Early in 1997 a small group of Marines got together and decided to design a 10K run which would be, shall we say, out of the “ordinary”…challenging, motivating and fun for all age groups. It almost goes without saying that right away the idea of incorporating the traditional Marine Obstacle Course into the run was a given. From there, almost endless ideas sprang forth regarding the design and feasibility of truly challenging obstacles spread throughout the 10K course.
The first Bakersfield VOLKSLAUF was constructed on property south of the town of Arvin, California in 1997 from materials donated and “scrounged” from businesses and individuals willing to participate in a truly worthwhile venture sponsoring Toys for Tots. VOLKSLAUF I came off without a hitch in the fall of 1997 and even the Marines were pleasantly surprised with the turnout: over 200 runners and several hundred very curious onlookers.
During the winter of 1998 the Southern San Joaquin Valley, and most of California, experienced the deluge of El Nino and the VOLKSLAUF course was literally covered with three feet of silt which was carried onto the property by previously long dry creeks which overflowed their banks onto the property. With Herculean effort the Marines were faced once again with constructing the course and repairing several damaged obstacles. As a result, VOLKSLAUF II was even a bigger success than VOLKSLAUF I: over 600 runners enjoyed the challenge.
VOLKSLAUF III in 1999 saw the course South of Arvin abandoned as the property owner lost the lease on the land. Unfazed, the Marines for the third straight year were tasked with building the course, but had no place to build it until then Kern County Sheriff Carl Sparks volunteered land adjacent to the Sheriff’s Lerdo Jail Facility on Lerdo Highway, North of Bakersfield. The Marines, again, set about the task; again seeking donated material and scrounging about to produce hundreds of railroad ties, power poles, timbers, plywood, backhoes, road graders, nails, bolts, cable and rope to build the VOLKSLAUF course we all know and love today.
Ten years, about 8,000 runners and 15,000 spectators later, the VOLKSLAUF Committee can look back to past VOLKSLAUF events where we had an Abrams M1A1 tank, a CH-46, UH-1, AH-1 and two SNJ’s (AT-6’s of WW-II fame) and GySgt. R. Lee Ermey on hand to thrill the crowds with the raw power of their presence both on the ground and in the air. We’ve had Civil War re-enactors on hand with their cannon to start the race, the Kern County Fire Dept. on hand to “cool” off the runners with a good dousing from their hoses as they progress around the course. We’ve begun (about four years ago) a “mini-VOLKSLAUF for our young Marines, ages 4 yrs to 11 yrs, with obstacles just like the “big” VOLKSLAUF…just scaled down a bit.
Today VOLKSLAUF brags about 75 truly challenging obstacles with names such as HAPPY VALLEY, CHU LAI, HUE CITY, STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN, PELELIU, INCHON LANDING, DEVIL DOG’S DITCH, HEARTBREAK RIDGE, TENARU RIVER CROSSINIG and (everybody’s favorite) THE WALL. And……here’s the good part…..since VOLKSLAUF is a mud run, there’s plenty of the gooey stuff to get dirty in. With about 8 MILLION gallons of water on the course, it has been suggested that VOLKSLAUF is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.
