More than 700 military and civilian teams ran in the Army Ten-Miler Saturday on a sunny, fall morning, which some found troubling and others found stimulating. The temperature was in the mid-60s by the start of the race, which is a temperature I like for running. In fact, at 5 a.m., when my co-worker Jenn and I left our hotel, it seemed almost balmy to me. However, one man I talked to was from Cincinnati, Ohio, and had never run when it was "as cold as this." Other people also seemed buoyed by the crispness in the air, so I guess it wasn't too bad.
When we reached the Pentagon parking lot we found the Fort Benning tent, coffee was brewing and pastries, fruit and sandwiches were laid out for our Fort Benning and executive running teams. I snatched some coffee and a banana too. Lori Smith the Fort Benning sports and fitness director, and Mark Scott, the Fort Benning AUSA chapter president, and others had set up the tent the day before.
The race didn't start until 7:50 a.m., but we arrived early to set-up some 42-inch TVs and DVD players. Well, Jenn did most of the work, while I drank my coffee and ate my banana and chatted with people. That's what I do best - eat and talk smack.
By then, some of the Fort Benning and executive team members had arrived, including Maj. Gen. Michael Ferriter, commanding general of Fort Benning and the Maneuver Center of Excellence, and his wife and daughter who also ran on the executive team with post Command Sgt. Maj. Earl Rice and others.
Finally, the race was about to begin and we made our way over to the starting point. This is the first Army Ten-Miler I have attended in my four years as a Department of the Army civilian, so I was pretty psyched and looking forward to the action.
There were a couple of cherry pickers - trucks with lifting baskets - that camera people were using. One of the guys overseeing the operation let Jenn and I on the back of the truck so we could get above the crowd at the starting gate.
There was a sea of runners all decked out in their team and individual uniforms practically "chomping at the bit" to hit the pavement by the time a cannon sounded the start of the race. Amazingly, once they took off, it took nearly an hour for everyone to get through the starting gate. Luckily, I caught a couple of snaps of our runners in the masses as they went by.
Finally, the last runner made it across the starting point, so we headed to the finish line. Many of the spectators who had lined the street the teams were waiting on were either already there or were on the way.
Once we found a spot to stand for photos and video, Jenn and I got as many photos and video as we could of our runners, as well as a few others, such as the first runner across the line, the first and second women across the finish, and of course, I took a couple of the Marines who were running. There were also quite a few wounded warriors participating.
The teams were vying for team titles, such as the Commander's Cup, International Competition and USCAA Ten-Mile Championship. Fort Benning's ten-miler team came in fifth in the men's active-duty division and 17th overall. For a complete list of winners, visit the results page.
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