Fishburne Military School Takes on Mad Anthony

Waynesboro, VA — Fishburne Military School’s Winter Running Club completed their season this weekend by competing in Waynesboro’s 5th-annual Mad Anthony Mud Run. With over 400 runners participating, FMS made their presence known with four runners finishing in the top twenty-five. The 4.5-mile course challenges runners with obstacles such as tire pits, suspended balance beams, mountains of hay bales, a six-foot wall and, of course, MUD.

Given Waynesboro’s penchant for history, the varying obstacles throughout the course are named in recognition of different campaigns of battles during the career of General “Mad Anthony” Wayne such as “The Battle of Stony Point” and “The Battle of Fallen Timbers”. The race, however, isn’t just a friendly little hike through history. Temperatures for the race average 45 degrees and, at points throughout the course, mud is more than ankle-deep.

Fortunately, Fishburne’s Winter Running Club’s motto was “mental toughness,”  according to Team advisor and FMS Track Coach MSgt. Mike Anson USAF(Ret.). “The only way to properly prepare for track season is to run during the winter, otherwise you’re hopelessly behind when March 1st rolls around,” Anson explained. “There is no easy way to do this, or as Tom Petty wrote, ‘there ain’t no easy way out.'”

FMS also pitched in with volunteers for the event (including MSG Morton, who fired off the FMS cannon to begin the race). In a letter to Anson following the event, Waynesboro Parks and Recreation’s Athletic Director noted, “I can’t thank you and your FMS team enough for all of the help that was given to make the 5th Annual Mad Anthony Mud Run a success! As always, you and your team have gone above and beyond to ensure that all 427 participants had an exceptional time.”

Anson sees good things on the horizon for Fishburne Military School runners, based on the dedication the Winter Running Club showed in preparing for and conquering Mad Anthony. “The great thing about running is you get out of it exactly what you put in,” he says. “Life doesn’t always work that way in other areas. I’m really proud of the kids that showed up to practice when the wind chill was in the single digits. It would have been much easier to make excuses.”

Congratulations to all of the Winter Runners who gritted their way through tough conditions.

Out of over 400 runners:
Avery Romp (North Hero, VT), 11th place overall
Denver Druey (Pompano Beach, FL), 16th
Howard Marsh (Middlebrook, VA), 18th
CPT Roland van der Muhl (FMS Coach and Spanish Teacher), 23rd

Other finishers:
Seth Hembree (Cordova, MD)
Justin Payne (Waynesboro, VA)
Gareth Romp (North Hero, VT)
Kathy Berrang (FMS Student Services)
Evan LaQuaglia (Upper Marlboro, MD)

For more information about the Mad Anthony Mud Run visit: http://www.runthevalley.com/mad-anthony-mud-run/

Fishburne Military School is the oldest and smallest of all military schools for boys in Virginia. Its college-prep curriculum is built upon the structure of an Army JROTC program. FMS is designated as a JROTC Honor Unit with Distinction and may nominate qualified candidates to the United States Service Academics. Fishburne hosts one of only four Summer JROTC programs in the nation, accredited by US Army Cadet Command.