Courtesy Photo | Lt. Col. Jess McNeely, assistant chief of staff G7, 103rd Sustainment Command...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq— Two soldiers with the 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) showed off their speed and endurance on Sept. 13 during the Air Force Half Marathon along the streets of Joint Base Balad, Iraq.
Lt. Col. Jess McNeely, assistant chief of staff G7 with the 103rd ESC, and a Wichita, Kan., native, and Spc. Emily Walter, public affairs print specialist with the 103rd ESC, and a West Des Moines, Iowa, native, won their respective divisions of the race that was organized by the 332nd Expeditionary Force Support Squadron, 332nd Expeditionary Mission Support Group, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing.
“I’ve been doing community track meets since third grade, and I’ve been running for as long as I can remember,” said Walter, who finished in 1:26. “It’s something that I love to do, and the feeling of accomplishment is something that is unlike any other feeling….”
Both runners say they enjoy the solitude that comes with distance running and the time that it allows for personal reflection.
“I enjoy running long distances. The best part for me is having time to think,” said McNeely, who completed the race in 1:21. “There is a 100-mile race in Kansas called the Heartland 100 that I have run for the past 4 years…. the most recent I ran in 17 hours and 2 minutes.”
The 13.1 mile race is a stepping stone for Walter, who said she wants to eventually compete in ultra-marathons, similar to what McNeely has run. For now, half marathons like this one are a good starting point, said Walter.
“I think in a of couple years I will start seriously training for a full marathon, but I think I’m still a little young and it takes a lot of time and dedication,” said Walter, who just turned 19 in May. “Ultra marathons take place in all these different places in the world and I would like to make that a reason to travel and run in all the different places and different environments.”
Running marathons requires more than just shoes and daily jogging. Preparation for long distance runs requires changes to every part of daily life, including specific diets, schedules and training plans, said McNeely.
More than 500 competitors took part in either the half marathon or the 10K race, which began at 4:30 a.m. to allow plenty of time for completion. It was held in conjunction with the Air Force Marathon, which is run on the same day in the United States.
“The enthusiasm, the number of people, and the fact that nobody got hurt was amazing to me,” said Staff Sgt. Jenny Moore, the fitness and sports noncommissioned officer-in-charge with the 332nd EFSS, and a Brooklyn, N.Y., native, who was in charge of organizing the run. “There will be more of these runs in the future.”
| Date Taken: | 09.13.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 09.18.2010 11:00 |
| Story ID: | 56549 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE BALAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 110 |
| Downloads: | 10 |
This work, 103rd ESC Soldiers Run Down Wins in Marathon, by SGT Zach Zuber, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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