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CU team eliminates Pac-12 rival, but West Point wins the day��

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People are taking “Weekend��Warrior” adventures to a new level as��mud runs, obstacle courses and other��military-style athletic competitions��pop up around the country.��

Some Buffs are especially well adapted��for these races: As ROTC students,��they’re training anyway.��

So when the Battlefrog Obstacle��Race Series and ESPN invited CU’s��Navy ROTC unit to participate in��the ESPN College Championship, a��bracket-style competition with $10,000��in scholarships on the line, the Buffs��jumped at the chance.��

Dan McComas (PolSci’17) took advantage��of a five-day March “vacation”��outside of Atlanta, Ga., to represent��CU, along with Emily Bell (Bus’19),��Abby Lealaimatafao (IntlAf ’19) and��Mike Johnson (IntlAf ’18). The race��aired on ESPN in July.��

“We didn’t do any training for it,” McComas said, adding that ROTC training��had prepared them well for the obstacles.��

The course featured 20 obstacles spread��over 400 meters, including a 12-foot ladder��wall, “Normandy Jacks,” which require��crawling through mud under wires, and the��“tsunami,” a slanted wall competitors run��up, crest and slide down.��

The Colorado crew, one of 16 teams,��beat Arizona State, the other participating��Pac-12 school, in the first round. The Buffs��fell short against Georgia Tech in the next��head-to-head matchup, and a team from��(no surprise) West Point won the overall��competition for the second time in a row.��

“I’m not really a TV person,” McComas��said, “but it definitely was a good experience.”

Photo courtesy Battlefrog Obstacle Race Series