Early in 1997 a small group of Marines got together and decided to design a 10K run which would be, shall we say, out of the “ordinary”…challenging, motivating and fun for all age groups. It almost goes without saying that right away the idea of incorporating the traditional Marine Obstacle Course into the run was a given. From there, almost endless ideas sprang forth regarding the design and feasibility of truly challenging obstacles spread throughout the 10K course.

          The first Bakersfield VOLKSLAUF was constructed on property south of the town of Arvin, California in 1997 from materials donated and “scrounged” from businesses and individuals willing to participate in a truly worthwhile venture sponsoring Toys for Tots. VOLKSLAUF I came off without a hitch in the fall of 1997 and even the Marines were pleasantly surprised with the turnout: over 200 runners and several hundred very curious onlookers.

          During the winter of 1998 the Southern San Joaquin Valley, and most of California, experienced the deluge of El Nino and the VOLKSLAUF course was literally covered with three feet of silt which was carried onto the property by previously long dry creeks which overflowed their banks onto the property. With Herculean effort the Marines were faced once again with constructing the course and repairing several damaged obstacles. As a result, VOLKSLAUF II was even a bigger success than VOLKSLAUF I: over 600 runners enjoyed the challenge.

          VOLKSLAUF III in 1999 saw the Course south of Arvin abandoned as the property owner lost the lease on the land. Unfazed, the Marines, for the third straight year, were tasked with building the course but had no place to build it until then Kern County Sheriff, Carl Sparks, volunteered land adjacent to the Sheriff’s Lerdo Jail Facility on Lerdo Highway north of Bakersfield. Not long after moving to Lerdo we began the Jr. Volkslauf for our young “Marines” ages 4 yrs to 11 yrs, with obstacles just like the “big” Volkslauf. Many of those early Jr. Volkslauf runners are now participating in the adult version of the race…go figure! We remained at the Lerdo location until 2008 when we were asked to vacate the property to make room for a proposed jail expansion project.

          2009 promised to be a “challenge” in that we had nowhere to go…again. We tried, really we did, to put on a 2009 Volkslauf but just didn’t have the “logistical support” we needed in order to remove our obstacles from Lerdo, find another site and re-build our obstacles and get it all done by race time. Thanks to Kern County Airport Director Jack Gotcher we obtained our present site. Thanks also to Terry Lease and Kara Barton from Kern County General Services and Ted James from Kern County Planning, we were able to successfully navigate ourselves through the maze of seemingly endless paperwork and permits involved in obtaining our lease. Were it not for their tireless assistance I’m sure we’d still be wondering exactly what to do next.

          Fourteen years, about 15,000 runners and untold curious spectators later the Volkslauf Committee can look back to past Volkslauf events where we had an Abrams M1A1 tank, a CH-46, UH-1, AH-1 and WW II vintage AT-6’s provide static and fly-by excitement. We even had GySgt. R. Lee Ermey (Full Metal Jacket, Lock And Load) on hand to thrill the crowd with his unforgettable presence. We’ve had Civil War re-enactors on hand with their cannon to start the race and the Kern County Fire Dept. to “cool” off the runners with a good dousing from their hoses during and after the race as well as the “colors” suspended high in the air beneath a ladder truck.

Today Volkslauf still brags about having truly challenging obstacles with names such as HAPPY VALLEY, CHU LAI, HUE CITY, STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN, PELELIU, DEVIL DOG’S DITCH, TENARU RIVER CROSSING and everyone’s favorite, THE WALL. Is it any wonder why, with all that water and mud on the course, it has been suggested that Volkslauf is the most fun you can have, legally, with your clothes on?