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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Fallen heroes remembered with Memorial Day workout

GIVE IT THE BOOT

High school teacher Katherine Martinez-Malo, 41, squats 300 times at B3 Gym while attempting the Murph Challenge on Memorial Day. She was nervous about getting hurt because of the boot on her right foot, but she said she wanted to overcome whatever challenge was put in front of her for the exhilarating feeling that she finished.

Members of B3 Gym and the Gainesville community shed blood, sweat and tears in memory of Sgt. Jonathan Cote and Lt. Michael Murphy on Memorial Day.

About 40 people completed the Murph Challenge, named after the lieutenant who died in combat and favored the workout. The full exercise consists of two miles of running, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups and 300 squats.

Chris “Boris” Marhefka owns B3 Gym, located at 1527 NW. Sixth Street. Marhefka said he has completed the Murph Challenge four times and raised more than $1,000 each year in Jonathan Cote’s memory.

Cote, who was Marhefka’s fraternity brother in Sigma Phi Epsilon at UF, died after being held captive in Iraq for 523 days, beginning in November 2006.

Marhefka, 30, started the Jon Cote Memorial Scholarship to preserve the memory of “someone who was willing to help others first,” he said.

Cote returned to school after serving in the 82nd Airborne Division in the Army. His story fueled Marhefka’s idea to give money to veterans going to college for their first semesters, particularly those attending Santa Fe College and UF.

Funded by philanthropies, Cote’s family and friends and the Greek community at UF, the scholarship gives winners $1,500 to bridge the gap between the start of school and the time veterans receive benefits from the G.I. Bill, Marhefka said. The G.I. Bill provides service members with money to pay for tuition, housing and other fees while they attend college.

B3 Gym’s Memorial Day Murph Challenge will raise more than $1,000 for the scholarship this year, he said.

B3, BE STRONG

Jennifer Sager, 40, works on completing 100 pull-ups for the Memorial Day Murph Challenge at B3 Gym. Sager was determined to finish no matter how long it took and said, "I would be doing this if I was 60; I'd still be coming out here."

Jennifer Sager, a 40-year-old member of B3 Gym and a veterinary nurse at UF, donated $25 to attempt the challenge in honor of her friends and family who served in the military.

“It’s about completing the workout today no matter how long it takes,” Sager said.

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Katherine Martinez-Malo, a 41-year-old high school teacher, wore a boot on her injured foot while doing the challenge.

“This place inspires me,” she said. “This boot is just one more obstacle that I can overcome; that’s what this place has taught me.”

The gym was filled with cheers of encouragement from those watching on the sidelines as competitors found their breath and willpower.

“(Cote) would probably have something to say to us: ‘Just keep serving and helping people,’” Marhefka said.

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