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The Pennsylvania National Guard Marathon Team recently placed third among National Guard teams at the All-Guard Marathon Team time trial.
The Lincoln Marathon, held May 2 in Lincoln, Nebraska, was used as the time trial. The race has served as the official time trial for Soldiers and Airmen vying for a spot on the All-Guard Marathon Team since 1984, with the exception of 2020.
The Pa. National Guard team finished third out of 42 Guard teams, and all five members qualified for the All-Guard Marathon Team.
The team did well this year even though several of its runners were deployed and couldn’t make the race, said 1st Lt. Daniel Kysela, the Pa. National Guard Marathon Team’s state coordinator.
“Any year that we put 100% of our runners on the National Team is a win, because not only will they get to travel the country over the next year representing the National Guard, but they’ll specifically be able to represent Pennsylvania,” Kysela said.
After a year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 181 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen representing 42 different states and U.S. territories returned to the 2021 Lincoln Marathon. A total of 725 runners competed in the race.
Among National Guard teams, Pennsylvania finished behind just Idaho (1st) and Ohio (2nd).
“It was great to be back on the podium, especially since this is the first year that they changed the team scoring to include a female runner,” Kysela said. “It used to simply be the top three times. This made for a more competitive field for both genders and also proved that Pennsylvania is a well-rounded team.”
The third-place finish was Pennsylvania’s best finish since 2017, Kysela said.
“It’s the best finish we’ve had since Pennsylvania dominated the podium a few years ago,” he said. “This was our warning to the other states that we’re back, especially once our deployed Soldiers are back into the mix for next year’s competition.”
This Lincoln Marathon is also used to select the All-Guard Marathon Team, which is made up of the top 50 male and top 20 female runners in the Guard. They will travel the country over the next year representing the Guard.
All five of Pennsylvania’s runners qualified for the All-Guard team. That was a significant achievement, Kysela said.
“For anyone who has run a marathon, you know that it is difficult to get everything to line up right on race day,” he said. “Multiply that by three people, and it gets that much harder to get on the podium in the team competition. Having every person we bring to the event run well enough to make the National Team of the top Guard runners in the country? Even better, making sure Pennsylvania represents almost 10% of the National Team? We were probably more thrilled about everyone making the team than our podium finish.”
Kysela said he has been competing on the All-Guard team for 10 years, and visiting Lincoln is one of the highlights of the year because of the camaraderie among the Guard members.
“These Soldiers are inspiring in what they do both in the Guard and as competitive athletes,” he said. “We all push each other to reach the next level and to tell the story of the Guard at events across the country. It is great to see all the states send teams to compete in Lincoln as there are quite a few friendly rivalries.”
Pennsylvania Marathon Team Results:
Staff Sgt. Tyler Lundquist - 2:50:20, 4th male guardsmen, 26th overall, 5th male in the 25-29 age group
Staff Sgt. Earnest Fullwood - 3:00:13, 16th male guardsmen, 48th overall
1st Lt. Daniel Kysela - 3:19:46, 43rd male guardsmen, 108th overall
Lt. Col. Deborah Fisher - 3:48:59, 11th female guardsmen, 44th female overall, 1st female in the 50-55 age group
CW3 Amanda Nesbitt - 4:05:48, 18th female guardsmen, 88th female overall
| Date Taken: | 05.14.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 05.14.2021 08:40 |
| Story ID: | 396394 |
| Location: | FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Web Views: | 74 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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