Army Ten Miler ~ October 7 ~ It's Race Weekend

It is race weekend!!! 26,000 runners are doing their final preparations for the Army Ten Miler which takes place in Washington DC - beginning and ending at the Pentagon with a run through DC.

Shadow Runs will be done in the war zones of Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Kosovo - specifically, Camp Victory and Camp Taji, Al Asad Air Base,Logistics Support Area Adder, Khost and Camp Bondsteel. Runners there prepare not just for heat and dehydration, but also the ever-present possibility of mortar attacks..

There are individual runners and teams of runners. Two of my favorite teams:

3ID Spouses
37 spouses from Ft. Stewart and Hunter Army Air Field in Savannah, GA will be “showing their solidarity and representing the spirit of Army Families everywhere” at this year’s Army Ten-Miler. Women whose husbands have deployed to Iraq, some for the third time, will run the race in Washington to honor sacrifices of their loved ones and to raise awareness about what families of deployed servicemembers experience.

"I think it's important to have groups like ours out there so that people don't forget that for every soldier serving, there's a family he or she left behind," explained Gabriele Winton, whose husband is on his second combat tour in Iraq. "Those families are making a huge sacrifice too."


Missing (Parts) In Action (MPIA)
Missing (Parts) In Action returns for its fourth Army Ten-Miler Race and with five military amputee teams – two from Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), two from Brook Army Medical Center (BAMC), Fort Sam Houston, TX, and one team from San Diego Naval Medical Center (SDNMC).

The team is headed by Major Dave Roselle, who lost his foot in Iraq, the first amputee in recent military history to resume a dangerous command in the field. In addition to being awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and the Army Commendation Medal, MAJ Rozelle is an avid athlete, participating in Ironman competitions, triathlons, skiing, snowboarding, and mountain climbing.

Captain Wesley Knight, an active-duty Army officer who has had a partial hand amputation, feels that he does not have to face as many challenges in training for the Army Ten-Miler, but because bone was removed from his hip to replace some that was missing in his hand, his conditioning was set back. This will be CPT Knight’s first Army Ten-Miler and he feels that this will give him the opportunity to represent not only the Army but also his friends currently
serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

1LT Igor Macarov, a right transtibial amputee injured 22 Aug 07 in Afghanistan. He is active duty Army, and is a combat engineer. He is originally from Russia and came to the US when he was 15.

Nick Myhre, a left transtibial amputee. He was injured while on active duty in the Navy as a Lieutenant. He was involved in a bus accident in South Carolina on 12 Mar 04 while on his way to a ceremony. He had multiple injuries to include a badly injured left leg that ended in an amputation on 18 Jan 05. He has been medically retired from the Navy and now works as a systems engineer for the Navy. His training consists of running, elliptical, and weight lifting.

Ed Salau, a medically retired 1LT from the Army National Guard had an above-the-knee amputation after being hit by a rocket propelled grenade in 2004 in Iraq. He currently serves as the East Coast Director of the Wounded Warrior Project which provides programs and services to enrich wounded soldiers lives by way of sports. For Ed, seeing last year’s MPIA team prepare to run the Army Ten-Miler inspired him to become part of this year’s team. This will be not only his first Army Ten-Miler but also his first 10-mile run. Ed relates the challenges of training for this distance to wearing a new pair of shoes – the rubbing of the prosthesis causes hot spots to develop.

1LT Ivan Castro, a former weapons sergeant in a Special Forces Group, currently a 1LT on active duty, was injured in Iraq in September, 2006. Although LT Castro lost his right eye, is blinded in his left eye, and had his right index finger amputated, the injuries he sustained have not interfered with his desire to run with MPIA. 1LT Castro will be running in this year’s race tethered to his training partner, Major Phillip Young.

For more information on the race, the festivities, race map, and results after 7pm est on race day: http://www.armytenmiler.com/index.cfm

Good Luck, one and all!!!!!!!!!