Photo By Michael Strasser | Soldiers from across the 10th Mountain Division (LI) competed for a spot on the Fort...... read more read more
FORT DRUM, N.Y. (June 3, 2026) -- Fort Drum Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation staff members gave nearly 60 Soldiers a chance to join thousands more at the Army Ten-Miler in October, during the second qualifier race June 3 outside Magrath Sports Complex.
A departure from the six-mile qualifier in past years, FMWR event organizers decided to make it a full ten miles this year to assess the candidates for the Fort Drum Army Ten-Miler Team.
“We made the shift from a six-mile qualifier to a ten-miler qualifier to better align the qualifier with the demands of the Army Ten-Miler itself,” said Brittany Garnsey, FMWR fitness facility manager. “The change helps ensure those selected have demonstrated the ability to safely and successful complete the full event. Also, there is a big difference between six and 10 miles, and a lot can change in a participant’s race within those last four miles.”
First Lt. Thomas Coble, with 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Mobile Brigade Combat Team, recorded the best time for both qualifiers, finishing at 1:01:38.
“I didn’t even think I had it in me,” he said. “I just ended up running faster because the field was running faster than I had thought it would.”
This is the first time Coble has participated in an Army Ten-Miler Team qualifier.
“I just heard about it,” he said. “I know some guys that did it last year, so I thought I’d try.”
Capt. Hannah Reeder, with 1st Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, ran a 1:21:23 qualifier in June and returned to improve her time to 1:19:58.
“I just wanted to see if I can get faster,” she said. “I’m kind of out of the running game. So, the last one was kind of a test and I surprised myself. And for this one I just wanted to get a little bit faster.”
A former Division I athlete, Reeder said she likes rekindling that competitive spirit.
“I love to push myself,” she said.
Soldiers have another chance to qualify for the Fort Drum Army Ten-Miler Team on July 7.
“The goal is to field the best team possible and give Fort Drum a strong presence at the Army Ten-Miler,” Garnsey said. “We’re looking forward to sending a team that can be competitive and represent the installation with pride.”
For the organizers working the races, Garnsey said it is always fun to see who will deliver outstanding performances and surprise them with the fastest times. Last year, Spc. Joel Tabi clocked an average time during a qualifier to earn a spot on the mixed team. But then at the Army Ten-Miler, he ran an impressive 49:46 to place third overall.
“One of the most exciting aspects of the qualifier process is that we don’t always know where the fastest runner is going to emerge from,” she said. “The qualifiers give Soldiers across Fort Drum an opportunity to compete and showcase their abilities. The hope is that the best runners will come out to these events, and in some cases, we may discover talent that wasn’t previously on our radar.”
The Fort Drum Army Ten-Miler Team is comprised of 18 members, with six on the men’s team, six on the women’s team, and six on a mixed team. Because of the 10th Mountain Division’s operational tempo, there have been challenges to fielding a full team in the past, but Garnsey said she’s optimistic based on participation at the races.
“It seems there is a lot of excitement surrounding the Army Ten-Miler qualifiers thus far,” she said. “Our running events have performed very well in the past few months, and we’ve consistently seen strong engagement from Soldiers and the broader running community. Based on that momentum, we’re expecting participation to remain strong going into the final qualifier next month.”
To learn more about the Army Ten-Miler race, visit http://www.armytenmiler.com. Fort Drum community members interested in running can register as individuals or create a team of their own.
| Date Taken: | 06.03.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 06.03.2026 12:00 |
| Story ID: | 566761 |
| Location: | FORT DRUM, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 29 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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