thedrifter
05-15-09, 07:21 AM
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Soldiers, Marines join in run
By Ian Graham Pentagram Staff Writer
The sun shone Wednesday morning, peeking through the trees of Arlington Cemetery as Marines, Soldiers and civilians gathered for Henderson Hall’s Iwo Jima Memorial 7K Fun Run.
The run, now in its seventh year, takes runners from Henderson Hall’s Smith Gym across Fort Myer along the Arlington National Cemetery Wall, around the Iwo Jima Memorial and back. This year more than 210 people participated in the race.
The crisp morning air was perfect for running, a number of runners said. Army Capt. Brendan Gilbert, who finished the race first, said the weather made the run easy for him. The cool air and the rising sun made for beautiful scenery while he was running.
‘‘When the first thing you see in the morning is the sun shining off of the Iwo Jima Memorial and the mist rising off the Potomac, that alone is enough to inspire you to finish the race,” he said.
Lance Cpl. Eric Eitel, from the Marine Corps 4th Cavalry Division, said seeing the memorial helped inspire him to run harder.
‘‘It was very motivating to run by the memorial,” he said. ‘‘It seemed like everybody put in their best effort today.”
Henderson Hall SemperFit Director Bill Connolly said this year’s run has far exceeded past Iwo Jima Memorial Fun Runs. He said each of the past seven years, the race has gotten bigger, but this one was noticeably larger.
Previously, the run had to scale back in size and scope because there were less Marines living in the barracks at Henderson Hall. Now that Fort Myer and Henderson Hall are merging, he thinks more Soldiers will participate in Marine-operated events.
‘‘I think because of the joint-basing initiative, we’re going to see a lot of growth in these events,” he said.
Ellie
Soldiers, Marines join in run
By Ian Graham Pentagram Staff Writer
The sun shone Wednesday morning, peeking through the trees of Arlington Cemetery as Marines, Soldiers and civilians gathered for Henderson Hall’s Iwo Jima Memorial 7K Fun Run.
The run, now in its seventh year, takes runners from Henderson Hall’s Smith Gym across Fort Myer along the Arlington National Cemetery Wall, around the Iwo Jima Memorial and back. This year more than 210 people participated in the race.
The crisp morning air was perfect for running, a number of runners said. Army Capt. Brendan Gilbert, who finished the race first, said the weather made the run easy for him. The cool air and the rising sun made for beautiful scenery while he was running.
‘‘When the first thing you see in the morning is the sun shining off of the Iwo Jima Memorial and the mist rising off the Potomac, that alone is enough to inspire you to finish the race,” he said.
Lance Cpl. Eric Eitel, from the Marine Corps 4th Cavalry Division, said seeing the memorial helped inspire him to run harder.
‘‘It was very motivating to run by the memorial,” he said. ‘‘It seemed like everybody put in their best effort today.”
Henderson Hall SemperFit Director Bill Connolly said this year’s run has far exceeded past Iwo Jima Memorial Fun Runs. He said each of the past seven years, the race has gotten bigger, but this one was noticeably larger.
Previously, the run had to scale back in size and scope because there were less Marines living in the barracks at Henderson Hall. Now that Fort Myer and Henderson Hall are merging, he thinks more Soldiers will participate in Marine-operated events.
‘‘I think because of the joint-basing initiative, we’re going to see a lot of growth in these events,” he said.
Ellie