Swore I would never drive a Hummer, but Bobby C got a good deal on the rental. I was no impressed
At the overlook on the way to packet pickup - Christina, John, Kim, Matt, Bobby
You can see the White Sands Missile Range in the distance, location of the Start/Finish lines. Gorgeous day in the desert.
Matt, Bobby, Kim, John, and Christina check out the mile 8 aid station.
John is smiling because they are giving him his Finisher's Certificate BEFORE the race!
Meeting the veterans of the Death March is a high point of the trip. This is Chaplain Abel Ortega. His stories were incredible.
Bobby with Chaplain Ortega.
Matt wtih Chaplain Ortega.
Ron with Carlos Montoya, a 93 year old Bataan Survivor.
Never knew that a runner who eats Wheat Grass also would use Jalapeno Chips as a pre-race snack.
On the dunes at White Sands National Monument: Christina, John, Kim, Bobby, Matt, Stephanie, Murray
John takes a try on the Dune Disc
As you can tell by Christina's reaction, John's ride was quite entertaining!
Can you tell which two runners finished the marathon in 17th and 65th overall (out of 982 Civilian Males) and which two didn't finish quite as high?
Murray and his lovely ladies - Julie and Stephanie. They are ALWAYS a great support team
Memorial in Las Cruces
The Survivor's Poem
Footprints at the Memorial made from the feet of living survivors
Ron, Bobby, and Matt at the Memorial
Saturday night pre-marathon meal at Lorenzo's Italiano in Las Cruces, NM: Ron, Matt, John T, Murray, Julie, Marjorie, David, Bobby, Kim, Christina, John, Ian, Flo, Ryan (Stephanie was taking the picture)
Race morning - 36 degrees for Bobby and Matt in the pre-dawn darkness. We were on the WSMR grounds by 0430
Team Virtus et Honor runners and support crew (Flo) get warmed up. Notice the highest ranking member (Major Townsend) is the only one smart enough to stay seated
Ryan Six gets that banana in to avoid leg cramps
Team Virtus et Honor with our Virtual Coastie member, representing LtJg Ryan who got the call 3 days ago to head to North Dakota for flood duty.
A very moving ceremony takes place at dawn. Roll call of the departed, taps, and a flyover by two F-22 Raptors. You can see the jets just to the left of the flag. They put on quite a (LOUD) show: John T, Marjorie, Ron, Ryan, Kim. John, Christina, Ian
John (Kim's brother) and Christina came from California to run the Honorary March (15.3 miles) with Kim
John, Kim, Ron
The race starts with the Veterans - survivors of the 1942 Death March - moving out to take their place of honor in the starting chute
Next are the Wounded Warriors, marching the marathon on various prosthetics
Ron with Felix from Houston, who is the Flag Carrier in the now famous fog shot that has gotten wide coverage (it's on the Marathon website top banner)
Felix and his wife with Will from Mobile, AL
We're off! There go Felix and Will
John and Christina are smiling...but then they haven't reached the starting line yet!
Ian shakes hands with one of the survivors, their chairs are on each side of the starting chute as you approach the Start line. Likely the only marathon you will start with tears in your eyes
About 29 minutes after the starting gun fires, we're across the finish line. That's John T with Marjorie, who jumped in and ably filled the vacancy left by Ryan T's call to Active Duty
Ryan Six and Ian start their documentation of the mile markers
The Major takes his first relief walk
Ron finds Doug Ferris, a runner from back home in Charlotte, NC
Ryan and Ian in front of the missile park, part of the WSMR museum
Couple of the Wounded Warriors, they were amazing all day long
Lots of people, like Marjorie shown here, marched in honor or memory of veterans they knew
John and Christina are out there, their miles are clicking off
What a beautiful desert morning
Visibility was nearly unlimited, no shade anywhere, no place to hide from the sun
First casualty we spotted. Already had severe blisters.
We found a few Coasties on the course. Long way from the water!
Several marchers carried American flags. The winds would pick up later and make that a real challenge
Best Pajamas of the Day award
Mile Six - as in Ryan Six, get it?
The road goes on forever
The Townsend/Six crew looked very strong all day long
Most Unusual Outfit for a March in the Desert Award
Much of the WSMR is on land that once was a Ranch owned by the Cox Family. Can't imagine making a living out here
Marjorie found that most of the time she was surrounded by fit young men who do what they are told. Not a bad way for a lady to spend the day
Christina going strong
Kim and Christina are still smiling!
Here is where the course splits, just past Mile 8. 15 milers turn toward the finish line, marathoners head uphill. For the next 6 miles.
Siblings together
Time to sit down and dump the sand. Won't be the last time.
Back on pavement for about 4 miles
US Marshall's Service team
Here comes Murray! We aren't to Mile 9 yet, he's around Mile 19
Will is close behind
Marjorie comes out of the fog created by the cooling mist
Back at the base, Kim leads Christina across the finish line. Notice all four feet are off the ground!
Feels good to sit down and get rid of the sand
Matt makes the turn, great time in only his 2nd Marathon
Bobby was 17th overall (out of 982) in Male Civilian Light category with a 3:29:43. Matt was 65th in 4:14:24. This course is 30-45 minutes slower than a "normal" course due to the sand, wind, and elevation (4000'-5400')
Murray met his goal - sub-5
Well deserved massage for Murray
Just before the pavement turns back to dirt around Mile 12, the shoulders are littered with casualties and those just taking a break. Ian is in the yellow shirt topping off with water
Seee the flag in the background? Winds started around mile 10, soon they were sustained 20-30 mph, gusts up to 51. It was brutal
Marjorie is still practicing RFM - Relentless Forward Motion. Look at the footing - and we aren't even in the Sand Pit yet! She was a model of Tenacity all day long
Beauty in the desert
Interesting side story about Pat Garrett
Almost halfway
One of the last big uphill pulls
Self-portrait
Finally - near mile 14 - the road dropped off into a real honest to goodness downhill!
Flags whipping in the desert wind
Yep, they were selling hamburgers and hot dogs at Mile 14!
We stayed together, just like on the Death March. Never leave your fellow soldier
WAY back in the distance is the finish line - about 10 miles as the crow flies (except all crows would be grounded in this wind)
Only took the Preacher 6:57:09 to finish. Obviously another example of following that training schedule! He was probably too busy signing autographs of his picture on last year's program
Here is what it is all about. At mile 16 we were once again privileged to speak to Cpl Lloyd Hackenberg, one of the Death March survivors. He was a US Army Ranger and mule skinner with the 200th Artillery Batallion. He regaled us with his stories of his mule "Dynamite"
Cpl Hackenberg always enjoys a hug from good looking women!
A Cpl in 1942 between a Sergeant (1971) and a Major (2009, still Active Duty), each of us proud to honor all who have ever worn the uniform.
There is a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star pinned to that shirt. Truly one of the Greatest Generation.
I love mile 16. From here on in, Miles to Go are expressed in single digits!
Coast Guard team passes us
You can see the Three Amigos (Ian in yellow shirt, Ryan, and John) ahead of us. We were never more than a couple of minutes apart, we rotated marching companions, and would rejoin at each aid station. Aid stations were 2 miles apart with one extra station at mile 25.
Site of a former mine on the Cox Ranch.
Another great downhill
Lots of marchers taking a seat at the mile markers, trying to regroup and move on
The chip mat just before Mile 18. This kept you from taking a short cut!
Main buildings of the Hal Cox ranch
Dump that sand again
Stretch the legs a little
Glorious downhill on nice smooth pavement
Not quite as much fog generated due to the high crosswinds.
Marjorie's husband Dave made a suprise appearance at Mile 20 wtih cold drinks! God Bless Him
Back at WSMR, they held a ceremony honoring the veterans. 10 minute standing ovation.
Marjorie pauses before taking the turn downhill and into the Sand Pit
Here it is, 1.5 miles of loose sand.
This was our Trail Angel. Theresa Rodriguez from Tijeras, NM, a West Point Mom (her son is second year). She loaned Marjorie her hiking poles for the rest of the Sand Pit and the next climb, offered us conversation and inspiration, and even answered our text messages since neither one of us had glasses to read the phone!
The boyz take a break at 22, safely out of the Sand Pit
Marjorie sharing the seats on the cot with the Pink Ladies
Ryan trying to block the wind so he can talk on the cell pnone to his Mom (Flo) who is waiting at the Finish Line
Ron finds beauty is everywhere in the desert
Wind sock demonstration. The more we marched, the stronger the winds became
The Wall. Or more accurately, The Wall That Goes On Forever.
Murray came all the way out almost to mile 24 to pick us up and escort us back in. You don't find too many friends like that
Great volunteers all day, this CYT is at mile 25
On the home stretch, but still beside The Wall
Twenty SIX
One last turn, try not to trip as you step off the curb...
...and you are the Home Stretch - the last 100 yards.
Looks to me like the older marchers are the ones in step!
Team Virtus et Honor. Well done. 10:57:49. We got the best deal, the lowest cost per hour of marching!
Father and Son. When they last finished a marathon together (with Ryan T) at MCM2000, we said this might never happen again. Guess we'll just have to bring the Coastie back to the desert to complete the circle. We're still working on the answer to "How do you start a flood?"
Couldn't do it without Scream Teamers - like Flo, here flanked by the Big Guys.
Time to find something to eat!
