On a searing hot Thursday, four active-duty Navy SEALs and a Coast Guardsman completed a 95-mile reverse triathlon from Mount Washington to Casco to raise money for military family programs at Camp Sunshine.

In 90-degree heat on July 30, the five servicemen ran 7.6 miles down Mount Washington, biked 83.4 miles to the shores of Sebago Lake in Naples, and swam 3.9 miles to a beach adjacent to the Casco camp, where they were greeted by hundreds of cheering onlookers, including the Freeport Flag Ladies.

The triathlon, dubbed “The Summit to Sunshine Challenge,” has raised more than $125,000 so far. The money will fund a year-round program that enables military families to participate in weeklong sessions at the camp, which is a retreat for children with life-threatening illnesses and their immediate families. Last year, four Navy SEALs swam 13 miles across Sebago Lake from Raymond to Casco in a similar fundraiser called “Going the Distance,” the first of its kind.

According to camp officials, it took the servicemen 11 hours to complete the triathlon, arriving at Camp Sunshine just after 4 p.m. In South Paris, the servicemen stopped at the Maine Veterans’ Home to shake hands with some residents. At one point, one of the triathlon participants became so dehydrated during the bicycle ride that he had to be hooked up to an IV.

Camp Sunshine Executive Director Michael Katz, who followed the triathlon in a support van, said the show of endurance was awe-inspiring.

“It sent chills up your spine as they were doing the course and people were coming out to the side of the road waving flags cheering them on,” Katz said. “There would be people that were cutting wood that would stop in their tracks and give the SEALs a thumbs-up as they went by, cheering them on. With about 100 degree heat coming off the hot pavement, the guys really needed the inspiration of those around them.”

“It’s just amazing to see what they can do between the physical caliber of strength and the sheer will and fortitude,” Katz added. “On Thursday, it was brutally hot.”

A Windham native who is an aide-to-camp to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff led the Summit to Sunshine Challenge. Cmdr. Mike W. – the SEALs have requested that their full last names be withheld, in accordance with Navy protocol – graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1998, and has served as an active-duty Navy SEAL for 17 years, with seven deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq and locations in Asia. Mike W. initiated and led the SEALs for Sunshine swim last year, as well.

“Camp Sunshine presented a great cause, Lake Sebago presented a good challenge, and in many ways I was looking for both,” he said. “So it just seemed to fit. I have been serving our country in uniform for 20 years, and I strongly believe that being a servant is more than just what I do in uniform. It also extends into the community.”

After completing the triathlon, the servicemen spent three hours Thursday evening signing autographs and taking photographs with the children staying at Camp Sunshine, all of whom have brain tumors.

According to Katz, the SEALs for Sunshine event last year raised about $200,000, thanks to matching donations. The funds raised this year will go toward continued programming for military families, as well as funding to transport the families to the Casco camp.

Anna Gould, Camp Sunshine co-founder, said the SEALs would be back next year – although there was no telling what they would do when they returned.

“I don’t know what they’re going to be coming up with next year, but they are committed to coming back – that’s the important thing,” Gould said. “I keep trying to convince them that they don’t need to do such daunting tasks.”

At Sebago Lake in Casco, in front of hundreds of onlookers, four Navy SEALs and a Coast Guardsman celebrate their completion of a 95-mile reverse triathlon on July 30. The event raised more than $125,000 for Camp Sunshine, the Casco retreat for children suffering from life-threatening illnesses. Staff photo by Ezra SilkFive active-duty servicemen celebrated their 11-hour reverse triathlon on the afternoon of July 30 at Point Sebago Resort in Casco. Last year, four active-duty Navy SEALs completed a 13-mile swim across Sebago Lake in a similar fundraising effort for Camp Sunshine, the Casco retreat for children suffering from life-threatening illnesses.Staff photos by Ezra SilkHundreds of people waited on the shores of Sebago Lake in Casco for the servicemen to finish their reverse triathlon arrive on the afternoon of July 30.