Aviation Brigade hosts Taji Marathon

Photo By Tad Browning | CAMP TAJI, Iraq - Cpt. Matthew Smith, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Military Transition team, checks his time after finishing first in the Camp Taji Marathon. (US Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Tad Browning)  

TAJI, IRAQ

10.28.2005

Courtesy Story

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Staff Sgt. Tad Browning
Aviation Brigade PAO

CAMP TAJI, Iraq -- Hours after the Chicago Marathon was over, more than a hundred people could still be seen running by the dim glow of green chem-lights that paved their way as they competed in the Camp Taji Marathon Oct. 9th.

Run in conjunction with the 28th LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, the Iraq run added 114 entries to the total of more than 40,000 runners.

Soldiers and civilians met the challenge of running the 26.2-mile marathon in the still of the night down gravel roads filled with potholes.

First Sgt. Roger Nickel of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment (Assault Helicopter), came up with the idea of hosting a marathon to help build morale and give soldiers and civilians the opportunity to compete.

"The marathon included people as far away as Kuwait, some foreign Soldiers, a lieutenant colonel out of the Australian Army, Air Force people and a lot of people from Baghdad," said Nickel.

For the Baghdad-based first sergeant, the Chicago and Iraq marathons proved to be a family affair. Back in Chicago, Nickel's 64-year-old dad, John, completed his third marathon in 4:28:28 and his aunt Mary came in just three seconds ahead to complete her first marathon.

This was Nickel's 13th marathon, but his first attempt at organizing one. After helping the 46th Corps Support Group set up a half marathon at the start of the deployment in Iraq, Nickel and seven other Soldiers ran in a marathon in August.

"It was like a trial run to see how we wanted to do things," Nickel said.

Nickel enlisted the help of the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club to host and provide support for the event. Nickel expected to have 40 runners if he was lucky.

"Overall, we had 114 start, which exceeded anything anybody expected," he said.

As with any competition, some came for the mental and physical challenge, others came for personal reasons that went far beyond the boundaries of the military base.

Nickel said he ran this marathon in remembrance of five fellow Soldiers killed in Somalia and a fellow runner who died here in an attack in September.

Heather Ann Simas, an office management specialist at the U.S. Embassy, recalls hearing about the event at the Army 10-Miler in Baghdad. "I went to run the 10-miler and this crazy guy jumped up and said, "Hey, we're running a marathon next weekend," and so I said sign me up, I'll be there!"

Participating in her 10th marathon, Simas has been working the last several years overseas and likes to meet new challenges. "I run marathons because I love to run for one thing, and it's just that it's a tough distance and I like to be able to winâ?¦that competitive edge."

Running in his first marathon, 45-year-old Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Hopkins, Headquarters Supply Company, 603rd Aviation Support Battalion, said his motivation was just to see if he could do it. "Finishing it was my goal, not to win it. The time is unimportant, it was just the finishing."

Hopkins recalled how he felt during the race. "When you start, you're all pumped up. Hey, I'm going to finish it. Midway, little doubts start creeping into your head, but after the third (of four laps around the course), you know you're going to make it. There is no turning back."

Because of security concerns, the event wasn't announced until almost the last minute which gave most runners little or no time to train for the marathon.

Capt. Matthew Smith, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 9th Division Iraqi Army Military Training Team, who finished first with a time of 3:09:37, said he was busy running missions and didn't get the time to run as much as he wanted. He worked the day of the event, but was still able to come out and finish the marathon at just past 1 a.m. "One of the biggest obstacles was running at night. I didn't know how my body was going to react after a long day at work," he said.

With its rocks and potholes, the course also proved to be a challenge.

"We had some bloody knees out here from people who fell," Nickel said. "Overall, the course setup itself was phenomenal. You were never out of sight of five chem-lights."

• Date Taken: 10.28.2005
• Date Posted: 10.28.2005 14:40
• Story ID: 3510
• Location: TAJI, IQ