Chief Petty Officers assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) participated in a 200-mile relay race down the Southern California coast, April 13.

The Reebok Ragnar So Cal Relay Race began in Huntington Beach, Calif., and finished in San Diego taking a total of 34 hours and 38 minutes for the competing Sailors to complete.

“I think it’s a good experience anytime you can get out there and push your body out of its comfort zone,” Master Chief Information System Technician Richard Huerta Jr said. “It’s invigorating. The whole environment is encouraging, because everyone is out there struggling together.”

Bonhomme Richard’s competing chief petty officers trained for the race for about six months prior to the event.

Chief Operations Specialist Daniel Sewell said that the members of ‘Anchors Away’, Bonhomme Richard’s running team for the event, trained separately but kept aware of each other’s progress.

“We’d touch base with each other, see where each other’s shortfalls were, and then we’d help each other out,” said Sewell. “We’d motivate one another.”

Team ‘Anchors Away’ was split into two halves. Chief Logistics Specialist Genedine Cabrera, Master Chief Information System Technician Richard Huerta Jr., Chief Operations Specialist Dan Sewell, Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Fuels) Dan Fenwick and Chief Intelligence Specialist Nikki Cravens were in the first half of the race. Chief Machinist Mate Donald Phillips, Chief Electronics Technician Ed Thayer, Senior Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Fuels) Joey Smith, Chief Aviation Boatswains Mate (Handling) Josh Thurber and Chief Culinary Specialist Adrian Escudero ran the second half of the relay.

“The [teamwork] really made me push myself harder, because I knew I had other people waiting for me,” said Escudero. “Just having that feeling of camaraderie really gave us the drive to want to finish the event and accomplish something we wouldn’t do otherwise.”

“Bonhomme Richard’s ship motto is ‘Ready Now! Ready Always!,’” said Sewell. Running together as a team is just another way we come together as chiefs to maintain Navy fitness standards and remain ready always.” 

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