VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. –
The streets of Virginia Beach resonated with the hum of thousands of green-clad contestants, anxiously awaiting the air horn to signal the beginning of the 2010 Yuengling Shamrock Half Marathon March 21. Among them were 12 of Langley's maintenance warriors, eager to put the rubber to the road.
"I got the idea to start a squadron half-marathon team while talking to a few folks in the Weapons Standardization Section about the race before the holidays," said Maj. Charity Banks, 1st Maintenance Operations Squadron commander. "While I have never thought about running 13 miles myself, I thought it would be a great motivator for our Airmen to build cohesion in the unit."
Banks said she put a challenge out in the squadron, giving Airmen a day off if they trained and ran in the half marathon.
"I think most people who signed up did it for the challenge -- not the day pass," said Banks.
The athletic Airmen entered the race under the team name "Saber Chargers," a reference to the squadron's historic nickname and shield.
The team arrived in Virginia Beach before dawn, giving them ample time to find parking, stretch out and enjoy the camaraderie of the race-day atmosphere. Friends and family accompanied the runners, lending their cheers and support.
Tech. Sgt. Jennifer Griffiths, 633d Force Support Squadron Airman Leadership School instructor, brought the family along to support her husband, Master Sgt. Brian Griffiths, 1 MOS maintenance management analysis superintendent. She wore a kelly green sweatshirt with "Run, Walk, Crawl, Finish Griff!" airbrushed on it.
The runners dashed off at 7 a.m. for the 13.1-mile trek, which led them through several area neighborhoods, past Fort Story, and back to oceanfront Virginia Beach, finishing on the boardwalk just beyond the iconic statue of King Neptune.
Every participant received an enameled shamrock-shaped medal for completing the race as well as water and bananas to hydrate and revive them.
Col. George Zaniewski, 1st Maintenance Group commander and avid runner, finished in just over two hours. He said the sunny skies and warm temperatures were ideal for the run, and that everyone he ran alongside looked to be having "the time of their life."
The Saber Chargers finished third in the military team standings, with Master Sgt. Michael Sanger, 1 MOS, posting the team's best time of 1 hour, 39 minutes and 49 seconds.
As for the Saber Chargers, the race is not likely to be the last for most of them.
"This was a great experience, one that I'm looking forward to doing again," said Sanger. "Only thing is, I've got to beat this year's time next year."