Photo By Cpl. William Kresse | U.S. Marines and Sailors with Combat Logistics Regiment 27 (CLR-27), 2D Marine...... read more read more
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ROCKLAND, Maine - The union of chanting voices and pounding feet signaled the beginning of the end.
Fifteen Marines and sailors with the 2nd Marine Logistics Group formed up for a 10-kilometer run at 8:25 a.m. here, Aug. 5. The ten kilometers of pavement and approximately 330 runners were all that stood before them as they prepared to end their time at Maine’s 2012 Lobster Festival.
During the week-long festival, the troops lived in the cramped quarters of the USS San Antonio, which now loomed behind them in the mist at the edge of Rockland Harbor. The group gathered before the race and decided they would bid farewell as a team in the open streets, where the people of Maine could hear them.
“That’s what we do,” said Staff Sgt. Christopher Stephens, a landing support specialist with Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd MLG. “We’re supposed to be out there to display our physical fitness and our ability to defend the country. It’s about the Marines and Navy as a team and a fighting force. We work together. We eat together, and we fight together.”
Each member of the group volunteered to run and paid for their own admission. They chose to start the race as a team.
The race started, and the Marines and sailors began their cadence. The crowd pushed forward as the front began the first leg of the course. Calls from the troops in the rear echoed over the long line of runners
“I love doing it,” said Stephens, who lead the group in their first cadence down Main Street. “Everyone is around, and you know that they’re proud of what we do and who we are. There is no better feeling than having people surround you with that kind of appreciation.”
Spectators shouted encouragement from the city’s sidewalks as the runners progressed through the course. Gestures of thanks from the race’s volunteers greeted the Marine-Navy team at each turn in the road.
Mile two marked the end of the singing. The Marines and sailors halted and turned to face Stephens, who stood to the left of the formation.
“Fall out,” ordered Stephens, sprinting towards the front in the same breath.
The servicemembers melted into the crowd for the remaining four miles and fought to make up the ground they lost staying in the rear.
“Get up there Marine,” shouted one runner as he looked over his shoulder.
The Marine’s shirt darkened with sweat, which slowly encircled the remaining patches of green. He thanked the runner for the encouragement. The Marine returned the gesture as the two pushed forward.
“There was a girl that looked like she was struggling at the last mile,” said Stephens. “When we caught up with her and tried to pass, she picked up her pace and refused to back down. She wanted to stay right there with us, and that was motivating for me.”
The first two miles in the rear took a toll on the servicemembers’ run times, but the crowd didn’t seem to care. They cheered as the unit’s standard-bearer crossed the line where a welcome bottle of water and a circle of Marines and sailors waited.
| Date Taken: | 08.05.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 08.10.2012 16:47 |
| Story ID: | 93008 |
| Location: | ROCKLAND, MAINE, US |
| Web Views: | 54 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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