thedrifter
01-15-07, 08:22 AM
Jan. 15, 2007, 12:48AM
Houston Marathon detours to Fallujah
By JOHN P. LOPEZ
Houston Chronicle
Karl Klicker went through his usual morning routine before Sunday's Chevron Houston Marathon.
He set the alarm for 5 a.m. He turned on the coffee. He slipped on his favorite pair of running shorts and shoes, munched on a couple of high-carbohydrate snacks, grabbed a sports drink and jumped into his truck for the drive downtown.
He drove from his Cypress-area home and parked where he always parks for the race, near the Four Seasons Hotel. He saw the crowd of runners all around and felt the buzz of anticipation.
Marine Capt. Karl D. Klicker wasn't really at the Houston race Sunday. But from the moment he woke up in his barracks Sunday and ran a marathon with 29 other U.S. Marines some 7,300 miles away at Camp Fallujah, Iraq, Klicker was there.
Klicker, an intelligence officer, was there as much as any of the nearly 20,000 participants at Sunday's event.
"I closed my eyes this morning, and I pictured it all," Klicker said via satellite telephone link Sunday. "I saw all those things that are there every year in the Houston Marathon — the darkness and the doors opening at the George R. Brown and everyone warming up, moving around. I visualized every bit of it."
But who could have pictured this? The 30 Marines stationed at Camp Fallujah ran their version of the 26.2-mile race along the heavily fortified outer rim of the Marine camp on Sunday.
The idea to organize the race in unison with the Houston Marathon began more as a way to stay connected to home than a real chance to pull it off.
Klicker signed up for the Houston Marathon in September, even though he knew he would be deployed to Iraq. In his race profile, Klicker mentioned that he hoped eventually to run his 10th marathon in Houston and "if I run 26.2 miles in Iraq, would I get credit?"
Upon arriving at Camp Fallujah for his tour of duty, Klicker received an e-mail from marathon organizers promising free entries, T-shirts, bibs, even medals, for any Marines who ran an official distance.
Klicker immediately contacted Maj. Megan McClung, a triathlete and Naval Academy graduate who worked in public affairs at Camp Fallujah. McClung was in the midst of successfully organizing the Marine Corps Marathon at al-Asad Air Base in October.
Coincidentally, McClung's office was next door to Klicker's. The two Marines became friends and, along with Maj. Jon Hetland and civilian support staffer Crystal Nedeau, committed to organizing the race.
"The energy she had was remarkable," Klicker said of McClung. "She beat the pants off me in the Marine Marathon. That was the last time I saw her."
Honoring Maj. McClung
Just weeks after beginning Camp Fallujah's Houston Marathon project, McClung became the highest-ranking military woman to die in Iraq. She and two other Marines riding in a Humvee were killed when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb.
"We got together as a group before the race and talked about how Major McClung was a motivating force," Klicker said. "All of the lessons she learned organizing the Marine Corps Marathon helped guide what we did (Sunday).
"Her loss was a tragic blow to our little hometown in Fallujah. We dedicated the race to her. There was not a person who ran who did not run in honor of Major McClung."
The organization of Fallujah's Houston Marathon might not have been elaborate, but Marines put it together as you would expect: quickly and efficiently.
Landmarks of Fallujah
There were no TV trucks, corporate sponsors or mimosa-sipping fans lining the course. But as the Houston Marathon ran along downtown streets, so, too, did the Fallujah version snake through all the popular landmarks.
The Houston Marathon started at Minute Maid Park, wound through downtown, pushed its way through plush neighborhoods along Buffalo Bayou and finished to the cheers of thousands under the towering Houston skyline.
Fallujah's "Houston" marathon began at the center of the Marine camp, wound around the chow hall, went past the "pond" — a small reservoir near the camp laundry — and circled the camp three times in the shadow of a 12-foot-high, sand-filled barrier rimmed with barbed wire.
The Fallujah course distance was measured with GPS equipment and a pair of military vehicles' odometers. Some 35 civilians and military personnel volunteered to help along the route, setting up six water stations, driving support vehicles and passing out goody bags to the top three male and female finishers.
Terrain along Fallujah's "Houston" marathon course was ragged. Some parts were paved, but it was mostly a mix of gravel and clay.
Runners at Fallujah occasionally had to stop for Humvees and other military vehicles to pass.
"As we were running down this one road, two large tanks came by, and we had to wait. Just no way to run in front of a tank," said Hetland, who made Sunday's race his 21st marathon. "Tanks do take priority."
The T-shirts, race bibs and energy bars from Houston arrived Saturday night in Fallujah. Nedeau and other volunteers spent most of the night separating the items, then distributed them to runners Sunday morning. Inspired by McClung, Nedeau also ran her first marathon, finishing in 4 hours, 46 minutes.
"It was rough terrain, and the mud is not normal mud," Nedeau said. "It's more like clay, where it sticks and piles on your shoes."
Qualifying for Boston
Klicker's goal was to qualify for the Boston Marathon, which he did in 3 hours, 18 minutes.
Hetland did not have his best time, after being able to train only on Sunday mornings. Still, he called it "a real positive. The anticipation, seeing what the T-shirts looked like, it really meant the
world."
They want to do it again. Next time, on the real streets of Houston.
"Give my best to Houston," Klicker said. "I can't tell you how special it was to run the Houston Marathon here."
That finish line near the George R. Brown Convention Center sure did look good. No matter if it took 26.2 miles to get there.
Or 7,326.2.
Listen to John P. Lopez weekdays from noon-3 p.m. on 790 AM. john.lopez@chron.com
Ellie
Houston Marathon detours to Fallujah
By JOHN P. LOPEZ
Houston Chronicle
Karl Klicker went through his usual morning routine before Sunday's Chevron Houston Marathon.
He set the alarm for 5 a.m. He turned on the coffee. He slipped on his favorite pair of running shorts and shoes, munched on a couple of high-carbohydrate snacks, grabbed a sports drink and jumped into his truck for the drive downtown.
He drove from his Cypress-area home and parked where he always parks for the race, near the Four Seasons Hotel. He saw the crowd of runners all around and felt the buzz of anticipation.
Marine Capt. Karl D. Klicker wasn't really at the Houston race Sunday. But from the moment he woke up in his barracks Sunday and ran a marathon with 29 other U.S. Marines some 7,300 miles away at Camp Fallujah, Iraq, Klicker was there.
Klicker, an intelligence officer, was there as much as any of the nearly 20,000 participants at Sunday's event.
"I closed my eyes this morning, and I pictured it all," Klicker said via satellite telephone link Sunday. "I saw all those things that are there every year in the Houston Marathon — the darkness and the doors opening at the George R. Brown and everyone warming up, moving around. I visualized every bit of it."
But who could have pictured this? The 30 Marines stationed at Camp Fallujah ran their version of the 26.2-mile race along the heavily fortified outer rim of the Marine camp on Sunday.
The idea to organize the race in unison with the Houston Marathon began more as a way to stay connected to home than a real chance to pull it off.
Klicker signed up for the Houston Marathon in September, even though he knew he would be deployed to Iraq. In his race profile, Klicker mentioned that he hoped eventually to run his 10th marathon in Houston and "if I run 26.2 miles in Iraq, would I get credit?"
Upon arriving at Camp Fallujah for his tour of duty, Klicker received an e-mail from marathon organizers promising free entries, T-shirts, bibs, even medals, for any Marines who ran an official distance.
Klicker immediately contacted Maj. Megan McClung, a triathlete and Naval Academy graduate who worked in public affairs at Camp Fallujah. McClung was in the midst of successfully organizing the Marine Corps Marathon at al-Asad Air Base in October.
Coincidentally, McClung's office was next door to Klicker's. The two Marines became friends and, along with Maj. Jon Hetland and civilian support staffer Crystal Nedeau, committed to organizing the race.
"The energy she had was remarkable," Klicker said of McClung. "She beat the pants off me in the Marine Marathon. That was the last time I saw her."
Honoring Maj. McClung
Just weeks after beginning Camp Fallujah's Houston Marathon project, McClung became the highest-ranking military woman to die in Iraq. She and two other Marines riding in a Humvee were killed when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb.
"We got together as a group before the race and talked about how Major McClung was a motivating force," Klicker said. "All of the lessons she learned organizing the Marine Corps Marathon helped guide what we did (Sunday).
"Her loss was a tragic blow to our little hometown in Fallujah. We dedicated the race to her. There was not a person who ran who did not run in honor of Major McClung."
The organization of Fallujah's Houston Marathon might not have been elaborate, but Marines put it together as you would expect: quickly and efficiently.
Landmarks of Fallujah
There were no TV trucks, corporate sponsors or mimosa-sipping fans lining the course. But as the Houston Marathon ran along downtown streets, so, too, did the Fallujah version snake through all the popular landmarks.
The Houston Marathon started at Minute Maid Park, wound through downtown, pushed its way through plush neighborhoods along Buffalo Bayou and finished to the cheers of thousands under the towering Houston skyline.
Fallujah's "Houston" marathon began at the center of the Marine camp, wound around the chow hall, went past the "pond" — a small reservoir near the camp laundry — and circled the camp three times in the shadow of a 12-foot-high, sand-filled barrier rimmed with barbed wire.
The Fallujah course distance was measured with GPS equipment and a pair of military vehicles' odometers. Some 35 civilians and military personnel volunteered to help along the route, setting up six water stations, driving support vehicles and passing out goody bags to the top three male and female finishers.
Terrain along Fallujah's "Houston" marathon course was ragged. Some parts were paved, but it was mostly a mix of gravel and clay.
Runners at Fallujah occasionally had to stop for Humvees and other military vehicles to pass.
"As we were running down this one road, two large tanks came by, and we had to wait. Just no way to run in front of a tank," said Hetland, who made Sunday's race his 21st marathon. "Tanks do take priority."
The T-shirts, race bibs and energy bars from Houston arrived Saturday night in Fallujah. Nedeau and other volunteers spent most of the night separating the items, then distributed them to runners Sunday morning. Inspired by McClung, Nedeau also ran her first marathon, finishing in 4 hours, 46 minutes.
"It was rough terrain, and the mud is not normal mud," Nedeau said. "It's more like clay, where it sticks and piles on your shoes."
Qualifying for Boston
Klicker's goal was to qualify for the Boston Marathon, which he did in 3 hours, 18 minutes.
Hetland did not have his best time, after being able to train only on Sunday mornings. Still, he called it "a real positive. The anticipation, seeing what the T-shirts looked like, it really meant the
world."
They want to do it again. Next time, on the real streets of Houston.
"Give my best to Houston," Klicker said. "I can't tell you how special it was to run the Houston Marathon here."
That finish line near the George R. Brown Convention Center sure did look good. No matter if it took 26.2 miles to get there.
Or 7,326.2.
Listen to John P. Lopez weekdays from noon-3 p.m. on 790 AM. john.lopez@chron.com
Ellie