Back in 2012, some Navy SEALs decided they wanted to create their own obstacle course race to offer racers an opportunity to challenge themselves. The idea was to have a Navy SEAL owned, Navy SEAL designed, Navy SEAL operated, Navy SEAL Foundation supporting organization that was all about challenging limits. BONEFROG Challenge was born!
Now, it’s no secret that Navy SEAL training is extreme. The SEALs are elite tactical military who are expertly trained to deliver highly specialized, intensely challenging warfare capabilities that are beyond the means of standard military forces. Read this as ORGANIZED – COMMITTED – SKILLED! And that is exactly how Brian Carney – Founder and CEO – approaches every race. Brian and the BONEFROG team painstakingly plan and execute every BONEFROG event and have methodically grown the brand from a single event in September 2013 to the 6 events planned for 2016. Is it a plan for success? If the Navy SEALs have anything to say about it…you better believe it is. BONEFROG proudly announced it’s new partnership with HESCO Group just the other day, and it’s a partnership that reinforces HESCO BONEFROG’s dedication to the SEAL ethos.
Press Release: BONEFROG Challenge is proud to announce HESCO Group as our new Platinum Sponsor, creating the HESCO BONEFROG. Based in the UK and the US, HESCO Group is a leader in rapidly deployable, earth-filled barrier systems. Renowned for their military force protection and flood defense capabilities, and recently launched ultra-light body armor for protecting first responders.
Brian Carney, Founder and CEO of BONEFROG Challenge, welcomes the partnership with HESCO Group:
“HESCO BONEFROG is truly a unique experience which will challenge even the highest calibre athletes as well as be welcoming to new OCR racers. With our 3 course options, we truly have something for every racer and our Navy SEAL-style obstacles are the best in obstacle course racing. As SEALs, we have used HESCO products in Iraq and Afghanistan countless times, and these products have even saved some of our lives. For this, there is no better company for BONEFROG to partner with other than HESCO Group.”
2016 EVENTS
May 21, 2016: New England – Berkshire East Ski Resort, Charlemont, MA
Celebrate Armed Forces Day with BONEFROG at their home course in Massachusetts. 9+ mile Challenge, 5+ mile Sprint, and Tier 1 races available. Prizes for all categories.
June 18, 2016: Atlantic City Sprint – Borgata Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, NJ
$15,000 up for grabs at this special event. Sprint distance only – about a 5k. Read The Borgata’s press release about the event.
July 23, 2016: South Carolina – Carolina Adventure World, Winnsboro, SC
New venue…new opportunities to challenge yourself. 9+ mile Challenge, 5+ mile Sprint, and Tier 1 races available. Prizes for all categories.
August 27, 2016: Atlanta – Highland Park Resort, Cedartown, GA
New venue…new opportunities to challenge yourself. 9+ mile Challenge, 5+ mile Sprint, and Tier 1 races available. Prizes for all categories.
September 24, 2016: Orlando – The Park at WildWood, WildWood, FL
New venue…new opportunities to challenge yourself. 9+ mile Challenge, 5+ mile Sprint, and Tier 1 races available. Prizes for all categories.
October 29, 2016: Bone Frog Championship – Berkshire East Ski Resort, Charlemont, MA
Qualify for the Championship Heat at another HESCO BONEFROG
Take on the 6+ mile Championship course at BONEFROG’s home in Massachusetts for the final race of the season. MORE MONEY!
CHARITY
A minimum of 10% of sales goes to the Navy SEAL Foundation. For the 5 BONEFROG events held in 2013-2015, $55,000 has been donated (that’s an average of $11,000 per event). BONEFROG is committed to giving back and actually follows through. The CEO, Brian Carney, doesn’t take a paycheck. The HESCO BONEFROG was created by Navy SEALs to challenge, build and inspire participants to become better athletes and recognize that they can do anything they set their minds to while enjoying the camaraderie and teamwork usually reserved for active duty Navy SEALs.
OBSTACLES
Based on SEAL training, the obstacles can provide a unique challenge. For instance, other races might ask you to complete a memory challenge, but the HESCO BONEFROG has Mindgames – a repeat until success memory challenge (there’s no easy in SEAL training). Other races might have heavy carries, but the HESCO BONEFROG has the Ammo Carry – a heavy, awkward to carry water filled ammo box carried for some distance (SEALs hump it in and out). The Monkey Rings and the Gauntlet are also waiting for you, and HESCO BONEFROG is rolling out new obstacles for 2017 at the 2016 Championships in October. You can bet the obstacle development team is giving their all for the new designs.
PENALTIES
With the bands vs. burpees debate, HESCO BONEFROG has their own missed obstacle penalties – calisthenics based penalties based on the muscle group of the particular obstacle. An upper body obstacle will have an upper body penalty, a lower body obstacle will have a lower body penalty – you get the picture.
PRIZES
Prizes are awarded to the top 3 finishing males and females in 6 categories – you read that right folks…36 awards every race day (with the exception of the Borgata Sprint, which is single distance):
Sprint Elite – cash and paddles
Sprint Open – paddles
Challenge Elite – cash and paddles
Challenge Open – paddles
Tier-1 Elite – cash and paddles
Tier-1 Open – paddles
HESCO BONEFROG is the only event I’m aware of that awards across such a wide breadth of categories.
So who is ready to race like a Navy SEAL?!
Phoebe Brimer
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