Pace Setter : August 2018

Stockade-athon Receives Military Honor

by Marcia Adams

Recently, the HMRRC received a plaque from US Airforce Major Cassie Ayott honoring the 2010 sister race to the Stockade-athon in Kabul, Afghanistan by members of the U.S. Airforce 438th Air Expeditionary Group.  The plaque is proudly displayed with a collage of pictures from the event in our clubhouse.  Contained inside the plaque is the flag that was flown over the Air Force base the day of the race.  Its placard pictures helicopters flying over a desert base and is signed by Captain Ayott and states:

These Stars and Stripes were

Proudly flown over the skies of

Afghanistan during an Afghan Air Force (AAF) Live Fire Exercise

Mission on an Mi-35 Attack helicopter. 

Flown on: 1 November 2010

Presented to the Hudson Mohawk Road Runners Club

This is particularly relevant as the Stockade-athon is being run on Veteran’s Day November 11, 2018 and the race is making an effort to recognize service men and women, past and current. Active duty service members will get a break on the 15K entry fee, and runners in the Veterans Division of the Stockade Cup Relay can run free of charge.

The idea for the sister race in 2010 was the brainchild of then Captain, Cassie Ayott. Cassie is an avid runner and then member of the HMRRC ran who ran the Mohawk Hudson River Marathon in 1999. Being on the base in Kabul did not deter her from daily 5:45 a.m runs. To build morale she formed a committee to choose a prominent race that she and other members of the base could take apart in each month with the Stockade-athon being chosen for November. The HMRRC was thrilled by the proposition and sent her a box with bib numbers and specially designed Stockade-athon t-shirts with the familiar Stockade-athon autumn leaf logo, under which was printed “Kabul, Afghanistan and Schenectady, NY.”

The race in Afghanistan had 50 participants, representing all four branches of the US Military as well as NATO international forces, and the Afghan Air Force on November 5, 2010.

Next time you visit our clubhouse, check out the plaque. It will make you proud!

KABUL RACE RESULTS

Following are Stockade-athon times for runners who competed at a sister site in Kabul, Afghan­istan, on Friday:

Paulo Vieira, 57:28; Dan Kehoe, 57:28; Marc Spencer, 59:11; Donald Ryan, 1:00:42; Matthew Weaver, 1:00:54; Jamie Crysler, 1:00:55; Robert Swanson, 1:01:02; Ahmad Farhad, 1:01:41; Abe Schnaufer, 1:02:14; Jack Wilbanks, 1:02:15.

William Hensley, 1:04:04; Sean Smith, 1:04:55; Jose Vicente, 1:06:00; Rahmat Ullah, 1:06:34; Batbayar Purev, 1:08:30; Farhad, 1:09:02; Jennifer Larson, 1:09:03; Bernard Willi, 1:11:22; Bubba Beason, 1:13:20; Tom Lohsandt, 1:13:21.

M. Hussain, 1:14:20; Luke Suber, 1:14:42; Malik, 1:14:50; David Burnett, 1:15:15; Eric Stuch, 1:15:40; Samuel Lightfoot, 1:16:18; Major Loumsha, 1:16:25; Paulo Viana, 1:16:44; Laurie Conrad, 1:17:05; Ewaz, 1:17:45.

Michael Parrish, 1:19:20; Cassie Ayott, 1:19:25; Kevin Yandura, 1:20:58; Bill Ott, 1:22:42; Matt Gamblin, 1:24:00; Gerald Jordan, 1:24:14; Gisele Boyle, 1:26:03; Dennis Capron, 1:28:19; Juan Gachett, 1:29:08; Mike Rowe, 1:29:59.