The intense fitness competition was created to honor military veterans who serve our country, draw increased attention to the veteran suicide epidemic, and raise funds for the National Center for Healthy Veterans.
In 2023, a group of Liberty University students led by business major Nick Salonites launched a new charitable organization focused on helping struggling veterans in Central Virginia.
“I grew up meeting a lot of vets and war heroes, so from an early age that was kind of molded into me,” Salonites explained when asked what had inspired him to undertake such an endeavor. “Call it a burden, but it was put on me to do something. Going to a school like Liberty and what it stands for, I figured, ‘Why can’t we do something like this at Liberty?’”
The result was the “LU Murph Challenge,” an ultra-competitive athletic event that aims to honor the brave men and women who have given their lives in service to this nation and to raise awareness of the fact that an average of 22 veterans are lost to suicide each day.
The “Murph Challenge” is named in honor of Lt. Michael Patrick Murphy, a Navy Seal who was killed in action in Afghanistan while saving his team.
All proceeds from the event are donated to the National Center for Healthy Veterans (NHCV) in nearby Altavista, a local Christian charity that offers a nine-month holistic recovery program for veterans through resiliency training, supportive community, and dignified work.
Now in its third year, the LU Murph Challenge will take place this coming Saturday, November 15, at Liberty University’s Indoor Track. The competition requires participants to complete a mile-long run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, and 300 air squats, before concluding with a second mile-long run.
Last year, more than 1,300 individuals participated in the challenge, raising over $85,000 in total donations and garnering over 300,000 views on social media.
Kyle Conard, president of the LU Murph Challenge and a Liberty student, said that the organization’s mission is focused on two key outcomes: bringing glory to God and helping veterans.
This year’s theme is “Not About Me.”
“We wanted to highlight the humility and sacrifice our service members embody in the heat of battle,” said Conrad.
This year, the student organizers of the LU Murph Challenge aim to do even better, setting a goal to have more than 3,000 people participate in the fitness challenge and raise in excess of $100,000.
They are also offering both a new, kid-friendly workout and a series of weightlifting competitions that will award winners in various categories.
Those who can’t attend the 2025 Murph Challenge in person can participate in a “Virtual Murph Challenge.” This feature enables competitors from around the world to perform the challenging workout and submit their results to an online leaderboard to see how they fared against others.
The event is being supported by more than 25 partners and sponsors, among them the Standing for Freedom Center.
Following the event, attendees will enjoy a concert by Indie folk artist and LU alumnus Luke Rob, and several veteran heroes are scheduled to speak, including Nick Freitas, Chadd Wright, and Maj. Gen. Bob Dees, who leads the NHCV.
The student visionaries behind the event also say that the extensive media coverage they hope to receive will drive home the message of preventing veteran suicide.
The Standing for Freedom Center is proud to be one of the sponsors of this year’s LU Murph Challenge. Without our veterans and armed forces members putting their lives on the line for us each and every day, making sacrifices that few are prepared to make, we simply would not have the freedoms and liberties we enjoy today, including our ability to openly worship God and practice the values of the Christian faith.
Christians must recognize what an inconceivable tragedy it is that veteran suicide has become such an epidemic in 21st century America, and that, we as the body of Christ, must stand in the gap and support our veterans.
The 2025 LU Murph Challenge will get underway at the LU Indoor Track. It will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The after-event concert starts at 7 p.m. at the Spirit of Virginia Arena in Altavista, Virginia.
For more information and to register for the Murph Challenge, as well as to purchase tickets for the concert following the event, please click HERE.
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