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“Boston Marathon in Iraq” to be held on Saturday, April 14.

Posted April 13th, 2007 at 1:00 PM by Allyson Rosen

Section: News & Results, Marathons

boston marathon iraq us army For the third consecutive year, coalition forces will trade in their combat boots for running shoes to participate in the “Boston Marathon in Iraq” to be held at the Tallil Air Base on Saturday, April 14. Last year’s race attracted close to 600 runners who circled the base before sunrise to escape the heat.

The race is organized by Army Cpt. Andrew Heymann and Cpt. Tom Tolman, a past Boston Marathon runner. The Boston Athletic Association – organizer of the Boston Marathon – along with several of its sponsors has provided official bib numbers, finisher’s medals, Patriots’ Day commemorative pins, official finisher’s certificates, olive wreaths for the winners, trophies for the top finishers, participant t-shirts, water bottles, and race program publications. Over the last three years, the Iraq/Boston Marathon has become a welcome diversion and morale boost for deployed soldiers stationed in Iraq.

Last year’s Boston Marathon in Iraq winner, Navy Ltd. Cmdr. Matt Simms, will run the 111th Boston Marathon from Hopkinton to Boston on Monday, April 16, and will be among the 23,800 official entrants. Since crossing the finish line first in 2:53:35 on Tallil Air Base last April, he has completed his one year mobilization in Iraq, and returned to his hometown of Langley, Washington. Simms is a veteran marathoner.

For the first time, coalition forces in Kosovo will run a marathon – in connection and in commemoration of Patriots’ Day and the Boston Marathon – at Camp Bondsteel. The Kosovo/Boston Marathon will start to coincide with the Hopkinton-to-Boston race. It will be 4:00 p.m. in Kosovo when almost 30 committed runners head out on their base, and 10 a.m. (Eastern Time) in Hopkinton, Mass. when the gun fires signaling the start for the elite men and first wave of runners. Headed by Army Maj. John McLees, Sgt. Maj. Paul Ronan, and Staff Sgt. Richard Fortuna, all avid runners, the race will consists of four laps around the base including a steep hill renamed Heartbreak Hill for the day. Many servicemen stationed in Kosovo are on deployment from the Massachusetts National Guard. The Boston Athletic Association supplied a “care package” to recognize the event. The race will also include the singing of the National Anthem and a scheduled flyover of two Blackhawk helicopters.

Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit organization with a mission of managing athletic events and promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A.’s Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest annual marathon, and the organization manages other local events and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round running programs. Since 1986, the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon has been John Hancock Financial Services. In 2006, the Boston Marathon launched – along with the Flora London Marathon also in April – the World Marathon Majors Series. Other events in the series are the real,-Berlin-Marathon, The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, and the ING New York City Marathon.

Media Contacts:

B.A.A.: Jack Fleming (617-236-1652, x2627; mobile: 617-459-1587; fleming@baa.org)

or Marc Chalufour (617-236-1652, x2632; mobile: 617-459-1586; chalufour@baa.org).

Iraq: Andrew Heymann, Andrew.heymann@iraq.centcom.mil

Kosovo: Rich Fortuna, merrimackstrider@hotmail.com

PHOTO: Courtesy of the United States Army (Taken by Master Sgt. Lek Mateo)