Run for Your Life in Camden

Runner Jack Haulrich leaps over the last obstacle in the 2014 Run For Your Life held at the Camden Snow Bowl in Camden.

Run For Your Life participants haul sand bags up and
over obstacles, swing by ropes and crawl under barbed wire to help
raise awareness of the need for more first
responders in every community. (Photo by Lynda Clancy)

First responders host Emergency Service Challenge

Camden, Maine - Registration has opened for the Third Annual Run For Your Life Challenge, a mountain adventure race that will be held May 23 at the Camden Snow Bowl. Register online at emergencychallenge.org, or call the Camden Fire Department, 207-236-7950.

Organized by Midcoast Maine first responders, the Run For Your Life Challenge sends runners of all ages and abilities over a rugged obstacle course that extends to the summit of Ragged Mountain and down again.

The race appeals to both the seasoned triathalete and the novice runner. With obstacles such as “Blazing Forearms,” “Bucket Brigade,” “Rescue Sandy,” “Highrise Hell,” the event promises an invigorating exercise in teamwork, fitness and personal excellence. The Challenge is inspired by actual situations encountered by firefighters, EMS, and law enforcement.

New this year is a children's obstacle course that will appeal to ages 4 to 12. While parents run the

mountain, children will test their own mettle on the gentle slopes near the lodge with tunnels, ladders and balance beams.

Run For Your Life serves two goals: To challenge runners with a demanding course, and to motivate individuals to engage through volunteering and/or as a career with emergency services in their own communities. Run For Your Life is organized by Emergency Service Challenge, a group of committed firefighters and paramedics who encourage more citizens to get involved with local fire departments, ambulance services and law enforcement agencies.

In teams or solo, participants – ranging from endurance enthusiasts to local business owners, students, cops and those who just like to run and climb – will swing by ropes, crawl under barbed wire and leap over fire as they reach the top, overlooking the islands of Penobscot Bay.

Diminishing volunteerism has affected fire departments across the country, mostly in rural areas where communities rely heavily on volunteer firefighters. As firefighters age out, there has been a corresponding lower number of younger men and women stepping up to take their places. Emergency Service Challenge is reversing that trend, and is actively recruiting a new generation of volunteers and career first responders.

Sponsors of the 2015 Run For Your Life challenge include Pen Bay Healthcare, Allen Agency, Apartments on Elm, Rankin's Hardware, Penobscot Bay Pilot, Camden Riverhouse Hotel, and the Maine Lobster Festival. The Emergency Service Challenge welcomes volunteers to help stage the event and sponsor on a variety of levels. To learn more, and to get involved, visit the Challenge website; friend on Facebook; email: info@emergencychallenge.org, or call 207-236-7950.

Sign up now; registration, at $50 per person, is limited. Come to Ragged Mountain, where you will be run ragged… and love every minute of it.