Look for National Guard runners on Moore County roads on Friday

Nearly 15 soldiers will be on Moore County roads this Friday to participate in a 16.2 mile ruck march as part of the 2022 National Guard Best Warrior competition. (PHOTO PROVIDED)

LYNCHBURG, Tenn. — They’ll start at Moore County High School around 3 a.m. and finish at Lynchburg Harley Davidson on the historic Lynchburg Square around 8:30 a.m. Moore County drivers need to be aware of runners on local roads beginning early on Friday, July 29.

Soldiers from the Tennessee Army National Guard will host a 16.2-mile road march for competitors of the 2022 National Guard Best Warrior competition that day. Fourteen of the nation’s best National Guard junior enlisted soldiers and noncommissioned officers will participate in an intensive, six-day competition throughout Tennessee to determine who will be named the Army National Guard’s best-of-the-best.

On the morning of July 29, competitors will conduct one of their 30 evaluated events in Lynchburg, starting at 3:30 a.m. from the Moore County High School and ending at the Lynchburg Harley Davidson downtown. The guardsmen will also be racing along Main Street, Fayetteville Highway, Old Fayetteville Highway, Goose Branch Road, Lois Ridge Road, Grammar Hill Road, Winchester Highway, Coffee Creek Road, Tanyard Hill Road, Campbell Lane, Goodbranch Road, Lynchburg Highway, and Mechanic Street. Runners will follow the same route as Oak Barrel Half Marathon runners.

Metro Moore County Sheriff’s Department deputies will escort competitors throughout the event and control traffic on major roads and intersections. Runners will arrive onsite around 3:30 a.m. to set up and weigh their packs for the run. All runners should be on local roads no later that 4 a.m. National Guard support aircraft will also be arriving prior to the event in Wiseman Park and locals should not be alarmed, according to Sheriff Tyler Hatfield.

All participants are winners of their state’s competition who then won their area’s regional competition. The nation is divided into seven geographical regions and those winners, seven soldiers and seven NCOs, are now competing at the national level in Tennessee. This year’s competitors are from Tennessee, New York, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Maryland, Minnesota, Texas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Oregon, Hawaii, and Utah.

“Competitions like this inspire our soldiers to strive for excellence and to find their limits, and exceed them,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Dale Crockett, Tennessee’s State Command Sergeant Major. “Tough realistic training is critical to ensuring our Soldiers are prepared to fight and win our nations battles.”

Moore County will serve as the final leg of the competition that began on July 22, with events held primarily in Smyrna and Tullahoma with other events in Lynchburg, Milan, Murfreesboro, and Nashville. The winners will represent the more than 330,000 guardsmen from the National Guard’s 54 states and territories at the Army Best Warrior competition this fall. 

If you have questions or concerns about road issues, contact the MMCSD dispatch at 931-759-7323.•

{The Lynchburg Times is the only locally-owned newspaper in Lynchburg and also the only woman-owned newspaper in Tennessee. We cover Metro Moore County government, Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Nearest Green Distillery, Tims Ford State Park, Motlow State Community College, Moore County High School, Moore County Middle School, Lynchburg Elementary, Raider Sports, plus regional and state news.}