TEAM VETERAN LEADER ADVENTURE RACING

Soldier races to honor Missouri’s Fallen Heroes

Veteran Leader Quarterly, Pittston, PA. 26 Sep. The fourth running of the Midwest's premier adventure race, the Berryman Adventure took place September 25-26, 2004. Starting deep in the Ozark Mountains near Steelville, Missouri, the 2004 Berryman Adventure took teams through 36 hours of continuous competition in the beautiful and rugged mountains of the Ozarks. Coed teams of four, pairs, and soloists tested their skills, their endurance, and their determination to push them through this grueling course.

For most racers, the event was all about the physical challenge and the thrill of competition.  For one racer, who confronted the course alone in solo competition, the reasons went much deeper. Marc Hoffmeister of Team Veteran Leader raced in tribute to the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines of Missouri who have given their lives in the global war on terror. 

Hoffmeister dedicated this race to the twenty service members from Missouri who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend the principles of freedom for which our nation stands.  Every step, every drop of sweat, every drop of blood upon the course was a tribute to the memory of our service members. 

The race began with a 6 mile paddle around Council Bluff Lake and then a 12 mile trek to navigation points distributed around the perimeter of the lake and on Johnson Mountain.  Racers followed the run with a 40 mile mountain bike through the Mark Twain National forest along the Ozark and Berryman trails.  A short 4-6 mile orienteering course greeted racers as they emerged from the rigorous mountain bike course.  Hoffmeister managed a 3^rd place finish in his division, completing the course with a time of 16 hours and 36 minutes. Nearly twenty hours later, the last of the teams completed the course.

. “Perhaps the greatest reason I do this is to let the families of these men and women know that they are not alone.  We share their grief and their pride.  The headlines may fade, but our gratitude will not.” Hoffmeister is familiar with the sacrifices of war.  An active duty Army officer himself, he only recently returned from a year deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom.

It is a small tribute from a fellow soldier, but Hoffmeister hopes his efforts bring the names of our fallen warriors closer to those who they defended. This race was dedicated to the honorable service and selfless sacrifice of the following service members. Read their names and remember…freedom is never free.