Saturday morning, 152 runners came out to run in the inaugural 309th MI Battalion Sentinel Pursuit 8k, which started and finished outside the 309th MI BN Headquarters on Hunt Avenue.
Taking the victory on the men's side was Jose Campos, an AIT Soldier with the 305th MI Battalion, who completed the 4.97 mile run in 29:34, a 5:56 per mile pace. The female winner was SFC Drea Pierce, a Platoon Sergeant with F Co, 309th, who came in at 34:38, an average of 6:57 per mile. Campos was followed by John Jacobs in second with a 32:07, and third place Nathaniel Nyquist ran a 32:31. Second on the women's side was the Company Commander of C Co, 305th, CPT Melissa Salamanca, who finished in 36:36, and third was taken by Lani Jensen in 38:45.
Many of the runners were AIT Soldiers, like Campos, but the race was open to all of Fort Huachuca and the general public. The 8k course started with runners traveling west on Hunt before turning north on Arizona, east on Brainard, past the East Gate on Hatfield, around the 305th MI Battalion Complex, and finished back at the 309th Headquarters parking lot. Temperatures hovered around a chilly 30°F while participants were picking up their t-shirts and numbers before the race, but the sun warmed everything up after the start, making the post-race atmosphere quite comfortable while results were being tabulated.
The idea for the Sentinel Pursuit came from the 309th MI Battalion Commander, LTC Laura Knapp, who wanted to provide an additional opportunity for AIT Soldiers and the community to participate in a healthy and fun event on post. While 150+ runners was a great start, the hope is for the race to continue to grow in coming years and become an annual event hosted by the 309th.
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