P-CEP’s inaugural ‘Murph’ challenge perfect prelude to Memorial Day

A perfect mix of patriotism, perseverance and remembrance of a U.S. military hero converged in the Plymouth High School gymnasium Wednesday morning during the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park’s inaugural Murph Challenge.

Thirty-three P-CEP students from all three Park schools, and 25 P-CEP staff members endured a series of push-ups, shoulder presses and  a one-mile run to honor the legacy of U.S. Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy, who died heroically in the line of duty on June 28, 2005, in Afghanistan.

Lt. Murphy had created his own CrossFit-style workout called Body Armor, which consisted of a one-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 air squats and a second mile run — while wearing the body armor vest, according to a Wikipedia page dedicated to Lt. Murphy.

Due to time constraints, the P-CEP Murph Challenge’s regimen was a condensed version of the Body Armor, but it was still challenging, the participants admitted.

Pushing through the pain

“Going into it, I knew it was going to be hard, especially the mile run,” said Plymouth High School junior Samir Sain. “It was just a matter of persevering and pushing through it.”

“I signed up because I knew it was going to be a fun school event,” added Plymouth senior Will Dani. “The music was pumping, there were a bunch of people in the stands cheering us on. It was harder than I expected, which made it fun.”

P-CEP’s first Murph Challenge was organized in the three weeks leading up to the event by P-CEP counselors Lindsey Lewis (Canton High School) and Derek Hoffman (Plymouth High School).

“More than anything, the Murph is about bringing a community of people together, getting in a difficult workout and observing the honor of those who serve our country,” said Lewis. “CrossFit gyms throughout the country hold Murph Challenges on Memorial Day; I thought it would be cool to hold a modified one for P-CEP staff and students.”

Community aspect important

Hoffman said the community aspect helped him get through the roughest parts of the workout.

“When I was struggling a little bit with the push-ups, Rachel Ammar, a special education teacher here, was providing encouragement,” Hoffman said. “That boost helped me get through it. It’s great to see staff and students coming together like this to honor a hero’s legacy.”

The top two finishers time-wise — Plymouth soccer players Kavi Behrend and Owen Christianson — were presented with a prize package that included a free Orange Theory boot camp course.

All of the participants received a certificate in recognition of their contributions to the noble event.

(To check out a video of the P-CEP Murph, click here.)

Supporters played key role

“I was really impressed with the turnout,” said Plymouth senior JR Maitland. “I was really motivated by all the people cheering us on. I ran the mile run with Kavi pretty much the whole time, so it was fun competing with a buddy.”

Members of the P-CEP’s student congresses volunteered to distribute water and energy drinks to competitors.

“I was grateful to be able to volunteer for such a cool event like this that pays tribute to a hero like Murph,” said Riley Bajas, a member of Canton High School’s student congress. “It was a lot of fun helping out with something like this that has such an important purpose.”

The close-to-one-hour event concluded with a group photo, with the gym’s massive American flag serving as a fitting backdrop.

Lt. Michael Murphy would have been proud of the effort put forth by the P-CEP contingent.

Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.