The Moorpark College Fitness Specialist Program and the Fitness Learning eXperience Club [FLeX] hosted the 8th Annual Xtreme Raider Challenge on Dec. 7. Approximately 180 participants worked their way through an obstacle course set up on the Moorpark College football field from 9-11 a.m. Over a dozen businesses attended, including fitness brands, colleges and Be the Match, a bone marrow registry dedicated to saving lives though donor transplant.
The purpose of the event was to promote fitness activity at Moorpark College and in the local community.
Sterling Kelley, a Moorpark College sophomore who volunteered on Saturday thought the event was worth her while.
“I want to be in the fitness industry so this so this is a great way to talk to different people and be a part of something within our community,” Kelley said.
Temperatures remained in the high 50s as it rained on and off throughout the morning. Every 20 minutes, a new group of runners, called a heap, started the course. Volunteers coached the participants through the competition as speakers played upbeat pop music.
There were close to 20 sections of fitness activities through the obstacle course that participants of all ages worked their way through. The sections tested various forms of physical strength as well as cardio. The obstacle course generally lasted competitors around 10-20 minutes.
Eleven interns a part of the Exercise Science Internship at Moorpark College worked the entire semester to organize the event, which counted towards their final project.
Elissa David, a first year intern with the program, arrived at 4:30 a.m. along with 10 other interns to set up.
“My favorite part is looking around and seeing what we accomplished. It’s rewarding to see how many people we had show up even in the rain,” David said as the event wrapped up. “It only made it more extreme. A little mud run in the action.”
Participant Ryan Ketcham commented on the appeal of the Xtreme Raider Challenge and expressed why he loved competing.
“I love the competitive atmosphere. I love coming out here, seeing a bunch of people who have the same interest as I do in fitness and testing out my strength and testing out my endurance,” stated Ketcham. “Seeing what I’m good at, seeing what I need to work on, but, also competing with other people that are just like me to try and get the fastest time. That’s what I love about this event.”
To learn more about the Moorpark College Fitness Specialist program or view the results from the Xtreme Raider Challenge visit their Facebook page.
