Marines brave cold for Jingle Bell Run in Stadium Park

Marines brave cold for Jingle Bell Run in Stadium Park

By Denise Sautters
CantonRep.com staff writer
Posted Dec 13, 2008 @ 10:03 PM
Last update Dec 13, 2008 @ 11:00 PM
CANTON —


Brrr. Saturday morning’s 19 degrees didn’t endear itself to the 275 Marine poolies (enlisted men and women), or the 75 Marines who met at Stadium Park to run in the 1.5 mile second annual Jingle Bell Run.

Nor did it deter the group, many of whom will be heading off to Parris Island, S.C., for boot camp following the Christmas holiday. Recruits, including 25 Stark County high school seniors who have signed up, will be shipped off to camp between Christmas and July 14.

“I enjoy this stuff. I do,” said Staff Sgt. Jayson Snyder while helping to get participants ready for the run. Snyder is the assistant head of the Canton recruiting office.

“It is tradition,” said Staff Sgt. Jeremy Matthews who heads up the Canton Marine recruiting office. “It is our Marine Corps motivation run for about 300 future Marines from Stark, Tuscarawas and Carroll counties.”

Before the run began, recruits did crunches and pull ups. Male poolies were required to do three pull ups, females a 16-second flexed-arm hang. All were required to a minimum of 44 crunches. For those who couldn’t, Matthews said individual training will be provided.

The Jingle Bell run started in Stadium Park, went across 12th Street through Monument Park, around McKinley Monument, then back to Stadium. It took about 20 minutes to complete. Before heading off to boot camp, though, recruits will have to be able to run 1.5 miles in 13 minutes, 30 seconds.

Wearing a camouflage Santa hat over a stocking cap, Sgt. Maj. Carl Gillhan, head of recruitment in Cleveland, has been in charge of this run for the past several years there.

“This is a Marine thing,” he said. “It is my personal tradition that I’ve been doing six or seven years at the various commands I’ve been at. We just do a Christmas run.”

It is part of being a Marine, said Matthews.

Being a Marine, he said, is putting service before self. It inspires members to work harder.

“That is why these people are here today,” said Matthews. “They are outside in the freezing cold because they want to be a Marine. They serve their country because they want to give back to their country because of the freedoms they are provided. People want to be Marines first then everything else is a bonus — jobs, money, those kinds of things.”

Ellie