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Naval Support Activity Souda Bay hosted the 20th Eco-Challenge, a five-event sports competition held across Crete’s Akrotiri Peninsula on Sept. 9, 2023. The competition included a 10.4-kilometer hike, a 14.5-kilometer run, a 38.5-kilometer cycle, a 4.3-kilometer kayak and a 2,000-meter swim. The outdoor event, organized and executed by NSA Souda Bay’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) team, is designed to build camaraderie and strengthen relationships among U.S., NATO and Hellenic partners.
“The Eco-Challenge is very symbolic of what we do together with our Greek partners,” said Capt. Odin J. Klug, NSA Souda Bay’s commanding officer who competed in the 2023 Eco-Challenge by completing the 2-kilometer swim. “It truly is a partnership. Not just on the military side, but it spans across diplomacy, it spans across economies, and it spans across this right here: the human connection, the human dynamic, the human interpersonal relationships. You all make the magic happen.”
Eleven teams accepted this year's challenge, including athletes from Commander, Navy Region Europe, Africa, Central (EURAFCENT); NSA Souda Bay; NATO Maritime Interdiction Training Center (NMIOTC); NATO Missile Firing Installation (NAMFI); Hellenic Naval Base in Souda; and Hellenic Army’s 5th Airborne Brigade.
“The competition is fierce, it is every year, but it’s the friendships that last forever,” said Rear Adm. Brad J. Collins, commander, EURAFCENT, who completed the 38.5-kilometer cycle as a member of a team from EURAFCENT. Collins was the commanding officer of NSA Souda Bay from 2016-18 and was participating in his third Eco-Challenge. “We leave the competition on the field, but it’s the friendships from the past and the new friends that we’ve made now: That’s what lasts forever. That’s what draws us back.”
Andreas Markakis, a firefighter assigned to NSA Souda Bay Fire & Emergency Services department, participated in the 14.5-kilometer run as a member of the F&ES team that won first place. Markakis was competing in the event for the sixth time and individually placed second in this year’s run. “Sports unites people,” said Markakis. “This event gives us the opportunity to come together with our families outside of the work place and have a good time. It reminds us that we all share a mission.”
Cmdr. Thanos Kournis from the Hellenic Navy Base at Souda Bay participated in this year’s 4.3-kilometer kayak and participated in two previous Eco-Challenge competitions as a swimmer. “This event is about healthy competition and making new friends,” said Kournis. “The bottom line is that those are the things that unite us and make us all equal.”
While the event was organized and executed by NSA Souda Bay’s MWR, our Hellenic partners helped make this a safe and successful event. The Hellenic Air Force, Hellenic Coast Guard, Hellenic Navy, and NAMFI all provided direct support that included standby emergency medical personnel, escort vehicles, motor vehicle and boat traffic closures, the use of the NAMFI beach club at Marathi for the award ceremony, and parking and venue security.
Team Results:
1. Fire & Emergency Services, Team 1 (04:47:55)
2. Hellenic Navy Base at Souda Bay (04:59:45)
3. NATO Maritime Interdiction Operational Training Centre (NMIOTC), (05:02:05)
Individual Athlete Awards:
10.4-kilometer hike: Ioannis Charalambidis, Hellenic Navy (01:05:00)
14.5-kilometer run: Georgios Gkolis, 5th Airborne Bridgade (00:59:54)
38.5-kilometer cycle: Andrew Hayne, NMIOTC (01:19:14)
4-kilometer kayak: Anastasios Anagnostopoulos, 5th Airborne Brigade (00:29:47)
2-kilometer swim: Ioannis Tsampanakis, NAMFI (00:32:55)
For more photos of this year's Eco-Challenge, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NSASoudaBay