By Master Sgt. Jon Hanson
407th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
ALI BASE, Iraq - Not everyone can participate in the Boston Marathon, especially if they are deployed. But, for all the U.S. and coalition forces deployed to Ali Base and Logistical Support Area Adder this was possible.
For the second time the Boston Marathon came to Iraq and more than 250 men and women ran either individually or part of four-person teams.
One of those running was Air Force Capt. Casey Jackson, with the 407th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron. Captain Jackson, who is deployed here from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, is an avid runner with three international marathons under his belt.
The 5-foot-7-inch, 140-pound man placed first among all Air Force members and second place in the individual race with a time of 3 hours, 2 minutes, 17 seconds. He finished behind Navy Lt. Cmdr. Matt Simms, who had a time of 2:53:35 and is based at Camp Slayer in Baghdad.
In Boston the high temperature is expected to reach 58 degrees on the day of the marathon (April 17). At the start of the marathon here the low was near 70 with temperatures reaching nearly 95 by the time some of the runners finished.
The 2000 graduate of Western Oregon University said he was doing fine until the 23rd mile. After that he said, "It was hell."
"The wind was a little bit stronger than expected," Captain Jackson said, who ran this race five minutes faster than his personal best. "The tailwind made it hotter. It was easy to glide and keep a fast pace but it was hotter."
The captain maintained almost a 6:57 pace throughout the race, and that included stopping to go the bathroom.
"It's so hard to be patient out there because it is such a long race and you want to get it finished," he said.
The 26.2 mile course took runners winding around Ali Base and LSA Adder roads including to the Ziggurat of Ur, a 4,000-year-old temple in the ancient city of Ur where the Prophet Abraham was born.
The last mile took runners alongside the runway to make the turn to the finish line.
Preparation is the key to running a marathon, said Captain Jackson who has been running for 17 years and running marathons for six years.
"I try to come up with a well thought out training plan and figure out the time I can implement it around my busy schedule," the captain said. "Do your research first and have a training plan that you can adhere to for more than three months. If you know someone who has ran a marathon, then it is good to talk with them about their experiences in order to get an idea of what you can expect.
"I try to run almost every day, but that doesn't always happen," he said. "A typical training day is about eight to 10 miles. My long run days are anywhere from 14 to 18 miles."
Not only is training really important but so is diet.
"I eat a ton of bananas along with plenty of carbs, protein and drink lots of water," Captain Jackson said. "On race day, I choke down more bananas, a couple of power bars, and gel right before and during the race."
Running that distance takes its toll on a body.
"I'll probably pass out for a couple of hours in my tent before I can rally and make it over to the chow hall to eat whatever is in sight. The race depletes your body of almost everything and walking is a slight challenge for the next couple of days."
"The greatest challenge is always mental," Captain Jackson said. "You feel pain which makes you want to quit. In this case, the biggest challenge in the desert would have to be the heat."
"If feels good to (do well in) any event, but this race is special and unique just because of where we are located and why we are here," Captain Jackson said. "I feel very fortunate to be running near a place with as much history as Ur while in a combat zone."