By Bryan Boggiano
This is not your typical 5K race.
The eighth annual Soldier Rush is set for Saturday, November 12, at 7:30 a.m., at the Parkland Equestrian Center.
The boot-camp-style, patriotic-themed race features multiple obstacles, including a low crawl under fake barbed wire, a farmer’s carry, monkey bars, and a rope climb. The course will also have 17 four-foot walls, one in honor of each of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting victims.
Manuel Mair, a Marine and owner of One to One Fitness in Coral Springs, started Soldier Rush in 2015 to “give back to those who gave it all for us.”
“I’m a veteran myself, and I wanted to figure out how I can give back and raise money for such an amazing cause,” he said.
All funds raised help organizations and causes benefitting first responders and veterans.
These include Southeast Florida Honor Flight, Coral Springs Firefighter Benevolent Association, Parkland Cares, United Way Mission United, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School JROTC, Fitness on a Mission, and Greenburg Traurig.
For the 2022 event, Mair is partnering with Keiser University, Broward Health Coral Springs, The Home Depot, Innovative Insurance, Independence Title, and CRE8 Pharmacy.
Mair said that despite the economy, his goal is to raise between $11,000 and $12,000.
In 2019, the event raised over $16,000. In 2020, Mair hosted a smaller-scale version of the race at his house due to COVID.
2021 Soldier Rush {Photo by Jim Donnelly with ImageMasters.}
Soldier Rush returned to the Equestrian Center in 2021, where 1,000 people attended, and the organization raised over $10,500.
Mair said he would cap the number at 1,000, so participants could register or donate on the race’s website.
2021 Soldier Rush in Parkland. {Photo by Jim Donnelly with ImageMasters.}
The Parkland Equestrian Center is located at 8350 Ranch Road.
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