By Joseph P Cirone

Naval Support Activity Washington Public Affairs

WASHINGTON – With a morning temperature of 57 degrees, a 4 mph breeze, 10 mile visibility and thousands of cups of water, the Naval Support Activity Washington (NSAW) 6th Annual Navy 5 Miler was an event filled with numbers. It also included many firsts, making it “the best ever,” according to officials.

Before 6 a.m. Sunday, NSAW’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) staff members, aided by scores of volunteers began transforming the north parking lot at the Pentagon into a functional base camp for nearly two thousand people participating in, or supporting, the event.

Using flashlights to pierce the morning’s darkness, MWR employees Allison Bowman, Lori Riccio and Catlin Miller, assisted by Naval District Washington employee Kathleen Pettaway and others, coordinated the placement of tents, tables, a stage, starting/finishing line signage and electric generators to ensure the race was executed in an efficient military manner.

After check-in with race officials, twin sisters Anna and Hannah Lan, 17 year old members of the NSAW-based U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps Henry E. Mooberry Division and veterans of the annual event, did what they could to stay warm during the dark and chilly hours before the race start. Other race entrants did the same, torn between adding layers of clothing to stay warm before the race or enduring the chill so they could be unconstrained by excess clothing during the race. “We’re freezing,” proclaimed Anna Lan, as they walked with arms crossing their chests to generate and conserve heat.

Presented by SAIC (Scientific Applications International Corporation) and sponsored by Health Net Federal Services and a variety of other businesses, the race began at 8 a.m. and covered a course that took runners to the Lyndon B. Johnson Memorial Park in Arlington, Va, before returning to the Pentagon’s parking lot. It was the first time the route was used by the Navy 5 Miler. Along the way, spectators cheered the runners on; U.S. Naval Sea Cadets and other volunteers handed out water to keep the runners hydrated and Pentagon and Arlington County police and emergency medical services personnel keep the runners safe. “It was the first time we worked with the Arlington and Pentagon public safety officials,” Bowman reported. “The support they provided was excellent!”

Runners ranged from 13 to 68 years old and came from throughout the Washington DC metropolitan area, as well as from Germany and 14 other states, including Nebraska, Wyoming, Washington and Arizona to the West; the Carolinas, Louisiana, Alabama and Texas to the south; Illinois and Ohio in the Midwest and New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut to the north. “Runners from out of state participate because they have a great time. They make it a tradition and come back, especially since the Navy 5 Miler is truly making its mark in the running world,” Miller related. “People spread the word to friends and family back in their home states. They plan around the 5 Miler and make a weekend trip to DC out of it,” Miller and Bowman agreed.

With the sunrise, the temperature climbed to a high of 77 for the day. “It was a beautiful day, the weather could not have been better,” Bowman stated.  

Members of the Ft. Myer team lead the pack. U.S. Navy photo by Joseph P. Cirone

1,450 runners registered and 1,060 completed the course. Runners in varying conditions took to the streets. Some ran with ease, finishing the course in as little as 26 minutes, 37 seconds at a pace of approximately five mph; others struggled, dropping out before completing the course. Runners, struggling but determined to complete the course, did so, with the last completing the course in one hour, 11 minutes at a pace of approximately 14 mph. Along the way, their faces showed their determination and sweat. To spectators and their fellow runners, they showed the values of courage and commitment the Navy instills in its people, while they reinforced their self-confidence.

Teamwork, another virtue the Navy teaches, was in full view as the Navy Ceremonial Guard warmed up as a unit, with Commander Chris Higginbotham, commanding officer, encouraging and leading his personnel in pre-race exercise. On the course, the members of the Ceremonial Guard ran as a unit, proudly following their guidon. It was at the finish line that team spirit was most evident, as members crossed the finish line, then reversed course to cheer on and run alongside slower members of the unit, helping to get them across the finish line. “It was very inspiring,” 15 year-old Sea Cadet Kyle Herbert observed. Herbert, the Lan sisters and other cadets are often taught by Ceremonial Guard members. The Lans completed the race in the top half of all runners, with a pace of approximately 9 mph.

Other firsts included having a contractor oversee the setup and cleanup tasks and Subway employees of franchisee, PBE Group, Inc., located at the Washington Navy Yard, being faced with the need to bake bread and make 1,200 sandwiches with just three employees in six hours. “I didn’t think we could do it, but we did,” said Mike, an employee who preferred not to use his last name, saying he did not want to take credit for what they did as a team. 

Capt. John Sears, NSAW commanding officer, along with a senior official from SAIC, presented the individual and team awards to the winners. “I am glad to see so many military and civilian members of the Navy, as well as members from the other military services and their families here,” Sears commented. “I am especially pleased to have presented awards to our friends at Fort Myer [which had three winning teams] and the Army JAG [Judge Advocate General] Corps and of course, the Navy’s Ceremonial Guard, which consistently makes us all proud.”    

“If not for all of the hard work that the event planners, sponsors, staff and volunteers did, as well as the loyalty of the runners coming back yearly, this event would not exist,” Bowman concluded. Plans for next year’s event are already underway, to make that “the best ever!”