Sixteen Soldiers from various units represented Fort Jackson in the 30th Army Ten-Miler Oct. 12 in Washington. The Soldiers competed on three teams in the active duty mixed division and the active duty men's division.
Before being selected for the Fort Jackson teams, the Soldiers participated in multiple qualifying events at the installation level. The qualifying runs were organized by Cindi Keene, the Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation sports director.
Once selected, the runners participated in workouts under the direction of the teams' coach 1st Sgt. Ricardo Gutierrez. These workouts typically involved 10-mile runs along the range roads.
The Army Ten-Miler is one of the premier 10-mile races in the nation. It is the second largest 10-mile race in the United States. Runners from almost every installation and people from all over the world compete. There are multiple divisions and age brackets to compete in, such as open, mixed, masters and international. The top four scores of up to eight team members determine the winner of each division. More than 650 teams competed in the race, many for the Commander's Cup and other awards.
This year, Fort Jackson entered one mixed and two active duty men's teams. Although none of the Fort Jackson teams brought home any awards, all team members gave maximum effort and settled for great team cohesion, lasting memories and lifelong friendships.
Many of the runners competed for the first time or achieved personal bests during this year's race. The race, the pride and the spirit of competition are a big part of the Army Ten-Miler.
The unique aspect of the Army Ten-Miler is that it allows many wounded warriors to compete. Many of the wounded warriors who compete are blind or missing limbs and run the 10 miles to the encouraging cheers of, "Hooah warrior," from the spectators.
The proceeds from the race and the weekend of race activities go to the U.S. Army Morale, Welfare and Recreation Fund for projects and programs that help Soldiers and their families.
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