Photo By Spc. Jasmine Walthall | Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and civilians wait to participate in the first 3.4...... read more read more
The morning dew was accompanied by a thin layer of dust paired with motivated participants for the early morning run. The runners stretched and chatted like any other run held before, however, this one was a little different; the route would take them to see Blackhawks, Apaches and Chinooks.
On May 2, the Army Aviation Soldiers of Task Force 34 sponsored "Running with the Red Bulls" 3.4 mile and 10 mile runs along Joint Base Balad, Iraq's flight line for everyone stationed at the base. The base is separated by a flight line and this was a chance to let everyone know what Task Force 34, the people who live and work on the 'other side,' are really all about.
"What made this run special is that we were able to run through the flight line and maintenance areas in the restricted area where we have worked during our time here," said Maj. Eric Pikula, military intelligence officer in charge, Task Force 34 and OIC for the run. "The sponsored runs are great here on JBB; they all really show 'One Team, One Fight.'"
The route was planned out and the flyers and invitations were distributed around the base encouraging everyone to participate.
"We initially planned for a 5K, but quickly changed to the 3.4 miler to make it just a bit different and because we are TF 34," explained Pikula. "Shorter runs bring more people out to participate, which makes it that much more fun ... the 10 miler just ups the ante and adds a challenge for many."
The runs that are commonly offered on the base are 5ks, however, the planning group wanted to offer a little more for those who wanted to come out.
"I think we would have made [the 10 miler] longer if we would have had more room to run," MAJ Pikula remarked. "It gets people to push themselves that much further."
The run took dedication not only from the participants who trained for it, but from the volunteers who planned the entire event.
"We started planning back in mid-January as two separate runs," said Pikula. "5K and 10 miler, but quickly combined to make better use of time and resources available," said Pikula.
All the Red Bulls of Task Force 34 will be soon ramping up to run home. The Task Force is expected to redeploy stateside early this summer.
| Date Taken: | 05.02.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 05.06.2009 08:46 |
| Story ID: | 33258 |
| Location: | IQ |
| Web Views: | 366 |
| Downloads: | 335 |
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