Soldiers from the 707th Military Intelligence Battalion, 706th MI Group, joined with more than 35,000 other running enthusiasts to take on the Army Ten-Miler, one of the largest 10-mile races in the world, in Washington D.C., Oct. 20.
The battalion, stationed at Fort Gordon, Ga., brought together 36 Soldiers to form three teams for the race. The training for the run and the trip itself allowed the 707th MI Battalion members to develop new bonds of camaraderie with their fellow team members which will work to strengthen the battalion as a whole.
"Our profession is more than defending the nation and fighting its wars; it is colleagues, friends and family." said Command Sgt. Maj. Louie R. Castillo II, command sergeant major of the 707th MI Battalion. "At its bare essence, it is people and the relationships and bonds that exist between them."
One way the 707th MI Battalion focuses on the importance of Soldiers and their relationships is by participating in events like the Army Ten-Miler.
"Events like the Army Ten-Miler are absolutely necessary to build unit cohesion," said Sgt. Christian M. Etherton, a cryptologic linguist for the 707th MI Battalion. "In turn, this builds unit identity, giving Soldiers a source of pride. This fuels a better work ethic and snowballs into more motivation to do events with the rest of the unit."
One of the ways the battalion's Soldiers trained for the race was by participating in a weekly eight-mile run that took place every Saturday from March until November.
"I loved our team building runs that we held while training as a battalion," said Sgt. Jasmine C. Miller, the battalion schools noncommissioned officer. "It is often tough to find someone willing to run six plus miles with on the weekends. I prefer to run with someone else, especially if they are a little bit faster than I am because it helps keep me moving. I definitely think the team building runs brought me out of my comfort zone and inspired me to push past my limits and get uncomfortable for the sake of progressing and getting faster."
When the 707th MI Battalion's teams left for the nation's capital, they further strengthened their bonds by carpooling and staying together in groups during the trip. Some Soldiers shared hotel rooms; others shared their families' homes in the D.C. area with their new friends in the battalion. Two groups of the 707th MI Battalion's Soldiers even decided to camp together, sharing meals around a campfire.
"At the beginning of this journey I saw a number of individuals wondering what this was going to be like," said Castillo. "They were somewhat isolated and not very interested in being around others. By the end, they were sharing their vehicles, camping together, cooking for each other and sharing their Army story. It is amazing what happens when you take people away from all the distractions of their daily lives and allow them to just be themselves."
During the race, the 707th MI Battalion members negotiated their way through the Washington, D.C. Metro subway system and arrived in the early morning hours at the Pentagon to get in line for the race. The more than 35,000 runners were separated into several waves to break up the total number of runners racing on the four-lane path through the city. Despite the different waves, the sheer number of participants meant that the competitors were always in a crowd of runners from the start to the finish.
"The course was perfectly planned to have a lot to look at and distract you from the pain of running 10 miles," said Spc. Joshua Foltz, a cryptologic linguist for the 707th MI Battalion. "The only thing that would have made it better was a less crowded street, but with 35,000 people running, that's nearly impossible."
This year's course wove through some of the most iconic parts of Washington D.C.: the Pentagon, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial. Right after the Jefferson Memorial, at the eight-mile mark, came the George Mason Memorial Bridge. That part of the race proved to be the most challenging for most of the runners because they could see the finish line, but they knew they still had a fifth of the distance to go.
"My favorite and possibly least favorite part of the trip was running across the bridge back into Virginia and seeing the Pentagon," said Etherton. "There are always mixed emotions when you can see the finish line, but know it's still too far to sprint home."
Every member of the 707th MI Battalion who started the race completed it, and everyone appeared to be overjoyed by the overall experience.
"This allowed Soldiers of all ranks to experience something amazing as a team," said Miller. "We all learned a little bit more about each other than we would in a typical work environment and we all had fun together. Things like this are what keep a unit's morale high and encourages future team building events. It will help deepen our bond as Soldiers and professionals."
The trip, and the training for it, accomplished what Castillo said he had in mind when it was all put together months before.
"They got to know their brothers and sisters from other companies within the battalion and found out they had a lot in common," said Castillo. "Many are far more outgoing than they used to be, talking to others, planning other team building activities to fill the void of the Ten-Miler being over. I will take countless memories from this experience, but most of all I will remember how this command began to grow together."
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