Published: December 19, 2008
Iron Eagle Soldiers make strong showing at Honolulu Marathon Iraq satellite race
By Sgt. Jason Dangel
CAB PAO, 4th Inf. Div.
Capt. David Garrison, military intelligence officer, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, finishes the annual Honolulu Marathon Iraq satellite race with a time of 3:30:00 at Camp Taji, Iraq. The "Iron Eagle" brigade made an impressive showing during the event claiming a first place victory in the women's category and a runner-up in the men's. Of the 168 registered competitors, 150 successfully completed the 26.2 mile course. Garrison, from New Iberia, La., respectively finished in the top 20.
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CAMP TAJI, Iraq - Despite a field of competitors heavily dominated by 25th Infantry Division Soldiers representing their home state of Hawaii, a small contingent of the "Lone Star" state Soldiers made their presence felt, respectively claiming a first and second place finish during the annual Honolulu Marathon Iraq satellite race held at Camp Taji.
With Iraqi winter temperatures hovering around the mid-40s, Maj. Frederick Dufault, operations officer, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, from San Antonio, claimed a second place finish right behind Maj. Kurt Kinney, battalion surgeon assigned to the 2nd Brigade Stryker Team, 25th Inf. Div.
Spc. Navidad Calderon, administrative specialist, Company A, 404th Aviation Support Battalion, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, negotiates the first leg of the Honolulu Marathon Iraq satellite race. Calderon claimed top honors for the women posting an impressive finishing time of 3:29:40. Calderon hails from San Jose, Calf.
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Both men were virtually neck and neck coming down the final leg of the 26.2 mile course, but Kinney, who originally hails from Utica, N.Y., managed to pull ahead for the victory, posting a time of 3:04:02. Dufault finished at 3:05:41.
It would only be 24 minutes later when an "Iron Eagle" brigade victory came to fruition as the silhouette of the first female finisher eclipsed the horizon.
With a large crowd of spectators cheering her on, Spc. Navidad Calderon, an administrative specialist assigned to Company A, 404th Avn. Support Battalion, crossed the finish line at an impressive 3:29:40, nabbing top honors for the women.
Spc. Navidad Calderon, administrative specialist, Company A, 404th Aviation Support Battalion, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, stretches after completing the annual Honolulu Marathon Iraq satellite race north of the Iraqi Capital. Calderon took top honors for the women, completing the 26.2 mile course in 3:29:40. Calderon's winning time was more than 12 minutes faster than any of the other women competitors in the field. Out of the 168 registered competitors, 150 successfully completed the race. Calderon hails from San Jose, Calif.
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Calderon crushed the entire women's field by more than 12 minutes and placed eighth overall out of the 150 runners who finished the race.
"It's all about the training," Calderon said directly after coming away with the victory. "You can only push your body so far, but if you put your mind to something you can do it."
Calderon said she had been training for the event for months, devoting at least four hours every other day. During the several months of preparation leading up to the event, her training regiment consisted of eight to 10-mile runs and various other types of endurance building exercises.
Soldiers stationed at Camp Taji, Iraq, negotiate the first leg of the annual Honolulu Marathon Iraq satellite race during the early morning hours. More than 170 runners participated in the 26.2 run in Iraq while close to 30,000 runners were resting in preparation for the internationally renowned Honolulu Marathon in the Hawaiian capital scheduled for later that day.
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For many of the spectators who attended the race, she looked like a seasoned vet, but on the other hand they would have never assumed that this was her first marathon…ever.
"This feels awesome," she said of the victory. "I can't compare this with anything else. My goal was to finish the race and coming in first place is definitely a plus."
Capt. Steven Meints, an attorney with the brigade's judge advocate office and native of Orlando, Fla., explained Soldiers of the "Iron Eagle" brigade take physical fitness seriously, which is an important part of being a Soldier.
Maj. Frederick Dufault, operations officer, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, maintains his spot in the front of the pack during the first leg of the Honolulu Marathon Iraq satellite race held north of the Iraqi Capital. Dufault finished in second place with a time of 3:05:41. Dufault was runner-up to Maj. Kurt Kinney, a battalion surgeon with the 1st Bn., 21st Inf. Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Inf. Div., out of Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. Dufault is a native of San Antonio.
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"Both of our top competitors did an outstanding job, and their performance out here today really shows what kind of Soldiers we have in our formation," he said after finishing the race with a time of 3:49:26.
Meints placed 33rd overall while Capt. Lucas McMillan, Meints's colleague and training partner, took the 28th position with a time of 3:48:59.
Maj. Frederick Dufault, operations officer, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, makes a strong finish to take second place during the closing hours of the Honolulu Marathon Iraq satellite run north of the Iraqi Capital. Dufault posted a finishing time of 3:05:41 to claim runner-up honors for the men's category. Dufault hails from San Antonio.
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Out of 168 registered competitors, 150 successfully finished the race. Each of the finishers received an authentic 2008 Honolulu Marathon T-Shirt and traditional Hawaiian lei.
Even though the race was not an official U.S. Track and Field sanctioned event, all the results will be posted on the Honolulu Marathon Association's official website at www.honolulumarathon.org.
Maj. Kurt Kinney, battalion surgeon, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, from Utica, N.Y., looks to break through the finish line to claim first place during the closing hours of the Honolulu Marathon Iraq satellite race north of the Iraqi Capital. Kinney took top honors in the men's category completing the 26.2 mile course in 3:04:02. Runner-up honors went to Maj. Frederick Dufault, operations officer, 4th Combat Aviation Bde., 4th Inf. Div., from San Antonio, who finished with a time of 3:05:41.
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