Teams compete to pull FedEx plane 12 feet in Long Beach for Special Olympics charity

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- It's not easy to move a 124,000-pound FedEx cargo plane, but when you have a team of 25 backing you up while raising money for the Special Olympics - the plane is on the move at the Long Beach Airport.

"It's just like pulling a semi-truck and everything, and it's just so heavy. But you've got motivated people and everything. What more can you ask for?" athlete Chris Munyon said.

It's one of Munyon's favorite events because he gets to see so many Special Olympics friends from across Southern California. Last year, $151,000 was raised. So far this year, more than $181,000 has been raised.

"My teammates right here are just day-in and day-out. It's just being with your friends, close family, it's fun," Munyon said.

Fifty teams compete to see who can move the plane 12 feet the fastest. The winning team got a trophy.

"We have events, we have booths, we have facepainting. We have everything to make it a real fun family day," coordinator Adam Christin said.

Christin is a retired CHP lieutenant who also serves as a coach for the Special Olympics.

"The greatest part about it is that the athletes are very loving. The fact is that what they do is they give more to me and to everyone else out here than we ever get from them. It's just an amazing thing," he said.

All the fund raised go directly to the Special Olympics athletes to help them buy uniforms, pay for transportation and enter competitions.