"I do

adventure races throughout the year, and when I saw a competition for

active duty military, I was ready to sign up immediately," he said.

"Races like his are great because they require a tremendous amount

of planning and strategy. It's not always the fastest or strongest who

win."

With only six

months of advance notice, most teams went into overdrive to prepare for

the events. "Training evolved from the adventure runs I go through,

so this was a natural for me," said Bolton. "I do physical fitness

training six days a week, which involves four to five days of running

and one to two days of mountain biking. Luckily, it's hilly where I live."

When not competing,

Bolton is a logistics officer with Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Headquarters,

U.S. Marine Corps.