Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Tina Eichenour | U.S. Army Spc. Whitney Lake sprints to the finish line of the OneAmerica 500 Festival...... read more read more
CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait - May is an exciting month in Indianapolis. And for one Indiana Army National Guard unit deployed to Kuwait, it was about bringing a sense of the city to the desert by hosting a shadow running of One America 500 Festival Mini-Marathon.
Back home in Indiana, as race cars begin zooming around the track, the city prepares for the various activities associated with the month of May. One of those activities is the largest half marathon in the U.S., which the 38th Sustainment Brigade hosted at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, May 3.
Warrant Officer Moriah Addington, event coordinator for the shadow run from the 38th SB, said the event was part of keeping with the traditions back home in Indiana and what soldiers started years ago.
“It is a big history. They [service members] have been doing it since 1991 at FOBs and bases all over,” said Addington. “The month of May in Indianapolis is a huge event. It’s about the Indianapolis cars, the racing of the Indy 500, it’s just a huge tradition and like a big party for the whole month of May.”
Some participants in the shadow run had special ties to the one being held in Indianapolis on May 4. Several soldiers from Indiana were running for their families who will be running back home.
One soldier, Capt. Mark Tennison, a contracting officer with the 38th SB, said his daughter will be running in the half marathon.
“I know she would be doing it in Indianapolis and I wanted to do it here; so we could kind of support each other,” said Tennison, from Fort Wayne, Ind.
The 38th SB Special Troops Battalion top enlisted soldier, Command Sgt. Maj. Scott Andrews, from Monticello, Ind., said he has seven family members running in the half marathon and the 5K on Saturday. “I think it is awesome that they are volunteering to do it back home.”
Approximately 400 participants ran in the shadow running of the half marathon and many of the Indiana natives are already making plans to run next year at home.
“This was my first one and I am ready to run the one next year in Indy,” said Spc. Whitney Lake, the second place male finisher of the shadow run.
The half marathon is just one tradition in the start of many events leading up to the Memorial Day weekend activities in Indianapolis.
| Date Taken: | 05.03.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 05.03.2013 11:26 |
| Story ID: | 106292 |
| Location: | KW |
| Web Views: | 251 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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