Guantanamo hosts Army Ten-Miler Shadow Run

Photo By Sgt. Spencer Rhodes | A Naval Station Guantanamo Bay resident runs down one of the steeper hills during his second leg of Saturday’s Army Ten-Miler event. The competition was an official Army Ten-Miler Shadow Run hosted by Joint Task Force Guantanamo’s 525th Military Police Battalion.  

GUANTANAMO BAY , CUBA

10.16.2014

Story by Sgt. Spencer Rhodes 

Joint Task Force Guantanamo Public Affairs

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - Nearly 30,000 runners invaded Washington, for the annual Army Ten-Miler event, the largest 10 mile race in the world, Sunday. Individuals and military units from all over the world participate every year, including Joint Task Force Guantanamo’s 525th Military Police Battalion, who sent 12 of their own runners to compete. As is tradition in many places, the 525th hosted an Army Ten-Miler Shadow Run, organized by the 342nd MP Company and officially sponsored by Navy Federal Credit Union. Service members and Naval Station Guantanamo Bay residents could run for their own goals or shadow a peer, friend or family member who may be running the same race elsewhere.

Army 1st Sgt. William Schultz, first sergeant for the 342nd MP Company, said the support for Saturday’s race exceeded expectations, with the volunteer force for the race outnumbering the morning’s 115 runners.

“It goes to show the community that exists here in GTMO along with the camaraderie between all the different Service members who work together here,” said Schultz.

Despite not having tens of thousands of runners and the myriad of personal stories that go with such a large attendance, GTMO’s own race still had participants with unique experiences and reasons for running. Some just wanting to finish the race to show they could do it, while others have been doing it for a couple of years.

Army Staff Sgts. Karen Skoczylas and David Camara from the 747th MP Company have been running the 10-miler for the past five years. Their first time, they signed up for the Washington D.C. race ahead of time while still deployed to Iraq, and have done their best to fly out for the race ever since. This year was their fifth time running and their first time not in the nation’s capitol.

“In the past we’ve run alongside all kinds of people, including wounded warriors,” said Skoczylas. “This time we’re getting to run it with other branches that support wounded warriors.”

Army Pfc. Nick Tano amongst others came out to shadow his fellow 342nd Soldier who was part of the 12 sent to Washington, D.C. Tano came just short of reaching his goal time but says simply finishing felt awesome, as he’s never run the Army Ten-Miler before. The GTMO route ran from the Windjammer parking lot to Windmill Beach and back, with volunteers cheering and handing out water along the way.

• Date Taken: 10.16.2014
• Date Posted: 10.16.2014 13:58
• Story ID: 145239
• Location: GUANTANAMO BAY , CU