VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. –
When Staff Sgt. Korrey Baird, 633d Civil Engineer Squadron Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight technician, learned of the Bomb Suit Run challenge in Virginia Beach, Va., April 1, he immediately began training to win.
Win he did. Sergeant Baird donned the 80-pound EOD bomb suit and completed the mile-long race in 8 minutes and 44 seconds, two seconds shy of breaking the world record.
Sergeant Baird heard about the challenge from other EOD colleagues via e-mail. He called the EOD community "tight-knit," as technicians from all branches are trained at the same school and work together closely in deployed locations.
According to Sergeant Baird, the EOD physical training regimen is demanding, but the race would demand more of him. In preparation, he conducted weight training daily as well as alternated combat-kit and rucksack runs, which ranged from five to seven miles, with intense calisthenics, and swimming.
"I don't know why I show my ID at the gym anymore, they should recognize me by now," he joked.
In the final weeks before the race, Sergeant Baird garnered the bomb suit and took to the Shellbank Fitness Center track.
"Running in the bomb suit is like a 45-minute cardio workout wrapped up in 10 minutes, except you marinate instead of just sweat," he said.
The hours spent lifting weights and hustling along clad in the heavy bomb suit paid off. On race day, Sergeant Baird found his stride, finishing two minutes ahead of his challenger, a Navy SEAL EOD technician. Waiting at the finish line to congratulate Sergeant Baird was Lt. Col. Marc Vandeveer, 633 CES commander.
"Korrey certainly led the way for the entire mile," Colonel Vandeveer said. "I couldn't be more proud of our EOD rock stars here at Langley and the entire joint EOD community. It's a group that continually sets the standard in taking care of their own."
Proceeds from the race benefitted the Wounded EOD Warrior Foundation, a non-profit organization founded to assist wounded EOD veterans.
"The organization has done so many awesome things for our wounded comrades," he said. "Running in that suit is nothing compared to the sacrifices EOD technicians make to save others. Doing this race was a no-brainer."
EOD technicians protect a populace by mitigating explosive hazards, rendering safe conventional, chemical, biological and nuclear weapons and neutralizing roadside bombs and weapons of mass destruction.