Runners of the Equinox

Photo By Spc. Alisha Hauk | Chief Warrant Officer William "Chip" Steele, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division lethal targeting officer, runs the Equinox Marathon for the second year in a row. Steele was 40 when he decided to run, for the first time, one of the most difficult marathons on North America.  

FAIRBANKS, UNITED STATES

10.26.2008

Story by Pfc. Alisha Hauk 

14th Public Affairs Detachment

By Pfc. Alisha Nye
14th Public Affairs Detachment

FAIRBANKS, ALASKA -- The Equinox Marathon held in Fairbanks, Alaska, annually is one of the most difficult marathons in the United States. It is bested only by the Pike's Peak Marathon. This fact still didn't stop Chief Warrant Officer William "Chip" Steele from making it the first marathon he ever ran. Even at the age of 40. It also didn't stop him from running it again.

"I ran it last year and I had so much fun," said the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division lethal targeting officer.

When he finished, he finagled a promise out of his one of his buddies to run the next with him.

"It's funny," said 1st Lt. Michael Ward, 1st SBCT, 25th Inf. Div., assistant brigade fire support officer. "I promised my battle buddy, Chief Steele, that I would run it with him. My wife and I had a trip planned that weekend but we ended up cancelling the trip and we thought we'd be moving out, coming over to Iraq."

All Steele heard was his battle buddy chickening out.

"I think he told me he would run it thinking we wouldn't be there and we'd be deployed," Steele said. "That's my take on it."

So, what do you do when a man goes back on his word? You tell on him.

"Chief Steele wouldn't lay off me about not running it," Ward said. "He called my wife and called me out on it."

"Yeah," said Steele. "I called his wife and told her that he was a Nancy Boy and he's not a real man and stuff like that."

So, Ward caved.

"As reluctant as I was, I just woke up one morning and was like, 'Hey, why not?'"

Steele and ward both agreed once you run one marathon, you'll find yourself wanting to run more marathons.

"I even tried to plan my leave around on in Memphis," Ward said. "I hope that'll all pan out."

As addicting as marathon running is, it still doesn't come easy. Especially not when you wake up two weeks before a 26.2-mile marathon through mountainous terrain and just decide you want to run it, Ward said.

"About nine or 10 miles into it, it's all straight uphill," ward said. "It's about a 2,500 to 3,000-foot elevation change. So when you get to the nine or 10-mile mark, you shoot straight uphill."

But, the hills were only part of the challenge to Ward.

"In all honesty, it got pretty depressing around mile 21," he said. "It's like, 'Ah, I only have 5 miles left!' And then around mile six or seven I got stung by bees."

Also difficult to ward was a straight, one mile downhill drop for about a mile.

To Steele, starting the marathon to begin with was the most difficult part.

"Starting, I think, is the hardest part. You're thinking, 'Am I really about to run 26.2 miles?'"

Despite the challenges of the rough Alaskan terrain, both Steele and Ward agree that it is something they are glad they have done.

"There's a few of us guys who like to run it each year," Steele said. "It's kind of a fun thing, to challenge yourself."

"It was a lot of fun," Ward said. "It's definitely something worthwhile."

• Date Taken: 10.26.2008
• Date Posted: 10.26.2008 05:20
• Story ID: 25564
• Location: FAIRBANKS, US