The Army Ten-Miler, in conjunction with the U.S. Army Military District of Washington, successfully conducted its 39th annual race October 8 in Arlington, Virginia and Washington, D.C. The Army Ten-Miler (ATM), the third largest 10-mile race in the world, generally attracts an estimated 35,000 to 40,000 military and civilian runners and spectators from around the globe this year. This year, in a process of post-pandemic recovery, 26,000 in-person and 1,900 virtual runners registered to run the race. The racecourse began and ended at the Pentagon and ran through the Nation’s Capital passing national treasures such as the Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, and the Washington Monument.
MDW executes the ATM Expo and Race in Virginia and Washington, D.C. to support the Army’s outreach mission, build morale, and promote physical fitness.
According to ATM staff, the Army Ten-Miler is the largest outreach event for the Army. The goal is to bring the people and its Army into one space because of the limited connection or exposure they have to the Army.
The race was preceded by a two-day Race Expo on October 6-7, at the District of Columbia (D.C.) Armory. There was a buffet pasta dinner traditionally attended by the Sergeants Major of the Army, Reserve, and Guard with over 900 participants on October 7th at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA.
The pasta dinner is mostly frequented by military units and Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) teams, according to ATM staff. Over 150 ROTC programs and three service academies participated. James Madison University won the award for the highest participation in the ROTC Program category. United States Military Academy (USMA) West Point won the award for the highest participation in the US Service Academy category.
The race was truly an exercise in interagency planning and cooperation, as multiple law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services partnered to ensure the race was safe. Those allied partners included DC Metro Police; Arlington County Police Department; the Pentagon Force Protection Agency ad Pentagon Police Department; Virginia State Police; United States Park Police; Metro Transit Police Department; Arlington County Fire/EMS; DC Fire/EMS; as well as various Department of Defense military police units. The goal was to emphasize deterrence and prevention of any unforeseen activity that could cause harm, according to race officials. This included security for the event to protect participants, ensuring medical care was available, and rapid response.
Race day began with a parachute jump demonstration from the Army’s Golden Knights. It ended with winners Michael Jordan with a time of 49 minutes and 23 seconds in the male division, and Elvin Kibet with a time of 54 minutes and 51 seconds in the female division. Over 7,000 active-duty military members participated in the race. A total of 487 teams participated, 262 of the 487 teams are active-duty military, National Guard, and reserve teams and 83 are ROTC and U.S. Service Academy teams.
The active-duty men and women team winners were Fort Carson with times of three hours and twenty-two minutes, and four hours and nine minutes, respectively. The active-duty mixed team winner was Phantom Warrior with three hours and forty-five minutes. A total of 1,100 ROTC and U.S. Service Academy cadets participated in the 39th ATM. The military academy and ROTC team winner was Army West Point Gold with a time of three hours and fifty-one minutes. The Virtual ATM Race will conclude on December 31, 2023, with 1,900 registered to run.
Next year the Army Ten-Miler is partnering with its sister organizations, the Marine Corps Marathon, Air Force Marathon, Coast Guard Marathon, Space Force Ten-Miler, to introduce a new challenge called the Armed Forces Series Challenge, according to ATM staff. If a runner completes all five races in three years, they get the Armed Forces Series Medal. When runners register this year, they’ll be able to opt-in to that Series Challenge as well.
All race proceeds benefit U.S. Army Soldiers and Families through U.S. Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Programs.
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