert, Ryan MacNeil, and Mark Brown: 28:55

2. Undertrained and Overprepared – Mark Littler and Josh Oldford: 30:19

3. The Dusters – Sam Mercier and Aaron Bradley: 30:39

4. Splash, Flash and Dash – Lynne Patterson, Sebastien Bilodeau and Mike Scarcella: 30:43

5. 406 – Chris Cole, Sebastien Allain, and Andy Shain: 30:47

Individual category

Male

1. Stewart Riggs: 34:09

2. Jeremy Poitras: 34:29

3. Jason Greene: 36:26

4. James Thain: 37:56

5. Anton Bokov: 38:19

Female

1. Nicole Winsor: 40:03

2. Bailey Sloan: 43:45

3. Arina Bokov: 43:58

4. Kerry Ferguson: 47:15

5. Chelsey Hutson: 48:44