Sailors attached to USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) ran a 5K race for Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) month at the Vista Point jogging trail on Naval Station Norfolk April 30.

CVN 77's command SAPR team held the race as part of its campaign to eliminate sexual assault.

"The race helped show that people are paying attention," said Chief Culinary Specialist Teschelle Tiongco, CVN 77's command SAPR liaison. "It shows that sexual assault is not tolerated in the Navy."

In recognition of SAPR awareness month, CVN 77 sponsored a number of events to get people thinking about the severity of the issue and the 5K was the grand finale of these events.

"It's for a good cause," said Sonar Technician (Surface) 1st Class Thomas Pauli, a Sailor attached to CVN 77. "A lot of us know someone who went through it, so it's a good way to spread awareness."

The race was the culmination of SAPR month and served to show that the Navy won't tolerate sexual assault and is working to end it.

"For SAPR month, we had a lot of different activities," said Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Tana Carter. "Today we ran a race to wrap up the whole event. We had cupcakes for when they finished, water for the halfway point, and we had prizes for the top three males and females."

The Sailors running the race said they felt happy to be taking part in something for a good cause because they know they are making a difference.

"It feels good to take part in spreading awareness," said Senior Chief Culinary Specialist Richard Fernandez. "I'm proud to be taking a stand and doing something about it."

The 5K race was part of a Navy campaign for SAPR month to raise awareness and encourage Sailors to help and protect their shipmates.

For more news from USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), visit www.navy.mil/.