Raising money for Green Berets

For nearly 11 years, Evan Lotzof has been training with Rodney Libramonte, a martial arts trainer at the American Top Team of Franklin Square. He’s also trained with Dave Martucci, the gym’s owner and head instructor. A longtime participant of mixed martial arts, Lotzof, who grew up in Hollis, New York and currently lives in New York City, has spent many hours in the gym, but recently, he trained harder than he ever had before.

A thrill-seeker, when Lotzof learned several months ago about a very challenging competition in New York City to raise money for the Green Beret Foundation — which provides resources to facilitate the special needs of wounded, ill and injured members of the U.S. Special Forces — he was intrigued. The more than 10-hour GORUCK Challenge included 18 miles of running and, as well as difficult lifting and drills.

He decided to compete, both to push himself mentally and physically, and to raise money in honor of those who died in the attacks — including Chris Traina, a friend who died in the World Trade Center on 9/11.

In the final weeks before the challenge, Lotzof was nervous. He trained hard, and he set up his own website for donors. He wanted to make this worth it, and raise as much money as he could.

The challenge was held on Sept. 11, the 10th anniversary of the 9/1 terrorist attacks, and in the week leading up to it, the memories of fallen victims and heroes were more prominent then ever. Lotzof’s friends and family members began spreading the word to others about the challenge and the GBF, and the dollars kept coming. Before Lotzof knew it, more than $3,000 had been donated in his name for the GBF. And it kept going up.

At ATT Franklin Square, Lotzof trained vigorously, and on the day of the challenge, he and 29 other individuals came together — many of them firefighters who had worked at the World Trade Center on 9/11 — to compete in the GORUCK. The challenge began at 7 p.m. and ended at 9 a.m. the next day, and several groups, each comprised of 30 individuals, competed throughout New York City.

The team traveled from Brooklyn to the East River, doing push-ups and leg raises, running through cold water, carrying a giant log and railroad tie and 30-pound bags of bricks. Throughout the entire challenge, a 25-pound bag of steel from Ground Zero had to constantly be carried between participants. The crew ran throughout Manhattan, from the Upper East Side to the Washington Square and Union Square parks.

Each participant was paired up with a “battle buddy” — a partner that was required for many of the drills. Lotzof’s battle buddy was Francis Shanahan. A Cadre of ex-Special Forces operators led the group, giving them orders along the way.

Following the event, Lotzof not only had a new sense of accomplishment, he had raised more than $5,000 for the GBF — more than anyone else in his GORUCK group.

And donors didn’t stop there. Lotzof’s site is still open for donations, which go directly to the GBF. As of Oct. 3, he had raised more than $5,800.

According to Lotzof, a huge help in raising the money was action by local partners, including ATT of Franklin Square. The gym offered free private lessons and a 30-day trial to individuals who donated $50, and for $60 the gym threw in a free T-shirt. A friend and personal trainer of Lotzof’s, Andy Main, of New Jersey, also offered free private lessons in exchange for donations to Lotzof.

“It was really through them that I was able to raise so much money,” Lotzof said, adding his fundraising goal is $7,500.

Over the Sept. 11 weekend, the GORUCK Challenge in NYC raised nearly $30,000 for 36 different fundraisers.

The GORUCK Challenge celebrated its one-year anniversary on Sept. 25. The first challenge was held in San Francisco, and since, GORUCK has hosted more than 66 Challenge classes in over 25 cities.

Each class is capped at 30 participants, and each challenge is a team event — never a race. According to GORUCK the challenge is meant to “highlight the best that a city has to offer, and our Cadre guide each class through mental and physical exercises meant to unite them as a team.”

For more information about GORUCK, visit www.goruckchallenge.com.

For more information about Lotzof, including how to donate to his personal GORUCK site, visit www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/Lotz/nyc911.