Dallas recruiters get muddy raising money for charity

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Dustin Beard
  • 344th Recruiting Squadron marketer
FORT WORTH, Texas --  Eight members of the 344th Recruiting Squadron took part in the Dallas-Fort Worth Mud Run March 29, getting muddy while raising money for local charities.

The annual race featured nearly 2,500 competitors who took on a 10-kilometer course along the Trinity River Trail, made challenging by 18 military-style obstacles and loads of mud and water.

The 344th RCS competed as two separate teams, each with four members. Both Air Force squads finished in the middle of the pack, sloshing through the mud and water and bounding over obstacles at 1 hour, 55 minutes and 2 hours, 8 minutes, respectively.

"Some of our folks thought this would be a great bonding experience," said Lt. Col. Sean McKenna, 344th RCS commander. "While it was way tougher than I expected because of the weight of the mud and the water in our boots, it was an absolute blast to run through."

Colonel McKenna, Capt. Wes Hebert, 1st Lt. Christine Porter, Tech. Sgt. Dustin Beard, and Staff Sgts. John Bowerman, Patrick Bradshaw, Kenny Gayoso and Jason Thornhill represented the recruiting squadron, which is headquartered in Arlington and has 90 members.