Keeping with tradition started a few years back, a group of Nebraska National Guard service members chose to wear their full military uniform and don a weighted ruck to complete the 13.1-mile half-marathon course during the 2018 Lincoln National Guard Marathon on May 6 in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Nebraska Air National Guard Chief Master Sgt. Scott Tontegode, 155th Air Refueling Wing occupational safety manager, carried a 30-pound pack and ruck marched alongside nearly a dozen fellow Guard Soldiers, Airmen and retirees.
Tontegode, who has participated in the marathon for the past 17 years, chose to ruck rather than run his last two races for what he calls “a very good reason.”
“This is an event to memorialize and remember the fallen Soldiers and Airmen of the Nebraska National Guard that have paid the ultimate sacrifice,” Tontegode said.
Fellow guardsman, Nebraska Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Brian Hiller, assistant operations non-commissioned officer, 92nd Troop Command, also chose to ruck the half-marathon distance through Lincoln.
“I have had Soldiers over the years that have passed over in Iraq,” Hiller said. “I wanted to remember their sacrifice, and all of the Nebraska National Guard members we have lost.”
To bring awareness to the purpose of the ruck march, some service members carried banners and pinned pictures onto their packs, honoring the fallen service members.
“From the stand point of the Citizen-Soldier, sometimes when they are not wearing the uniform and they go about their day-to-day life, people forget that there are people making sacrifices close to home,” Hiller said. “This type of event brings top-of-mind awareness to the public that there are people in their community that are making sacrifices for their freedom.”
To prepare for the half-marathon ruck march, Hiller, along with fellow 92nd Troop Command Soldiers, Col. Eric Teegerstrom, commander, and Master Sgt. Christopher Deters, senior logistics noncommissioned officer, started training five months prior to the event. The group trained twice a week at various locations for varying distances regardless of weather.
“There were times that we were out in snow storms, windy conditions and freezing temperatures,” Hiller said. “There is a certain aspect of shared hardship in preparing for something like this.”
Hiller said that he was most struck by the amount of public appreciation and interaction received from runners and viewers alike along the marathon route.
“Every minute or so someone was thanking us for our service or encouraging us along the way,” he said. “I felt proud to be representing the Nebraska National Guard in that aspect, and next year we are going to try to get more people to participate with us to bring more awareness to the public.”