This Change to Boot Camp Training Could Cut Recruit Injury Rates Recruits with Mike Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, conduct a 5K Hike Aug. 25, 2018 on Parris Island, S.C. (Dana Beesle/U.S. Marine Corps) 3 May 2021 MCRD SAN DIEGO -- When the first-ever platoon of female Marine recruits landed here at the Corps' West Coast recruit depot earlier this year, their training was just as difficult as that of their male counterparts -- but differed in one small, important way. Lima Company, the platoon's parent unit, was one of two recruit companies selected to participate in a study assessing a progressive approach to hiking under a combat load, a key component of training. The two companies each swapped out one high-impact running event, such as a track-style workout, for a hike. The length of the hike and the weight of the load progressed stepwise: As the weight increased, the length would decrease temporarily to allow recruits' bodies time to adapt.