CAMP VIRGINIA, KUWAIT (04/18/2012) (readMedia)-- Attempting a half marathon only a few days after arriving in Kuwait may seem unheard of to some people. But for 20 members of the Illinois Army National Guard's 444th Chemical Company based in Galesburg, it was an opportunity to test personal limitations.
Runners like Sgt. Ashley Lasiowski, of West Chicago, who arrived with the company a few days prior to the race, found the motivation to run because of the challenge, she said.
"I wanted to test myself and accomplish something I have never done before," she said.
Camp Virginia conducts a half marathon every six months and multiple 5K races throughout the year. There were 386 Soldiers who competed in the half marathon, April 15.
"It's something I've always wanted to do," said Staff Sgt. Stephanie McCurry of Abingdon. "It was a great run and it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be."
This was the first half marathon any of the Illinois Soldiers had completed. They all had a similar goal in mind.
"I've never ran that far all at once before," said Spc. Anastasia Evans of Alton. "I wanted to try and run it in two and a half hours."
When asked how the runners would celebrate reaching individual goals, the general consensus was the same: ice cream.
Twenty other Soldiers volunteered to hand out water, stock food for the end of the race and provide roadside security to make the race a success.
"After running this half marathon, I plan on running another and maybe a full marathon in the future," said McCurry.
The 444th Chemical Company arrived to Kuwait a little more than a week ago and is expected to be deployed for approximately one year.
