Eco-Challenge Promotes Competition, Builds Camaraderie Story by Joel Diller. Public Affairs. Photos by Joel Diller and MC2 Kelly Agee, Public Affairs.
The sun beats down on Crete’s rugged Akrotiri Peninsula as athletes compete in NSA Souda Bay’s Eco-Challenge, a timed team competition consisting of five outdoor sports events: hike a mountain gorge wearing a weighted backpack; run along narrow, asphalt roads; bike through villages and fields; swim in cool, crystal-clear water; and kayak the choppy waves of Souda Bay. Why? For the spirit of competition, because competition builds camaraderie. For 18 years, U.S. and Greek athletes have banded together to challenge their bodies and their minds. The spirit of the event, said Morale, Wellness, and Recreation Fitness Director Byron Gale, is not just about winning, but about bringing people together. “It’s about the teamwork of five people completing events together, events that maybe they didn't believe they could do before, but their team gives them the
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encouragement to finish,” said Gale. “And it’s about Team Souda, our host-nation military and our local community working behind the scenes to make it happen, which is special to watch.” Athletes are not the only participants relying on teamwork for a safe and successful outcome. Since NSA Souda Bay’s fire and security departments can only respond to on-base emergencies, coordination with the Hellenic military units, police, and local community is vital for the athletes’ safety on Crete’s narrow roads and choppy seas. The teamwork occurring behind the scenes is what makes the Eco-Challenge successful, said Gale. Partner organizations such as the Hellenic Air Force, the Hellenic Navy and NATO Missile Firing Installation provided ambulances, doctors and rescue divers. The Hellenic Police stopped traffic and provided escort vehicles during the bike and run events, while the local Hellenic Navy emergency room had doctors standing by to assist.
