thedrifter
01-10-07, 06:57 PM
Running the Houston Marathon in Fallujah
By Chau Nguyen / 11 News
Marine Corps Captain Karl Klicker has run the Houston Marathon the past nine years.
KHOU - TV
He had planned to make it ten in 2007, but there was one problem. Capt. Klicker is serving in the war in Iraq, stationed in on of the most dangerous places in the world -- Fallujah.
He decided to e-mail Houston Marathon Race Director Steven Karpas asking if he could run his 26.2 at Camp Fallujah.
Karpas’ answer was absolutely.
Karpas was even more thrilled that Capt. Klicker recruited 49 other soldiers and marines to run with him.
“It’s going to be a full legitimate marathon 26.2 miles that they have mapped out and everyone will receive the same goodies that our runners here will receive,” said Karpas.
Some of the troops are blogging for KHOU.com as they prepare for the run:
Saturday, Jan. 6
It is eight days before the marathon and what’s running through my mind? I’m not as prepared as I would like to be, but I am not worried about finishing. I’ve done enough marathons (about 20) to learn what my body can handle. Unfortunately, I’ve only run about once per week for the past several weeks, so I know it will be a little painful after the race. Like Karl, I put in about 15-18 hours per day, six days per week. My few hours of “me” time is spent doing a long run around the perimeter of the base. I get about 4-5 hours of sleep per night.
Today was exceptional. I did about 9 miles, following the course Crystal designed. The weather was perfect and I almost felt (dreamed) that I was running along Pacific Beach in San Diego (except here there is more sand and less ocean). It was quite cool and comfortable in the afternoon. I was happy that much of the rain had dried up. The sand is like brown flour here and when you add water, it doesn’t turn into wet sand, it turns into sticky cakey slippery mud...so it was nice!
During this time last year, I was training in Northern Virginia for a marathon along the base of Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Africa. It was extremely hot there, sometimes in the 100’s. I definitely prefer cooler weather for running; that may be from my Minnesota upbringing...
Major Jon Hetland
Seven running days left and I missed yesterday’s planned 4-miler. There’s no choice here - duties have to come first.
But today’s weather will be even better than yesterday for a mid-day run: 57-58 degrees, sunny, 4-6 knots of a breeze (and instinctively I grabbed an extra banana and two yogurts at breakfast this morning).
I’ve decided to take my PT (physical training) gear - ASIC Nimbus, shorts and a generic T-shirt that doesn’t scream “I’m an American!” on this business trip and see if the hotel has a fitness center or if I can run on the beach at 6 a.m.
Pre-dawn runs remind me of my return to the Houston Marathon in 2002 - my third marathon, after coming in 11th overall in a tiny race at Waveland, Mississippi. Eleventh out of around 300 runners - and still out of the hardware, as I finished 4th in my 40-49 age group. As I walked in the morning darkness from the Four Seasons parking garage to the George R. Brown that morning, I remember thinking of “the marathon” as a thing, embodied in the monolithic convention center, like some black hole... and that the thousands of runners converging on the convention center - attracted to the starting line, the center of gravity - were unable to escape the unexplainable attraction of running yet another marathon.
I did the pre-dawn running thing at Camp Fallujah when we first arrived here back in early September, because it was bearably cooler in the mornings - maybe 85-88 degrees. By 9 a.m. it would be close to 100. By 2 p.m. - 112 to 115.
Semper,
Capt. Karl Klicker
Sunday, January 10
Today is Sunday and I woke up early to stand duty at my headquarters building. I am responsible for keeping watch over the communications equipment, answering phones, securing the area, and picking up visitors from the flightline in the duty van. I sure wished I could run today as it looks beautiful outside. But alas, I am in uniform - armed with my radio and computer keyboard.
My body is still a bit sore from lifting and jumping rope at the base gym yesterday after my run. We have at least two nice gyms with free weights, universal machines, and treadmills. They are quite adequate to keeping a healthy physique. Something for everyone, I’d say.
I have been spending most of my day on the computer working on a large project that started nearly three months ago. I hope to be done with it soon. One of the positive sides to the project is that I’m learning new web-development software. I’m not even a web-developer, but it is good to know, nonetheless. Well, I’d better get ready for my 0800 Staff meeting tomorrow. That will probably take a couple hours and it is almost 11 p.m. Good night.
Major Jon Hetland
Monday, January 8
I can already see today is not a running day. It’s mist to light rain all day - and cooler. I’m glad to have taken advantage of yesterday’s beautiful weather. It did actually get close to 60 degrees, tho the cloud cover started rolling in by the end of my run, mid-afternoon. Yesterday was a maintenance run, about 7 and a half minute pace over 9 miles. Plenty of time to think... write a book in my head... go through my TO DO list, including the business trip tomorrow.
I’ve decided to take my PT gear, and tracked down some generic (black, no logo) running shorts and T shirts. One way or another, I’ll find a place to get in 3-5 miles a day for a couple of days. My only concern at this point is the diet. I don’t want to return from another country with a “traveler’s condition...” I daily thank the Lord for continued good health.
Yesterday afternoon - another of the frequent reminders of just where we are. A broadcast message from Fallujah surgical for the walking blood bank. All with A-positive who can donate, report. That means a wounded Marine or solider is inbound. It’s also a reminder that most who will run the marathon this coming Sunday are “fobbits.” Camp Fallujah is a “Forward Operating Base.” A FOB. Those who rarely if ever go outside the wire are referred to as “fobbits.” It’s not a term of endearment. There is a pecking order of sorts, and those Marines and Soldiers who put their lives on the line daily - have my respect. My job, and for those around me, is to do our best to keep them alive. Fallujah is forward, to be sure, but it’s safe enough to stage a marathon with a small field of 50 runners. I don’t think we’ve had more than a dozen or so days of incoming rockets and mortars since September.
I see Maj. Hetland is a “night person.” I’m an early riser. Mondays I get up at 4, walk to work and call my Daughter at 5 a.m (8 p.m. Sunday) in Dallas and read to her for ½ hour. I heard once that old people don’t need as much sleep. In this environment, I’m an old man. A week after I arrived in Iraq, someone put the book “The Red Hat Society: Fun and Friendship after 50” on my chair. Ha Ha. I can take a hint. I challenged my fellow officers in my battalion to meet me on race day. One of the 16 will. A fellow captain. I’ve got 20 years on the lad. It’s a lifetime of running, I suppose, that helped guarantee I would easily pass the physical to take the recall from retirement in August ‘05. But I rely on these guys to fill in the gaps on what I missed while retired those 10 years.
Much to do today. I will try to add more from my hotel by Wednesday.
If not - I’ll turn this over to Major Hetland until Friday.
Semper -
Karl
Hmmm, that IS early! Wow. 0400. I woke up this morning and saw the drizzle and really wanted to get back to bed. I got up 0545 to prepare for my morning staff meeting. I definitely could use more sleep. I got about 4.5 hrs last night. I was thinking the other day that when I get back to my job after this deployment, working 9 to 5 is going to seem like a lunch break for some of the folks here who put in easily 15 hrs per day. You should see my feet after months of being in combat boots for that many hours per day. Yummy. But that is nothing. I salute my fellow Marines who do the real work “outside the wire.” Many of them live in a small gutted out buildings with no heat, no water, and no hot meals...in the middle of nowhere. They shower once a week with cold bottled water. They eat MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) twice a day and look forward to a hot meal once a month. But they have smiles from ear to ear because they’re with their Marine buddies and doing what they love doing - being Marines...
Major Jon Hetland
I just got the six day forecast and if trends persist, we will be running in near-freezing weather the morning of the race. I never would have imagined before coming here that it would get this cold. Apparently, it snowed here before. Can you believe it? Equally, I never would have imagined running a marathon here. It is good for morale though and that is a good thing. It gives us something to look forward to in the near-term.
What will I do after the race? I will attempt to eat every bag of candy, box of cookies, and other goodies my friends and family have sent me. The support from back home is incredible. They have been very supportive, and getting care packages from them is SO welcome. Getting mail is perhaps the best morale booster imaginable. I’ve been fortunate to correspond with my girlfriend while over here too. That has really helped make the time more tolerable. She is an inspiration to me in many ways. We have grown leaps and bounds during this time apart as this has not been easy on us. I definitely look forward to seeing her when I get back...
I plan to drive cross-country from Wash DC to San Diego and move all of my belongings (mostly boxes) and my two motorcycles. It will be fun stopping to see friends and relatives along the way. I’m a reservist so when I get back, I will need to find a civilian job. It is not easy finding one from way over here so I’m not sure how I’m going to do that. I’m sure I’ll manage though. My company is pretty good about helping me relocate. I’m a systems engineer when I’m not in Marine Corps uniform.
Major Jon Hetland
Ellie
By Chau Nguyen / 11 News
Marine Corps Captain Karl Klicker has run the Houston Marathon the past nine years.
KHOU - TV
He had planned to make it ten in 2007, but there was one problem. Capt. Klicker is serving in the war in Iraq, stationed in on of the most dangerous places in the world -- Fallujah.
He decided to e-mail Houston Marathon Race Director Steven Karpas asking if he could run his 26.2 at Camp Fallujah.
Karpas’ answer was absolutely.
Karpas was even more thrilled that Capt. Klicker recruited 49 other soldiers and marines to run with him.
“It’s going to be a full legitimate marathon 26.2 miles that they have mapped out and everyone will receive the same goodies that our runners here will receive,” said Karpas.
Some of the troops are blogging for KHOU.com as they prepare for the run:
Saturday, Jan. 6
It is eight days before the marathon and what’s running through my mind? I’m not as prepared as I would like to be, but I am not worried about finishing. I’ve done enough marathons (about 20) to learn what my body can handle. Unfortunately, I’ve only run about once per week for the past several weeks, so I know it will be a little painful after the race. Like Karl, I put in about 15-18 hours per day, six days per week. My few hours of “me” time is spent doing a long run around the perimeter of the base. I get about 4-5 hours of sleep per night.
Today was exceptional. I did about 9 miles, following the course Crystal designed. The weather was perfect and I almost felt (dreamed) that I was running along Pacific Beach in San Diego (except here there is more sand and less ocean). It was quite cool and comfortable in the afternoon. I was happy that much of the rain had dried up. The sand is like brown flour here and when you add water, it doesn’t turn into wet sand, it turns into sticky cakey slippery mud...so it was nice!
During this time last year, I was training in Northern Virginia for a marathon along the base of Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Africa. It was extremely hot there, sometimes in the 100’s. I definitely prefer cooler weather for running; that may be from my Minnesota upbringing...
Major Jon Hetland
Seven running days left and I missed yesterday’s planned 4-miler. There’s no choice here - duties have to come first.
But today’s weather will be even better than yesterday for a mid-day run: 57-58 degrees, sunny, 4-6 knots of a breeze (and instinctively I grabbed an extra banana and two yogurts at breakfast this morning).
I’ve decided to take my PT (physical training) gear - ASIC Nimbus, shorts and a generic T-shirt that doesn’t scream “I’m an American!” on this business trip and see if the hotel has a fitness center or if I can run on the beach at 6 a.m.
Pre-dawn runs remind me of my return to the Houston Marathon in 2002 - my third marathon, after coming in 11th overall in a tiny race at Waveland, Mississippi. Eleventh out of around 300 runners - and still out of the hardware, as I finished 4th in my 40-49 age group. As I walked in the morning darkness from the Four Seasons parking garage to the George R. Brown that morning, I remember thinking of “the marathon” as a thing, embodied in the monolithic convention center, like some black hole... and that the thousands of runners converging on the convention center - attracted to the starting line, the center of gravity - were unable to escape the unexplainable attraction of running yet another marathon.
I did the pre-dawn running thing at Camp Fallujah when we first arrived here back in early September, because it was bearably cooler in the mornings - maybe 85-88 degrees. By 9 a.m. it would be close to 100. By 2 p.m. - 112 to 115.
Semper,
Capt. Karl Klicker
Sunday, January 10
Today is Sunday and I woke up early to stand duty at my headquarters building. I am responsible for keeping watch over the communications equipment, answering phones, securing the area, and picking up visitors from the flightline in the duty van. I sure wished I could run today as it looks beautiful outside. But alas, I am in uniform - armed with my radio and computer keyboard.
My body is still a bit sore from lifting and jumping rope at the base gym yesterday after my run. We have at least two nice gyms with free weights, universal machines, and treadmills. They are quite adequate to keeping a healthy physique. Something for everyone, I’d say.
I have been spending most of my day on the computer working on a large project that started nearly three months ago. I hope to be done with it soon. One of the positive sides to the project is that I’m learning new web-development software. I’m not even a web-developer, but it is good to know, nonetheless. Well, I’d better get ready for my 0800 Staff meeting tomorrow. That will probably take a couple hours and it is almost 11 p.m. Good night.
Major Jon Hetland
Monday, January 8
I can already see today is not a running day. It’s mist to light rain all day - and cooler. I’m glad to have taken advantage of yesterday’s beautiful weather. It did actually get close to 60 degrees, tho the cloud cover started rolling in by the end of my run, mid-afternoon. Yesterday was a maintenance run, about 7 and a half minute pace over 9 miles. Plenty of time to think... write a book in my head... go through my TO DO list, including the business trip tomorrow.
I’ve decided to take my PT gear, and tracked down some generic (black, no logo) running shorts and T shirts. One way or another, I’ll find a place to get in 3-5 miles a day for a couple of days. My only concern at this point is the diet. I don’t want to return from another country with a “traveler’s condition...” I daily thank the Lord for continued good health.
Yesterday afternoon - another of the frequent reminders of just where we are. A broadcast message from Fallujah surgical for the walking blood bank. All with A-positive who can donate, report. That means a wounded Marine or solider is inbound. It’s also a reminder that most who will run the marathon this coming Sunday are “fobbits.” Camp Fallujah is a “Forward Operating Base.” A FOB. Those who rarely if ever go outside the wire are referred to as “fobbits.” It’s not a term of endearment. There is a pecking order of sorts, and those Marines and Soldiers who put their lives on the line daily - have my respect. My job, and for those around me, is to do our best to keep them alive. Fallujah is forward, to be sure, but it’s safe enough to stage a marathon with a small field of 50 runners. I don’t think we’ve had more than a dozen or so days of incoming rockets and mortars since September.
I see Maj. Hetland is a “night person.” I’m an early riser. Mondays I get up at 4, walk to work and call my Daughter at 5 a.m (8 p.m. Sunday) in Dallas and read to her for ½ hour. I heard once that old people don’t need as much sleep. In this environment, I’m an old man. A week after I arrived in Iraq, someone put the book “The Red Hat Society: Fun and Friendship after 50” on my chair. Ha Ha. I can take a hint. I challenged my fellow officers in my battalion to meet me on race day. One of the 16 will. A fellow captain. I’ve got 20 years on the lad. It’s a lifetime of running, I suppose, that helped guarantee I would easily pass the physical to take the recall from retirement in August ‘05. But I rely on these guys to fill in the gaps on what I missed while retired those 10 years.
Much to do today. I will try to add more from my hotel by Wednesday.
If not - I’ll turn this over to Major Hetland until Friday.
Semper -
Karl
Hmmm, that IS early! Wow. 0400. I woke up this morning and saw the drizzle and really wanted to get back to bed. I got up 0545 to prepare for my morning staff meeting. I definitely could use more sleep. I got about 4.5 hrs last night. I was thinking the other day that when I get back to my job after this deployment, working 9 to 5 is going to seem like a lunch break for some of the folks here who put in easily 15 hrs per day. You should see my feet after months of being in combat boots for that many hours per day. Yummy. But that is nothing. I salute my fellow Marines who do the real work “outside the wire.” Many of them live in a small gutted out buildings with no heat, no water, and no hot meals...in the middle of nowhere. They shower once a week with cold bottled water. They eat MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) twice a day and look forward to a hot meal once a month. But they have smiles from ear to ear because they’re with their Marine buddies and doing what they love doing - being Marines...
Major Jon Hetland
I just got the six day forecast and if trends persist, we will be running in near-freezing weather the morning of the race. I never would have imagined before coming here that it would get this cold. Apparently, it snowed here before. Can you believe it? Equally, I never would have imagined running a marathon here. It is good for morale though and that is a good thing. It gives us something to look forward to in the near-term.
What will I do after the race? I will attempt to eat every bag of candy, box of cookies, and other goodies my friends and family have sent me. The support from back home is incredible. They have been very supportive, and getting care packages from them is SO welcome. Getting mail is perhaps the best morale booster imaginable. I’ve been fortunate to correspond with my girlfriend while over here too. That has really helped make the time more tolerable. She is an inspiration to me in many ways. We have grown leaps and bounds during this time apart as this has not been easy on us. I definitely look forward to seeing her when I get back...
I plan to drive cross-country from Wash DC to San Diego and move all of my belongings (mostly boxes) and my two motorcycles. It will be fun stopping to see friends and relatives along the way. I’m a reservist so when I get back, I will need to find a civilian job. It is not easy finding one from way over here so I’m not sure how I’m going to do that. I’m sure I’ll manage though. My company is pretty good about helping me relocate. I’m a systems engineer when I’m not in Marine Corps uniform.
Major Jon Hetland
Ellie