In the early morning hours, you may see a group of men working out at Rapho Township Community Park or at Mountville Community Park. What you might not know is that they're doing more than exercising. They're practicing the "three Fs." As members of F3, the guys are engaging in fitness, fellowship and faith.

To celebrate the fifth anniversary of F3 Lanco, the group will host a Manniversary workout at Rapho Township Community Park, 960 Strickler Road, Mount Joy, on Saturday, Oct. 22. The workout will begin at 7 a.m. and will be followed by fellowship over coffee and breakfast sandwiches. Men of all ages and all fitness levels are invited to join the group.

Kevin Keel, who is in charge of recruitment for F3 Lanco, noted that the local group began when Gary Fyke relocated to the area from Chicago, where he had participated in an F3 group. F3 is a national network of free, peer-led workouts that began in 2006 with a mission "to plant, grow and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership." Each F3 meeting follows five core principles: It is free of charge, it's open to all men, it's held outdoors rain or shine, it's peer led and it ends in a Circle of Trust. As Keel explained, the Circle of Trust is a time of prayer and an opportunity to build camaraderie among the participants. Each workout concludes with coffee and time for fellowship.

Keel joined F3 Lanco three years ago after he was introduced to the group by a friend. "I immediately loved it, the encouragement of the guys," he said. "One of the things that attracted me the most is that this is not a judgmental group. We're encouraging."

Keel noted that his teenage son often joins him for workouts and that the group has members of all ages, from boys younger than his son to men in their 60s and 70s. "This is open to anyone, even if you've never worked out before. There is something for everyone," he stated. "You can modify the workout however you need to."

Over the years, the group has experienced some memorable workouts due to the F3 policy of never canceling no matter the weather. A few years ago, when the guys arrived at the Rapho Park after a snowstorm, they realized the parking lot hadn't been plowed, but they didn't let that stop them. "We were running and doing all kinds of things, including bear crawls, out in the snow," Keel said with a laugh.

Keel encourages anyone with an interest in working out or making friends to come to the Manniversary event. "It's really more than a workout," he remarked. "It's really a network of friends that I've built, and these guys are my best friends. I went from not having many guy friends to having a lot of them. I can honestly say it's changed my life."

F3 Lanco meets at Rapho Township Community Park at 4:30 a.m. on Tuesdays, at 5:30 a.m. on Thursdays and at 7 a.m. on Saturdays. The group meets at Mountville Community Park, 351 N. Lemon St., at 5:30 a.m. on Wednesdays and 7 a.m. on Saturdays. For more information on F3 Lanco, visit http://www.f3lanco.com or email f3lanco@f3lanco.com.