Meet The Team

Mark Wilson

Firefighter - Henrico County Division of Fire. Richmond, VA

Combat Challenge Personal Record – 1:47.02

DOB 8-28-1970

Mark began his career in firefighting as a volunteer in 1994 and has been a full time firefighter since February 2000. He first competed in the Combat Challenge in September 2005, in Elkton, MD, to get a feel for the competition and see if it was something he liked. Mark was involved in sports as a young child and through high school. Through his years at Virginia Commonwealth University, he continued to keep physically fit with strength training in the gym and participating in intramural sports. Mark saw the Combat Challenge as a great way to continue his fitness training and also make him a stronger firefighter. Although his first competition yielded a less than competitive personal time of 3 minutes and 23 seconds, he knew this was what he wanted to do.

In 2006 Mark and team mate Scott McClelland began seriously competing in the Combat Challenge. With the help of Scott and seasoned Combat Challenge competitor and team mate Lonnie Lewis, he began to develop his strength and cardiovascular training into routines that directly related to the Combat Challenge competition. He currently competes in the Individual, Team, and Tandem Relay categories.

Mark holds a certification through the American Council on Exercise (ACE) as a Peer Fitness Trainer. With this certification he works with fellow firefighters to develop exercise routines and training programs to allow them to become more physically fit.

Mark is a dedicated husband and father. His wife Juanita and their two children, Walker and Hallie, enjoy cheering him on at the competitions. He credits their love and support as a great inspiration to constantly push himself through every event and achieve new personal records.

Scott McClelland

Firefighter - Henrico County Division of Fire. Richmond, VA

Combat Challenge Personal Record – 1:29.18

DOB 12-05-1980

Virgina State Record Holder Individual Open Male

“The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses – behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights” Muhammad Ali.

Scott was hired by Henrico County Fire in January of 2003. Prior to that he had no previous firefighting experience. Like Mark, he first competed in the Combat Challenge in September 2005 to get a feel for the competition and see if it was something he liked. Scott was a three sport athlete all of his life up through college. In college, he also became involved in weight training and the nutritional aspect of life. Scott got hooked instantly to the Combat Challenge and what it represented in the world of physical fitness, firefighting, competition, and an overall unity of firefighters. At Scott’s first run in 2005, he finished the course in 2:50. He wasn’t in as good of shape as he thought he was. He finished the 2006 season qualifying for World’s and running a PR of 1:41. Scott started off 2007 in Deerfield Beach, FL with a PR of 1:38, and completed the season at the World Challenge in Las Vegas, NV with a PR of 1:35. His goal(s) for the 2008 season were to become the Virginia record holder and run a 1:33 with the sights of breaking the sub90 plateau in the near future as well. That all changed in September when Team Rescue Mode traveled to Elkton, Maryland to compete. Scott accomplished both obstacles that day breaking the Virginia record and also becoming an elite member of the sub90 club by running a 1:29 and taking 1^st place overall for the event. He now is setting new goals and realizes the training only gets harder now as the end of the season approaches.

Scott knows that in order to achieve these goals, he is going to have to push himself like he’s never done before. He knows he must train smarter in order to become faster. With the help of his own personal training knowledge and the consistent motivation of Mark as his teammate, along with new member Mike Bagnell, Combat Challenge Legend “Lightning” Lonnie Lewis, and other competitors from around the state that train with Scott, he feels his goals are not too far out of reach. Scott has also had the guidance and support of other top notched competitors to assist with guiding him to where he is today. The intensity that occurs on the course when training, however, is where the extra seconds are shaved off.

Balancing the routine of life is not always the easiest thing in the world either. Scott has completed his National Registration in Paramedic, has a loving wife, Michelle, who is currently in Nursing School and two precious little girls (Haley – 6 and Kaitlyn – 3) who keep his days off very busy while their mom is finishing school. Their support, willingness to give up their time and constant encouragement give Scott that extra “boost” on days he doesn’t feel like training to push him over the top. Every dad wants to be their little girls hero, don’t they?

Scott is huge into inspirational quotes and motivational speakers. Combining that with his love for the Baltimore Ravens, Scott looks to #52 for intense motivation. As Ray Lewis recently stated in reference to superstars not wanting to show up to preseason camp and practice during the regular season, he states; “You pay me millions of dollars to work Monday through Friday, I give you Sunday for free”. Scott applies this to his performance with working as hard as he can in the gym and on the course and when it’s game time, that’s his way of giving back.

Lonnie Lewis

Captain - Chesterfield County Fire and EMS. Richmond, VA

Combat Challenge Personal Record – 1:32.67

DOB 10-25-1963

Virginia State Record Holder Individual 40+

Lonnie is a Captain with Chesterfield County Fire and EMS in Richmond, VA. He is a well known veteran in the Combat Challenge circuit. Anyone who is serious about competing knows that Lonnie is not only someone who has been competing for some time, but that he is one of the top players in the game. Lonnie’s experience and skill level are not only a great asset to our team, but have been instrumental in the advancement of many other competitors. He is always willing to share techniques and give advice to new comers and is well respected by the Staff of the Firefighter Combat Challenge as well as by his peers.

Lonnie is currently the Virginia State record holder for the 40-44 age bracket, with a time of 1:34.35 that he ran at Worlds in 2006. He was inducted into the elite Lion’s Den in 2000. In October of this year Lonnie will move up into the 45-49 age bracket. His goals for the 2008 season include becoming the Virginia State record holder, the World record holder, and placing 1^st at the World Championships in the 45-49 age bracket.