FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- About 40 runners assigned to the 10th Mountain Division (LI) participated Sunday in the 28th annual Army Ten-Miler in Washington, D.C. The Fort Drum Masters Women's team took first place in the race and the remaining teams all had strong finish times, with one team in fifth place and one in seventh place in their divisions, out of a race with 30,000 participants.
Every year, the race attracts thousands of runners from every walk of life. It has been one of the largest 10-mile races in America since 1985. Soldiers from the Fort Drum area have been participating in the race for several years, even while deployed. Last year, while deployed to Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, Soldiers in 3rd Brigade Combat Team ran in one of the 13 shadow runs worldwide.
This year, the Fort Drum teams trained hard for months before the actual race in D.C.
"We have done really good training actually, probably the hardest I have ever trained for any running event," said1st Lt. Michael Ives, executive officer of Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 4th Battalion, 25th Artillery Regiment.
Runners could be seen nearly every morning running either on the track at Magrath Gym or on the road in preparation for the race.
"The first time trial we ran was part of Mountainfest," said Maj. Erin Miller, executive officer of 710th Brigade Support Battalion and coach of the female active-duty team. "We didn't get a lot of women out to that event so we had a subsequent one that was in mid-August where we got quite a few females out to do evaluations. But we had been training since the week after Mountainfest."
Runners who qualified for the team were divided into active-duty military male and female teams for those younger than 39. There also were mixed teams where men and women ran together, a masters men's team that consisted of active-duty men over 40, and an active-duty masters mixed team representing Fort Drum. The Fort Drum Masters Women's team, composed of eight spouses of senior 10th Mountain Division leaders, won first place in their division at the race.
All of the teams worked hard to prepare for the race, and their efforts paid off.
"You should be smiling, you trained hard," Brig. Gen. Richard D. Clarke, 10th Mountain Division (LI) deputy commanding general -- operations, said to the runners before they left Fort Drum. "I have no doubt in my mind that this is the best team Fort Drum has fielded … probably ever."
Many participants hailed this year's team as one of the best teams 10th Mountain Division has ever sent to the race, with the fastest times and some of the most dedicated runners.
"It's a great opportunity to represent what I think is the best division in the Army," Clarke said of the team's ability.
The team arrived in D.C. on Saturday. Friends and Families were invited to come to the race and cheer on their service members.
All of the runners, despite what team they were on, wore Fort Drum athletic tracksuits so they could be identified as part of the 10th Mountain Division.
"As (we were) running the race … we're in our Fort Drum uniforms, we have a 10th Mountain patch on the back, it says Fort Drum on the front, so as people are running by… they are (saying) 'Climb to Glory,' (and) 'go Fort Dum,'" Miller said.
"I think any kind of competitive athletics is good for everybody that's involved, not only for them but it gives Fort Drum a good name," Ives said of the cohesion and morale built by the race.
For many of the runners, it wasn't just about the race and the chance of winning first place; it was about representing the 10th Mountain Division and developing themselves and their teammates into one of the best teams to represent Fort Drum in the race.
"You're representing the installation and the kind of toughness we have in the 10th Mountain Division," Miller said of the runners. "We came out with one of the better performances from this installation than I think it has ever seen."
The months of rigorous training not only resulted in Fort Drum teams placing high in the race, but it helped participants improve their individual running abilities drastically.
"We had some team members improve their time by seven minutes, so there (were) a lot people who put a lot of hard work in, and it definitely showed on Sunday," Miller said.
Some of this year's team members are longtime participants in the Army Ten-Miler race, and they were happy to run in the race again.
"Before we deployed I tried (joining) the team, but we were just too busy," said Ives. "I told myself that when we got back from Afghanistan, I would put all of my effort into the team. I've run it before, and it's a really good time down there."
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