ACES running for Army Ten-Miler

Photo By Chung Il Kim | Capt. Terry Hill, Sgt. 1st Class James Dyke, and Pfc. Marcus Pena from the 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade are training to prepare for the Army Ten-Miler on Camp Humphreys, South Korea.  

PYEONGTAEK, 41, SOUTH KOREA

08.14.2015

Story by Chung Il Kim 

2nd Combat Aviation Brigade

CHAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea -- On a dim, humid morning, the atmosphere at Camp Humphreys is charged with military cadence, rhythmic footsteps, and anticipation. Three sweat-drenched Soldiers sprinted their way through the last stretch of their ten-mile morning run along the airfield.

Capt. Terry Hill, Sfc. James Dyke, and Pfc. Marcus Pena from 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 2d Infantry Division are running and training for many different reasons. They are training to prepare for the 31st Annual Army Ten-Miler (ATM) race is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 11, in Washington D.C.

Produced by the U.S. Army Military District of Washington, ATM is the third largest 10-mile race in the world and attracts 35,000 military and civilian runners from around the globe. All race proceeds benefit Soldier and Family morale, welfare, and recreation programs

“We train on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday,” said Capt. Terry Hill, the Co. D commander, 3-2 GSAB. “On Monday, we do sprint workout. On Wednesday, we do a long airfield run. On Saturday, we also do a long run, but we run off post.”

Instead of going all the way to Washington D.C., these Soldiers will be running in South Korea during the night when the running will be occurring in the United States.
“Running for my battalion, I feel like I’m being a part of the Aces family,” said Pfc. Marcus Pena, a Chinook repairer from 3-2GSAB, pointing at the battalion slogan ‘ACES’ on his sweat-soaked battalion T-shirt. “At first I could barely pass the two-mile run,” said Pfc. Pena, sipping water from his camel back. “After practices, I could run 5 miles good.”
Pena said he could quit smoking cigarettes after he started running. “I could feel my lungs getting stronger. I also lost lots of weight,” said Pena.

“Have you ran 10 miles?” Sfc. James Dyke, a Maintenance Platoon Sergeant from 3-2GSAB, asked, holding his breath. “10 miles is long!”

Sfc. Dyke has been running for 13 years and he claims himself to be a professional runner. Nevertheless, he says 10 miles run is challenging. “Everyone in the Army should try this Ten-Miler once during his or her service,” said Dyke, wiping the sweat on his forehead. “It is a worthy experience”
These Soldiers all have different reasons to run and motivate themselves to train, participate and complete the Army Ten-miler. At the end of the day these Soldiers are coming together as a team and will test their physical and mental ability to complete the race, an accomplishment that some say all Soldiers should try once.

• Date Taken: 08.14.2015
• Date Posted: 08.14.2015 02:23
• Story ID: 173143
• Location: PYEONGTAEK, 41, KR