WINNECONNE (NBC 26) — A group of people completed the MURPH Memorial Day Challenge at Alpha Fitness, raising money for veteran suicide prevention.
- Alpha Fitness held their 2nd annual MURPH Challenge on Memorial Day.
- Participants complete 300 air squats, 200 push ups, 100 pull ups and two, one-mile runs.
- Alpha Fitness used the challenge as a way to raise money for local non-profit: Serves for Suicide.
On Memorial Day Monday morning in Winneconne, 13 people completed the MURPH Challenge.
The workout feat is in honor of Lt. Michael Murphy, who died in Afghanistan in 2005– the muse for the movie "Lone Survivor."
The challenge begins with a one-mile run, then competitors must complete 300 air squats, 200 push ups and 100 pull ups before running another mile.
"It's brutal, it's absolutely brutal," Nick Hawley, Alpha Fitness co-owner, says. "That last mile is absolutely one of the hardest things I've ever done physically."
It gives participants a goal to work towards, all while honoring those who have served the country.
"The whole point of it is to push yourself," Hawley says. "It shows the resiliency of the human spirit, gives us a peek of what our military goes through."
Local non-profit, Serves for Suicide, partnered with Alpha Fitness on this year's event. Participants were required to make a donation to compete.
Hawley says they raised nearly $500 for the organization.
Serves for Suicide was started by Hannah Millard, who's husband, Austin, died from suicide in 2022. Austin served in the military for eight years.
The organization hosts a one-day volleyball tournament every summer, raising money for H.O.O.A.H an organization that works to prevent veteran suicide. Millard says HOOAH helped her and her family after Austin's death.
“If I can save one person, if I can help one family not feel what we have gone through, then I've done my job," she says.
Those who competed, like Matt Blakesley, say it was rewarding to accomplish the challenge for a good cause.
“I was a veteran myself, I served in the army and marine corps, and I think it’s really important to raise awareness," Blakesley says.
