USS New York Sailors and Marines to Run Around the World

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ian Carver, Amphibious Squadron 8 Public Affairs

USS NEW YORK, At Sea (NNS) -- Sailors and Marines aboard amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD 21) are challenging themselves to collectively run enough miles to circumnavigate the earth - a competition that started April 1 and will continue until New York returns home from its maiden deployment to accumulate the 24,900 miles needed to complete the challenge.

Chief Logistics Specialist Carl A. Hunt came up with the idea of running around the world by use of tracking the distance on cardio machines to help encourage physical training.

"So far the ship has tracked 537 miles, which is phenomenal but we need everyone's help to track their cardio distances. I see a lot of Sailors running who are not on there yet," said Chief Hull Maintenance Technician Joshua Boeltz.

"Working out on a ship during deployment can start to become routine, so having something to track and work for can help improve motivation," said Hunt.

"The challenge definitely gets me motivated to get out and do more cardio work," said Electronics Technician 3rd Class Cameron Sword. "Having a ship-wide goal to work toward is great for morale and I personally enjoy being able to use all the different cardio equipment the ship offers."

Participants can use a variety of training equipment to complete the challenge, added Hunt. Treadmills, bikes, elliptical machines, and rowing machines are all acceptable and track distance.

"It is up to the individual Sailors and Marines participating to track their own distances and put them in a spreadsheet that calculates personal and collective miles," said Hunt.

The deployment-long challenge shows yet another example of blue and green coming together, as a team to accomplish one goal.

"It is cool that this competition is not putting the Sailors against the Marines, instead it helps bring us closer together since we are all working toward a common goal," said Sword.

"The biggest part of this event is not just to challenge our Sailors and Marines, but to encourage fitness and unit cohesion," said Hunt.

New York, on her maiden deployment, is part of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group with the embarked 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. New York will support maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility.

Fitness is one of the key elements of the 21st Century Sailor and Marine initiative which consolidates a set of objectives and policies, new and existing, to maximize Sailor and Marine personal readiness, build resiliency and hone the most combat-effective force in the history of the Department of the Navy.