Many Sailors, spouses and civilian employees from Naval Station Everett (NSE) gathered to compete in the 5k Freeze Yer Buns command cup fun run Jan 26.

The 3.1 mile race was organized by Everett’s Moral, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) department. The run took place onboard NSE, utilizing nearly the entire base.

Even though the event was themed the ‘Freeze yer buns run’, competitors enjoyed sunshine, very little wind, and a near to perfect running temperature of 50 degrees.

“It was such a beautiful day to run,” said Machinist Mate 2nd Class LeAnn Patrick, NSE Operations. “Even though the run was difficult, the perfect weather made it very enjoyable.”

The winners were broken down into three categories. There were first, second and third place male and female winners, as well as an overall command cup winner. The command cup winner was determined by which command had three of their Sailors cross the finish line first. NSE’s Navy Divers won this race’s command cup. The first place winner for the female division was Jessica Greenfield, with a time of 22:38 and the first place winner for the male division was Navy Diver 3rd Class Mathew Demyers with a time of 17:18.

Demyers took first place despite having lasik eye surgery performed just a few days prior. Because of his surgery, he was even required to wear protective eye goggles during the race to prevent further injury.

“The race was a lot of fun, but it was the goggles that helped me to win,” said Demyers. “The goggles made me more aerodynamic.”

Although this was Demyers first race to run on base, as he just recently reported to NSE, his command is a regular at such events, as well as the owners of many command cup trophies.

MWR tries to organize a 5k run like the ‘Freeze yer Buns’ run at least once a quarter.

The next run will be the “April Fools Day’ run, another command cup challenge fun run held Apr.1.

For more information on upcoming fun runs and other fun events hosted by MWR, visit http://www.navylifepnw.com{{PERIOD}}