JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq - The 125th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron held a 15K run Oct. 29, in Iraq, to coincide with the 2011 Tulsa Run held annually in Tulsa, Okla.
The 125th EFS is primarily made of member from the Oklahoma Air National Guard’s 138th Fighter Wing in Tulsa, Okla. The squadron also includes members from the Ohio Air National Guard’s 180th Fighter Wing in Toledo, Ohio, and the Arizona Air National Guard’s 162nd Fighter Wing in Tucson, Ariz. This event was the second time the Iraq version of the Tulsa run was completed, the first was in 2008 at Joint Base Balad.
Lt. Col. Rick Poplin, 125th EFS commander, organized both the 2008 and 2011 events.
“It’s a little piece of home for us while we’re [deployed],” said Poplin, a Tulsa native and annual participant in the stateside run. “I’ve run the Tulsa race many years and I’m not going to miss it just because I’m gone.”
In 2008 at JB Balad, more than 600 runners competed in the event. This year, with Operation New Dawn coming to a close, Poplin was only able to round up 17 members of the 125th EFS to brave chilly temperatures and brisk winds to complete the 9.3 mile course.
“I’m happy with the people that came out,” said Poplin. “We can’t get everybody out here because of our 24-hour operations, but it was good to see all those who did come out and have some fun.”
Several airmen had competed in the Tulsa Run for years and enjoy the annual event.
“I’ve run this with my mom since I was a kid,” said Maj. Blake Cook, 125th EFS F-16 pilot from Owasso, Okla. “It’s great to continue the tradition while my mom, who is 66 years old, is running the race back in Tulsa.”
Cook has run several Tulsa events alongside Poplin. Even though he’s stationed at the 162nd Fighter Wing in Tuscon, Ariz., Cook found himself on the starting line for another race with old friends while deployed to Iraq.
The Tulsa Run is in its 34th year and is the oldest and largest such event in Oklahoma. Each year more than 10,000 runners congregate in downtown Tulsa for the start of the event.
The overall winner of last year’s Tulsa Run finished in 44:01. Poplin has consistently finished around the 60-minute mark when competing. For the 2011 run in Iraq, Poplin, Cook and Master Sgt. Brad Nelson, 125th EFS senior controller from Tulsa, paced the field with a time of 1:17:00.
“This year, we just picked a time and place with having fun as our only goal,” said Poplin after completing the course. “Today we ran and talked the entire 15 kilometers -- it was really fun. Everyone who came out today was a winner for just showing up. For many, it was the longest distance they had ever ran and it’s quite an accomplishment.”
| Date Taken: | 10.29.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 10.29.2011 11:12 |
| Story ID: | 79259 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE BALAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 206 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
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