Photo By Lt. Col. Allen Hing | Maj. Ross Coffey and Lt. Col. Mark Collins throw up a "shaka" after the completion of...... read more read more
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By Maj. Al Hing
2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Public Affairs Office
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – A collective sigh rose from the support team members, who spent months preparing for the Satellite Honolulu Marathon after 168 participants began the race Dec. 14 in Iraq at Camp Taji.
The sound of the starting air horn marked a moment of success – the success which months of preparation resulted a professionally executed marathon.
Simultaneously, 168 runners inhaled deeply and began the marathon across Camp Taji. The moment of truth arrived. Most spent months training for this run. Some trained alone while others trained with partners who were thousands of miles away in Hawaii.
The wives of some participants and support group members also set aside time training for the Honolulu Marathon. They ran the race in Honolulu, approximately 12 hours after the starting horn in Iraq.
Along the 26.2-mile course were a plethora of medical support, provided by the medics of the 225th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team "Warrior," 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, and water points, all manned by volunteers from the units and agencies across Camp Taji.
"It's a great opportunity to support the runners," said Capt. Yolanda Gray-Davis, a native of Jackson, Miss., officer in charge of the level two medical facility on Camp Taji, who also served as the overall medical support team leader during the marathon. Davis is assigned to 225th BSB. "It was a great chance to do sports medicine on the spot. With our physical therapist, we got the opportunity to do immediate sports therapy for turned ankles, sore knees ... we had a lot of fun just being there taking care of the Soldiers."
The aid station was set and stocked with ace bandages, braces and wraps many hours prior to the first runners signing in to receive their race numbers. The medical teams received briefs and were ready to hit any point on the course to render aid to a runner in distress.
The water points along the routes were also fully stocked with water, Gatorade, energy bars and high carbohydrate energy gel that is specifically designed for endurance athletes.
The gel was part of the support forwarded to Camp Taji from the Warrior Brigade wives and support groups in Hawaii. The team leaders of Lori Gleichenhaus, Elizabeth Woodruff and Kelly Parsons ensured runners were supplied with plenty of energy and t-shirts.
Lori Gleichenhaus was also instrumental in executing simultaneous training runs, which were run by packs of runners in Camp Taji and back at Schofield Barracks. Runners in Iraq ran Sunday mornings while their counterparts in Hawaii trained Sunday evenings.
The Hawaii running team's preparation was an extension from the wives' efforts of "Walk to Iraq and Back," which logged enough walking miles to go to Iraq and back twice.
"Running while the wives of some of our Warriors were running, while we were half the globe away, is a really great motivating factor for the training runs," said 1st Lt. Clayton Cole, a native of Gunnison, Colo., and event coordinator assigned to 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd SBCT. "We knew they were training too, so it made it fun as well as beneficial in preparing for the marathon."
Their support, determination and grit were appreciated by all the runners and those who didn't run as well.
"The wives are just plain super," said Lt.Col Joseph Gleichenhaus, a Honolulu native, and commander 2nd Bn. 11th FA Regt. Though he didn't participate in the Iraq race, he was in awe of the support from back home.
"The wives' team supported us, found time to run and did it all while being single moms while we're here. The support for the marathon is unbelievable, and I can't begin to thank them enough, and I know the runners benefitted. The thought that they'll be running in the Honolulu Marathon is great. "
And great it was – in Hawaii and in Iraq.
Cole said organizing the event was a difficult but very rewarding experience.
The help from service members and civilians who volunteered were invaluable. Those individuals set up and manned water and food points to keep runners hydrated and their energy levels high. The professional quality of the Satellite Honolulu Marathon was evident.
"One runner told me that our water points were better than Hawaii," said Cole, "and that made me feel good. I was very happy that the volunteers took ownership in their station and took in the spirit of the marathon,"
"It was hard, but I'm ready for more," said Cole. "As I walked to my room after the race, I reflected back on the last nine months of planning. Even though a huge [burden] has been lifted off my back, I was eager for more.
"I want to pursue race planning to a higher level. Next year, some time, I want to direct a 10-K or 10-miler. I want it to be just like you ones see on TV."
| Date Taken: | 12.19.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 12.19.2008 03:33 |
| Story ID: | 27883 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 539 |
| Downloads: | 439 |
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