Photo By Michael Strasser | Soldiers from across the 10th Mountain Division (LI) participate in the first...... read more read more
FORT DRUM, N.Y. (May 22, 2024) -- Now in its 40th year, the Army Ten-Miler in Washington, D.C., is a must-attend event – gathering more than 35,000 runners and hundreds of teams from around the world annually.
Eighteen Soldiers from Fort Drum will participate in October, but it’s still a question of who, as potential members put forth their best efforts during the first qualifier race May 22 outside Magrath Sports Complex.
Capt. Matt Clark, with the 1st Lt. John A. McCown Mountain Training Group, finished first on the six-mile course with a time of 36:34. He ran on the Fort Drum Army Ten-Miler Team last year and, before that, while attending college.
“The energy at the Army Ten-Miler is amazing,” he said. “It’s a great race, and it’s one of the biggest ten-miler races in the country.”
Clark said he will prepare for the Army Ten-Miler by running some of the local races in the North Country, such as the 18.12 Challenge in Sackets Harbor.
“I’ll probably also come back for another qualifier,” he said. “I’ve got some friends who are trying out, so I might try and pace them.”
First Lt. Jacq Fitzgerald, with 10th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, recorded a 41:58 time, which she said was a few minutes slower than normal.
“I anticipated a slower time because of the humidity today, just trying to acclimate to that,” she said. “But there’s lots of time to improve.”
Fitzgerald has attended the race in D.C. before, but she knows it is famous for the sights along the course and the cheering fans.
“I’m excited to just participate in an event that has a lot of tradition surrounding it,” she said. “I’ve heard a lot of great things about this race, with all the service members and veterans coming together. And there’s so much energy there, which I’m not used to because I do a lot of trail racing where there is not a lot of spectators.”
Fitzgerald said she doesn’t participate in many road races, sticking mostly to trails. Having completed a 50-mile ultramarathon before, she is well-versed in long distance running.
“I’m currently training for the 18.12 Half Marathon, and I’ll probably do the qualifier in June and again in July just as good training opportunities,” she said. “Obviously, I’d like to improve my time considerably at that one.”
Staff Sgt. Keven Bordenave, with 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, has run the Army Ten-Miler for Fort Drum before, and he also qualified while stationed in Germany.
“It’s always a great race experience,” he said. “The run itself is beautiful because you’re running through downtown D.C., so you’re running by the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the Pentagon. You end up running faster, too, because the energy is so high when you are surrounded by other service members and civilians.”
Bordenave ran the qualifier in 39:43, but he won’t be joining the Fort Drum Army Ten-Miler Team because of an upcoming deployment.
“I just ran this because that’s what I’ve always done,” he said. “Whenever I’m in-country or not on deployment, I like to run these races just for the fun of it.”
With a typically high operational temp for the 10th Mountain Division, some years are easier than others to field a full team of runners. That’s why Fort Drum Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation staff hosts three qualifiers.
“We know that a lot of Soldiers have training missions, deployments, and other things going on in their lives,” said Mike D’Augustino, supervisory recreation assistant. “So, having three races gives more people a chance to qualify for the team. It’s just makes it more fair for everyone who wants to run the Army Ten-Miler.”
The next qualifier is scheduled at 7 a.m. June 11, with a third on July 25. The event is free and open to all DoD ID cardholders, but only active-duty service members qualify for the Army Ten-Miler team.
Fort Drum FMWR fields three teams – a six-member men’s team, a six-member women’s team, and a six-member mixed team.
“We’re proud to organize this event for our Soldiers and give them a chance to attend the Army Ten-Miler,” D’Augustino said. “We know how much the experience means to them, and we’re excited to see them work toward their race goals as representatives of Fort Drum and the 10th Mountain Division (LI).
For more information about the Army Ten-Miler qualifiers, call (315) 772-663 or visit www.facebook.com/FtDrumFitness.
| Date Taken: | 05.22.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 05.22.2024 12:25 |
| Story ID: | 471986 |
| Location: | FORT DRUM, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 63 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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