800 compete in Virginia Beach Military Challenge

VIRGINIA BEACH

Sweaty and covered in gray mud, Josh Simmons got down on one knee.

"I can't imagine," he began, voice cracking, "spending the rest of my life with anybody but you."

Simmons' proposal to Katie Kalafsky - whom he's dated for seven years - drew cheers and capped the inaugural Flagship Military Challenge on Saturday at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex.

The diamond ring was the first-place prize for one of the events, the half-mile Iced Orchid Diamond Dash. Ryan Carroll of Portsmouth won the Dash, as well as the 5K race. The Western Branch High School coach said he's been married for three years, so he passed the ring to Simmons, whom he met that morning.

"We knew we wanted to get married, and we just needed an extra push," Simmons said. "And this helped, obviously. We needed to put a ring on it."

Simmons was one of 800 participants in the Challenge, which organizers said drew about 1,200 people. Between the morning 5K and the Diamond Dash, about 160 youngsters ran in the kids' mini challenge. Race obstacles included a mud pit, water slide, cargo net, high hurdles, climbing wall and an inflatable course.

The event was organized by the Flagship newspaper. Organizers said a portion of the proceeds will go to the American Red Cross, and part will go back to the Flagship, which is a division of Pilot Media.

Mother-daughter duo Terri and Madison Ryan, covered in mud, posed for photos. Terri, of Yorktown, said the obstacle course was more fun than any she encountered in the Air Force. Madison, 7, said her favorite part was going through the mud, and her mom agreed.

Kayleigh Lewellyn, of Chesapeake, helped set up the course. She's a summer intern for the race's partner company Kale Running.

"The best part was making the mud pits," she said. "We had to stomp around and break all the dirt and the water and mix it all up for about two hours the past two days. So that was definitely a lot of fun."

Shayna Meliker, (757) 446-2326, shayna.meliker@pilotonline.com