What do you get when a Marine and a Martial Arts Instructor team up to help boost community pride? In Boone County, you end up with the First Annual Marine Corps Challenge. Sgt. Foster, of the U.S. Marine Corps, and Rick Dillon, a martial arts instructor in Madison, have joined forces to bring a 2-mile PFT exercise and tournament to area residents on Aug. 22. “If you have something to offer and you can make your community better, you should share that,” Dillon said. “The City Council gave the go-ahead for the event on July 1 at their city council meeting,” Dillon said. Beginning at 10 a.m., and open to anyone who wants to see if they are physically able to meet the Marine Corp challenge, Sgt. Foster will lead a 2-mile PFT exercise that includes a road race and physical fitness test consisting of timed pull-ups and sit-ups. Although some minor awards might be issued during this stage of the day’s activities, Dillon says the PFT training is more about pushing ones self to meet or exceed their personal abilities. “Everybody in this day and age is looking for a trophy, whether they deserve it or not. The purpose of this PFT exercise is to make the opportunity available for our community members to compete and get better with themselves. The Marines have a hard-work mentality that is a good standard to achieve, and there will be 30 guys from Charleston coming to the area to help with this,” Dillon said. Following the PFT exercises with Sgt. Foster and the U.S. Marines, there will be a tournament to assess hands-on combat skills. “There will be striking and kicking. There will be no chokes, and there will be rules and regulations that those participating must adhere to or they will be escorted out,” Dillon explained. First, children will be given the opportunity to spar, followed with a teen and adult spar at 11:30 a.m. “This is open to whomever. It will be medium-contact. If you want to come in off the streets as a novice and do it, that’s great. You just sign a waiver and agree to safety and rules and regulations – like no tobacco or alcohol,” he said. For this portion of the day’s activities, the Marines will be sponsoring awards. According to Dillon, Sgt. Foster is currently seeking the help from the VFW and any patriotic soul willing he is able to get to help. “It is a positive thing for our community. The Marines have a special place in my heart. I think they have a hard job and I like what they stand for,” he said. “You can’t go through life and not be accountable for being an American. These men have sacrificed a lot so we sacrifice so little. Not trying to ring the patriotic bell, but they have a confidence that comes across and says ‘I can take care of myself and I can take care of you.’ If you can’t respect that, you don’t need to be in this country,” Dillon shared. Open to anyone in the community, but designed as a physical challenge, you might consider this a “throw-down” of sorts. The gauntlet has been thrown and on Aug. 22, the area’s U.S. Marines are ready to see who has the moxie to participate in Boone County’s First Annual Marine Corps Challenge.