National Guard Marathon changes locations due to COVID-19

Photo By Staff Sgt. Tegan Kucera | The winner of the Omaha Marathon, Sept. 20, 2020, was Capt. Kenny Rayner from the California National Guard. The Omaha Marathon was still able to proceed during the COVID-19 pandemic with certain safety precautions taken like temperature checks, masks, and social distancing. The National Guard moved their marathon this year to Omaha, Neb., as the normal location in Lincoln was cancelled earlier in the year. (Photo by Michigan National Guard Staff Sgt. Tegan Kucera)  

OMAHA, NEBRASKA, UNITED STATES

10.01.2020

Story by Staff Sgt. Tegan Kucera 

Michigan National Guard

OMAHA, Neb. – When one door closes another one opens, and when the Lincoln marathon was cancelled in March, the Nebraska National Guard had to wait for another marathon.
For 36 years the Lincoln Marathon has been synonymous with the National Guard marathon; the two are held together in a partnership that works well for both parties. The National Guard is able to use the platform to get times to determine who will be on their All-Guard marathon team and the Lincoln Marathon gets a lot of Soldiers working at the event. This year, the Lincoln Marathon was not able to be held because of the dark cloud placed over large gatherings by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“You always have to put safety first in your considerations, and it’s a more prevalent consideration when you’re in a pandemic environment,” said Col. Eric Teegerstrom, the operations officer for the Nebraska National Guard.
Luckily for the National Guard, Omaha was set on holding their 45th annual marathon on September 20, 2020. The Nebraska endurance State coordinator, Sgt. 1st Class Mark Jones, was holding his breath waiting for it to be cancelled and had even planned for an alternate event in order to have a 2020 All-Guard team which turned out to be unnecessary.
“We adapted and overcame the challenge,” said Jones.
The Omaha marathon is not nearly as large as the one in Lincoln, and this year was even smaller. Many things had to be done differently: completion medals were handed out at registration, temperatures were taken before the start of the race, runners had to wear a mask right up until the race began, and the runners went in waves instead of all at once to promote social distancing.
“In everybody’s heart they want to have a since of normalcy at a certain level; I believe that if you do the proper procedures you can do things safely,” said Teegerstrom. “We wanted to give our service members something that is still within the realm of normalcy.”
Running the marathon is normal for many, but this normal came with other changes like the water stations. The water was not handed out, runners had to slow to get their hydration and all containers were covered. It was also volunteers who were preparing the stations – not the dozens of Soldiers who are typically tasked with working the marathon as part of their drill weekend.
“I thought it was a really good experience and I’m excited I got to do it,” said Staff Sgt. Erica Risner a legal clerk with the 177th Military Police Brigade headquarters, headquarters company in Taylor, Michigan. Risner was one of four Michigan National Guard members who competed in the marathon.
This was the first time Risner has participated in the National Guard marathon, and only her second marathon. She had run the Detroit marathon in October 2019, and her goal of running a marathon turned into the goal of running one for the military. Her new goal is to make the All-Guard team. Even though it was hard for her to keep training past May when the Lincoln marathon would have been, she is happy to have represented her state of Michigan.
“The possibility for a Soldier just being here creates an automatic representation to bring back to others,” said Jones.
Jones has been a part of the All-Guard team for years and knows many others and so always likes to see new faces added into the mix.
“I know a lot of people who need this in their lives, because it retains a vast majority who try out for it,” said Jones.
Now that Risner has a new goal for herself, she will keep coming back for more.
“It was a good run, but it was a lot different without the crowd because usually you have crowds and they are super motivating just having people cheer you on and this was way different,” said Risner.
The National Guard was still able to safely hold a marathon in Omaha. Those who are pros may have missed their old stomping grounds, but got to see another part of the state. For the newbies, it gives them something to look forward to for next year after their first taste of competition at this level. All came away safely with a chance to join the All-Guard team to represent the National Guard. (Story by Michigan Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Tegan Kucera)

• Date Taken: 10.01.2020
• Date Posted: 10.01.2020 13:35
• Story ID: 379997
• Location: OMAHA, NEBRASKA, US