Photo By Cpl. Jackson Kirkiewicz | U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Tyler Halliday, a water maintenance technician, and 1st Lt....... read more read more
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Boston, Massachusetts— It is 5:00 a.m., dark, with a hint of a mist in the air. You’re alternating from one leg to the other, trying to calm the jitters in your stomach as you stand behind the starting line. In your mind, you’re saying, the goal is to finish, I just need to finish.
The countdown begins over the speaker, “5..4..3..2..1,” bang, the gun goes off, signaling the beginning of the race.
To call U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Logan Book, and Cpl. Tyler Halliday your average Marine would be an understatement. After completing their first marathons in 2022 and 2023, they each qualified and accomplished a goal that runners around the world strive for, to compete in the Boston Marathon.
Officially beginning in 1897, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon and ranks as one of the world's best-known road racing events. In order for Book and Halliday to qualify for the 128th Boston Marathon, both met strict time requirements in qualifying races, a maximum of a three-hour finish for men, and a three-and-a-half-hour finish for women.
“Training definitely isn’t a walk in the park,” said 1st Lt. Logan Book, executive officer of Combat Engineer Company, 8th Engineer Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Battalion 27, “I'll wake up early and run before work, eat breakfast, and then head to work. It can definitely be tiring in a high-tempo environment like the Marine Corps.”
Prior to joining the Marine Corps, 1st Lt. Book was an athlete throughout school and played sports during her time at the United States Naval Academy. “Running was never really my sport,” said Book, “I was always really fast, like a sprinter, but I was never a distance runner.”
However, once Book arrived at The Basic School in Quantico, Virginia, her tune quickly changed. She made a friend that got her involved in distance running, even if that meant getting up at four in the morning on training days to run for a couple of hours.
Cpl. Tyler Halliday had a similar experience with his running journey.
“I didn't initially like running,” said Halliday, a water support technician with 8th ESB, CLR-27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, “But once I started running... I began to like it because it was difficult, it felt like I was overcoming something.”
Over time, Halliday became infatuated with running, and the feeling of overcoming challenges.
“When I was looking at the different branches, I wanted to challenge myself,” said Halliday, “I wanted to do something that was going to make me feel like I was accomplishing something greater than myself, which led me to the Marine Corps.”
After arriving to the fleet, both Book and Halliday continued their running journeys with the All-Marine Running Team. They learned their roles as Marines and continued to train on their own time until opportunities became available to link with their team prior to race day. Typically, there are four standard races each year that they can compete in.
Halliday explains that his training didn't stop even while he was deployed supporting exercises like Freezing Winds 22 in Finland and Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course in Yuma, Arizona.
“If you have to run in sand, if you have to run in the snow, you're going to do it because you have goals that you want to reach. You have things that you need to do that are more important than just being a little uncomfortable,” Halliday said.
Outside of their role on the All-Marine Running Team, their leaders stated they perform exceptionally well in their duties at 8th ESB. “Throughout my seventeen years of service, I can honestly say that 1st Lt. Book is the most thoughtful, empathetic, optimistic, and mission-first officer that I have had the pleasure to work with,” said 1st Sgt. Jacob Bublitz, senior enlisted advisor for CEC, 8th ESB, CLR-27.
“Halliday is a valuable leader in the section,” said Gunnery Sgt. Paul Alvarado, a utilities chief with 8th ESB, CLR-27, 2nd MLG, “He has the drive of a champion.”
With high praise for both 1st Lt. Book's leadership and Cpl. Halliday's dedication, it's clear that 8th ESB fosters a culture of excellence and determination among its ranks.
1st Lt. Book and Cpl. Halliday finished in the top 20 percent of all 30 thousand runners in the 128th Boston Marathon. Book completed her race with a time of 03:23:11, and Halliday ended with a time of 02:55:08. After completing the marathon, Book and Halliday expressed their gratitude at the chance to be able to compete in the race and stated that they will both continue their individual running journeys with more training. Both hope to get the chance to participate in the Boston Marathon again next year.
| Date Taken: | 04.15.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 04.26.2024 12:45 |
| Story ID: | 469622 |
| Location: | BOSTON, MA, US |
| Web Views: | 34 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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