Race the Ranger 2026

The 6th Ranger Training Battalion invites you to its Annual Open House and Race the Ranger 2026.

Race the Ranger is a 4.3-mile trail run that challenges participants to compete against the top runner from the 6th Ranger Training Battalion. The course features a mix of sand, gravel, dirt, and pavement, testing endurance across varied terrain. The race is open to all ages and those who are unable to run are welcome to walk.

All participants will receive a commemorative T-shirt, and top finishers will be awarded a unique Ranger medal.

Following the race, all runners and spectators are invited to enjoy our open house festivities, listed below.

Time and Location

Race begins promptly at 0800 CST 16 May, 2026 at The Gator Lounge: 6069 Walkers Lane Eglin AFB, FL 32542.

Race check-in will begin at 0700. Please arrive no later than 0730.

Course Description

The course begins at the Gator Lounge, starting with approximately one mile of pavement. It then transitions into three miles of trails through deep Florida sand and loose dirt, before finishing with a final quarter-mile uphill sprint back to the Gator. The course runs through the Ranger training area, giving you the opportunity to take on the same terrain that Ranger students have faced for years!

Parking

Free parking will be available around Camp Rudder.

Directions

The primary and only paved access route into Camp Rudder begins in Fort Walton Beach at the intersection of Lewis Turner Boulevard and Nine Mile Road. From there, continue on Nine Mile Road and turn left onto Five Mile Road. Follow Five Mile Road until you reach Three Mile Road, then turn right. Three Mile Road leads directly to Camp James E. Rudder.

Festivities

All race the ranger participants are welcome to join the open house following the race which will include:

• Live Reptile Show

• Airborne Ranger Parachutist Demonstration

• Rangers in Action close combat and combatives demonstration

• Car Show

• Food Trucks

INFORMATION FOR NON-DoW PERSONNEL AND GUESTS

Due to heightened security measures, Eglin Air Force Base has changed their base access procedures. All persons gaining access EAFB and materials are subject to search upon request by Security Forces personnel. EAFB is a Federal installation and all Federal regulations apply as well as state and local laws.

As such contraband items are not authorized on federal properties to include: firearms, open or concealed; knives with blades in excess of 3 inches in length; or any possible weapons of any type; explosives, ammunition, incendiaries or fireworks of any type; and no illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia.

The History of Camp James E. Rudder and The 6th Ranger Training Battalion:

6th Ranger Training Battalion Camp James E. Rudder is the final stage of the nine-week Army Ranger course that starts at Fort Moore, GA., and continues in the mountains of northern Georgia. After parachuting into Camp Rudder, the students spend 18 days learning small unit tactics and waterborne operations, including stream crossings. The Ranger course is designed to develop military leaders who are physically and mentally tough and self-disciplined. It challenges them to think, act, and react effectively under stress approaching that found in combat. 6th Ranger Training Battalion's mission is to develop the leadership and combat functional skills of future ground combat leaders by making them conduct missions in a tactically realistic environment under physical and mental stresses that approach those found in combat. Included in the field training exercises are airborne and helicopter assaults, small boat operations, river crossings, and swamp movements. Leadership skills are taxed when

conducting small unit operations in a simulated combat environment by the daily challenges students encounter including severe weather, swampy terrain, periods of sleep and food deprivation, mental and physical fatigue, as well as emotional stress. The 6th Ranger Training Battalion's parent organization is the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade located at Fort Moore, Georgia.

The Florida Ranger Camp was established November 15, 1951 by, then, MAJ Arthur "Bull" Simons who was named the Commander of the Amphibious/Jungle Training Committee at Auxiliary Field Seven, which was the initial location of the Camp. Colonel Simons was later the Commander of the prisoner of war rescue attempt on Son Tay, North Vietnam. The Florida Ranger Camp remained at Field 7 for 20 years until it was moved to Field 6 in January 1970. In June 1974, the Florida Ranger Camp as officially renamed Camp James E. Rudder in honor of MG James E. Rudder, who commanded the 2d Ranger Battalion when it scaled the cliffs at Pointe Du Hoc, France, during the 1944 D-Day Normandy invasion.

Event details and schedule