PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Bright and early June 24, eight soldiers from the 701st Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, ran a half marathon through the streets of Forward Operating Base Sharana.
The run was a “shadow race” of the Kona Half Marathon, meaning that it occurred on the same day and time as the annual race that takes place at Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort on Hawaii’s Kona coast.
Awards were given for the best male and female times, and to the service member with the fastest time. Coming in strong for the brigade, 1st Lt. Kathryn Buckland, a native of Leesburg, Va., and the 701st BSB’s medical logistics officer, received the award for the best female time, coming in at one hour, 53 minutes.
All participants in the race, which included contractors and civilians working on FOB Sharana, received a Kona Marathon tee shirt at the end of the race. Buckland, a running enthusiast, is already working to organize more “shadow races” for the unit’s remaining time in Afghanistan.