Photo By 1st Sgt. Luisito Brooks | Sgt. 1st Class Mark Bowman, the tactical operations non-commissioned officer from...... read more read more
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JOINT SECURITY STATION NASIR WA SALAM, Iraq – The temperature baked 100-plus degrees of heat on Joint Security Station Nasir Wa Salam when they began running June 12.
No families were at the finish line cheering them on, no money being raised, but for three U.S. soldiers at, the 12 kilometers they traveled were still worth it.
The soldiers, from 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, participated in a shadow run of the Sound to Narrows 12K held the same day in Tacoma, Wash., to raise awareness among fellow soldiers.
“I like running races that support a good cause,” said Sgt. James Maarsignh, from Company B, 4th Bn., 9th Inf. Reg. who organized the run and convinced a few soldiers to run alongside him. “I wanted to run this event to show support to for the organization because they support good health.”
According to the race’s official website, the Sound to Narrows 12k, which has been run in Tacoma’s Point Defiance Park since 1973, raises money to help promote and support the building of healthy lifestyles in children and families in the community.
According to research posted on the Web site, a healthy lifestyle may prevent up to 70 percent of common life-threatening diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes.
Maarsingh said diseases like these affect everyone, adding that while he wasn’t authorized to raise money at his shadow run, he still wanted to raise awareness.
Getting conditioned for a run with temperatures in the triple digits was no easy task, but the three Soldiers have initiated a plan to adapt to the heat.
“Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate,” said Spc. Kingsley Grant, a supply specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Bn., 9th Inf. Reg., from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “The extreme heat was the most difficult part of the run.”
A vehicle trailing the runners throughout the race provided water whenever they needed it, and the route was one very familiar to the soldiers, who said they use it on a weekly basis.
“I have run this route in the morning, when it is cool, numerous times,” said Sgt. 1st Class Mark Bowman, a tactical operations non-commissioned officer with HHC, 4th Bn., 9th Inf. Reg. “With the heat, it was like running with hot clothes from the dryer over your face.”
The runners finished as the scorching sun set over the horizon, bringing to a close a difficult run that challenged them not only physically but mentally, but it also sparked in them a goal to run the race again.
“I can’t wait to get back to the States to run,” said Maarsingh. “Next year, I definitely plan on running the Sound to Narrows 12K, but the good thing about it is that I will be able to run it there.”
| Date Taken: | 06.25.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 06.25.2010 16:14 |
| Story ID: | 51995 |
| Location: | NASIR WA SALAM, IQ |
| Web Views: | 486 |
| Downloads: | 471 |
This work, Soldiers in Baghdad run 12K to raise awareness for cause at home, by 1SG Luisito Brooks, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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