FORT POLK, La. – Anton Majewski, a Soldier with Fort Polk’s 433 Medical Detachment, 115th Field Hospital, 32nd Hospital Center posted the top time in an Army 10-Miler qualification race March 5 at the installation’s Marion Bonner Trail.
Majewski’s time of 1:05 topped those posted by Kaleb Bartlett (1:09), Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, and Jacob Maddox (1:11), Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 25th Artillery Regiment, 3rd BCT, 10th Mtn Div.
Cristal Falcon, 433rd Med Dt, finished in 1:27 to claim the top spot among female runners.
Although the cool morning temperatures and low humidity favored the runners, they agreed the winding, hilly Marion Bonner Trail course presented its own set of challenges.
“With the hills, it’s a pretty big gut check, but you’ve got to push through,” Bartlett said. “Once you’re done, you’re done.”
Maddox agreed.
“There were a lot of hills, which made it pretty hard, especially coming off of that last one,” he said. “I usually sprint across the finish line, but that hill takes it out of you and I just jogged across this one.”
Majewski said his goal was to finish as close to 60 minutes as possible.
“Once I got to the halfway point, I figured if I maintained a 6-minute pace, I could run 60,” he said. “Towards the end, when we hit the hills, I opened up my stride. It was a hard race.”
Majewski, who along with Falcon started 12 minutes after the lead group, said the run took its toll on his feet.
“My feet are a little blistered,” he said. “When you’re running hills and taking the long strides, your shoes tend to loosen up and your feet can blister. But I fought through it and I’ll be OK.”
Falcon said this was not her first attempt at a 10-mile run.
“I’ve done a 10-miler before, so I was used to it,” she said. “Today, I wanted to see where I stood and where I need to work. I was happy, but I need to improve.”
Bartlett said he, too, was happy with his time.
“It would have been nice to get 60 minutes, but there’s always the next qualification,” he said.
The next Army 10-Miler qualifier is scheduled for April 16 at Marion Bonner Trail, next to Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital, at 6:30 a.m. Call the Directorate of Family Morale, Welfare and Recreation Intramural Sports Office at 531-2056 to preregister or for more information.
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