Runners dominate half marathon, prepare for Army Ten-Miler win

Photo By Mary M. Rall | Forty-one runners turned out for the May 25 Army Ten-Miler qualifier at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. A qualifier was also featured at Fort Wainwright at the same time, and the fastest combined times from the two events were used to determine the men’s and women’s team members who’ll compete as part of U.S. Army Alaska’s Team Alaska Oct. 8 at the 2017 Army Ten-Miler in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Mary M. Rall/U.S. Army Alaska Public Affairs)  

NORTH POLE, AK, UNITED STATES

08.05.2017

Story by Mary M. Rall 

United States Army Alaska

By Mary M. Rall
U.S. Army Alaska Public Affairs

NORTH POLE, Alaska -- Members of U.S. Army Alaska’s Army Ten-Miler team ran merrily away with the top three times of the Santa Claus Half Marathon Aug. 5 in North Pole, solidifying Team Alaska as a contender for the 2017 Army Ten-Miler in Washington, D.C.
Leading the way for Team Alaska was 1st Lt. Japheth Ng’ojoy of Medical Activity-Alaska, who completed the 13.1-mile event with a time of 1:17:55, averaging about 5 minutes, 57 seconds per mile.
Second and third place were respectively seized by Spc. Jason Coupe of 70th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, with a time of 1:18:44 and Capt. Juan Bonnet with 5th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1-25th SBCT, who ran the event in 1:26:28.
Ng’ojoy is stationed at Fort Wainwright and was also a member of the 2016 Team Alaska Army Ten-Miler team. He said the Santa Claus Half Marathon served as a good platform for developing the training plan for the 2017 team.
“Today's event was important, as it’s slightly longer than what we’re training for,” Ng’ojoy said. “It helped identify our strengths endurance wise, and it also counts as one of our tempo runs.”
Lt. Col. Ron Oliver, of Eielson Air Force Base’s 168th Air Refueling Squadron was a member of the 2014 and 2015 Team Alaska Army Ten-Miler teams and helped coordinate the half marathon as the athletic director for the Fairbanks chapter of Team Red, White and Blue.
“I think it was the perfect time for a tune-up race. Nine weeks out gives enough time to assess the race performance and work on any weak areas that were noted,” Oliver said. “I also think it was beneficial that the event was longer than their upcoming race, but still near the same pace they'll expect to hold in D.C.”
Ng’ojoy said he felt great throughout the run and was pleased with how Team Alaska performed at the event.
“It felt like one of my Sunday morning runs or tempo runs. I tested out a semi-fast pace for the first three miles and then cruised through the last 10 miles, hoping that my teammates would catch up and run together as a team,” he said. “I was still glad to see them come in second and third, and we know what we need to work on during our training sessions.”
Bonnet is serving as Team Alaska’s team captain and was a four-time member of the Fort Lee Army Ten-Miler team. He said he has high hopes as to how Team Alaska will perform Oct. 8 at the 2017 Army Ten-Miler in Washington, D.C.
“Without a doubt, we are a podium team. We match up well against any installation in the military,” Bonnet said of the men’s team. “However, it will take quality training these last 60 days, staying healthy and executing a good and disciplined race strategy in D.C. for us to come back with the Commander's Cup—but it can be done.”
Bonnet said he also looks forward to seeing how Team Alaska’s first-ever women’s team performs at the event and to contributing to the development of its team members.
“We have to give everyone in USARAK the ability to show their talents at the Army level and to compete to win,” Bonnet said of the women’s team. “It starts with the inaugural team and will systematically create a pipeline of athletes from USARAK that will increase in quality the more we compete, not too different from the men's team.”
Master Sgt. Stacy Summey with Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson’s 673d Logistics Readiness Squadron is the sole Air Force service member on Team Alaska.
“I think it's a great honor to be part of a team in general to represent an installation,” Summey said. “For this to be the first women's team—that's even a bigger honor.”
Summey is also one of four service members from JBER who’ll be competing as part of Team Alaska, with the remaining six team members hailing from Fort Wainwright.
“I think it's very suiting to be assigned to a joint base and to have our team comprised of both Army and Air Force members,” Summey said. “In the end, I think it will be a great accomplishment to say I was part of the Army Ten-Miler event. It's one of the largest ten-mile race in the U.S.”
Team Alaska includes a five-person men’s and a five-person women’s team comprised of the top ten Army and Air Force competitors from qualifiers conducted May 25 at JBER and Fort Wainwright.
The men’s team consists of Bonnet, Ng’ojoy, Coupe, Spc. Nickolas Kelley with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division; and Spc. Jarel Rosas with 725th Brigade Support Battalion (Airborne), 4-25th IBCT (A).
The women’s team includes Summey, Capt. Emily Cumpton of 1st Squadron (Airborne), 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4-25th IBCT (A); 1st Lt. Calla Glavin with 5-1 Cav., 1-25th SBCT; Capt. Kelly Scott of MEDDAC; and 1st Lt. Colleen Cooper with 25th Brigade Support Battalion, 1-25th SBCT.
“We're going to put USARAK on the map and represent our units, our families and our team to the best of our ability,” Bonnet said of Team Alaska. “[I’m] very excited for what's to come.”

• Date Taken: 08.05.2017
• Date Posted: 08.08.2017 20:07
• Story ID: 244264
• Location: NORTH POLE, AK, US