KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (Sept. 24, 2014) -- More than 700
coalition Service members showed up before the sun rose on Kandahar
Airfield here, Friday, to run a shadow run for the 30th annual Army
Ten-Miler.
The run served a dose of healthy competition while promoting esprit de
corps. For many, it provided a goal to strive for over several months
and a link to tie those who ran to their families and communities.
"For me, this serves as kind of a connection back home. Running is
something I use in my life that ties me to my community and family. My
family likes to exercise, so it always makes me think of them and folks
back home," said Maj. Christopher Hallows, a native of New York, who
serves as an operations officer for 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry
Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.
Sgt. 1st Class Steven Church, a native of Ogden, Utah, who serves as the
Morale, Welfare and Recreation director for Kandahar Airfield with the
209th Digital Liaison Detachment, 7th Civil Support Command, said it's
important to give people serving in Afghanistan the opportunity to
participate in events like the run to give them a taste of home.
"It gives them a goal and, any time you have a goal, it gives you a
purpose," he said. "It makes time go by faster and it makes you feel
better about yourself."
The shadow run on Kandahar Airfield is one of nearly a dozen runs
scheduled to kick off before the actual Army Ten-Miler, which will take
place in Washington, D.C., Oct. 12. Before the run began, Col. Steve
Gilland, who serves as the chief of staff of Combined Joint Task
Force-1, Regional Command-South, gave a short history of the Ten-Miler.
"The Army Ten-Miler was first started in 1985, and was originally just a
fitness event. It has since evolved into the second largest 10-mile run
in the United States," Gilland said. "Over the past 13 years, these
shadow runs have been conducted to commemorate the Army Ten-Miler. This
will be the 30th annual run since it started, but only 29 have actually
been done, as there was one cancelled due to the 9/11 events in 2001."
To make the run feel more like the actual Ten-Miler, pictures of
memorial sites from Washington were placed throughout the course.
"This being a shadow run, we tried to emulate actually running in
Washington, D.C.," Church said. "So we have all of the monuments around
D.C. at the exact same mile marker, as if you were running it there."
Aside from the good camaraderie the run provided, the run also provided a
way for Service members to momentarily get away from a heavy workload.
"Missions that Soldiers are doing on a daily basis can be very
stressful," Hallows said, "and this allows them to get away from the
daily grind, to compete, and to escape for a moment."
Once the race was complete, an awards ceremony was has held at the
boardwalk area where trophies and prizes were given to the top three
male and female runners.
http://www.army.mil/article/134341/Army_Ten_Miler_shadow_run_held_on_Kandahar_Airfield/
By Staff Sgt. Whitney Houston
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