PO2 Craig Blake Memorial Fitness Challenge
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
MacDonald Beach, Shearwater

In 2011 the annual Navy Fitness Challenge was renamed the PO2 Craig Blake Memorial Fitness Challenge, to acknowledge the legacy of avid cyclist and triathlete, PO2 Craig Blake, the first Canadian Navy sailor to fall in Afghanistan.

PO2 Blake, a 37-year-old clearance diver with FDU(A), died on May 3, 2010 after an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated during a dismounted operation about 25km southwest of Kandahar City in the Panjwayi District.

PO2 Blake joined the Navy in his late teens and had been in the FDU(A) since 2000. In September 2008, then MS Craig Blake participated in the Navy Fitness Challenge as the cyclist member of a triathlon team competing in the open category and his team, named Waterwings, won their category.

PO2 Blake's passion for fitness emulated everything our PSP Fitness and Sports organization continues to convey to every member of CFB Halifax.

The PO2 Craig Blake Memorial Fitness Challenge is a mini triathlon for military and DND personnel, consisting of a 300m swim, a 6.5k mountain bike and a 2k run. Participants may swim, bike and run, or complete a single leg of the race as part of a team. The goal of the Fitness Challenge is to bring people of all fitness levels together to strive to do their best through friendly competition.

The Fitness Challenge, organized and presented by Personnel Support Programs (PSP Halifax), is schedule to take place on Friday, September 14 at MacDonald Beach in Shearwater. Registration for this year's event is now open and individuals can register online at www.atlantichip.ca or at one of the three gym locations.

To view the 2011 times, please go to www.atlanticchip.ca

To view the 2011 photos, please go to Flickr.com.
 

For additional information, please contact Margaret Craig at margaret.craig@forces.gc.ca or call 720-3248.