RUNNING IN IRAQ: MARK'S STORY
My name is Mark Piccone and I'm currently deployed in Iraq from beautiful Ft. Lewis, Washington. I'm also an avid runner—10 marathons, including the 5 majors—and was looking forward to running the Amica Insurance Seattle Marathon this year before getting deployed. Many of us were disappointed in not being home this year to run the marathon. So, I contacted the Seattle Marathon Association to see if they would support a Shadow Run for the soldiers from Ft. Lewis here in Baghdad on the 29th of November to coincide with the actually race in Seattle. The Seattle Marathon Association and Amica Insurance were very supportive and thus is born the first ever Amica Insurance Seattle Marathon Shadow Run in Baghdad.
Thanks to SMA and Amica Insurance
First of all, I would like to thank the Seattle Marathon Association (SMA) and Amica Insurance for sponsoring this Shadow Run in Baghdad, Iraq. These runs are a great way for us to relieve stress and "escape" work here for a short time. And, it would be great to give everyone here a touch of home.
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Three members of the PART team
following a 10 mile training run.
From left to right: Mark Piccone,
Olga Elliott, and Dan Rice
| Mark Piccone, Shadow Run Organizer
I'm 40 years old, have been in the military for 19 years, and am an Apache attack helicopter pilot by training but currently working as the Executive Officer of the Special Troops Battalion for Multi-National Corps-Iraq. This is my second tour in Iraq. I have run 10 marathons including the 5 majors and my PR is 3:04:11 at Berlin in 2008. Running is my way to relieve stress and stay fit. This is my first time organizing a race. I am quickly realizing how much work goes into putting together an event of this magnitude and truly appreciate the efforts of the SMA and Amica Insurance in assisting me with this endeavor. This is going to be a great event for the service members and civilians who take part.
| Victory Base
Victory Base is home to the Multi-National Force – Iraq (MNF-I) and Multi-National Corps – Iraq (MNC-I), along with civilian contractors, DoD civilians, and local nationals. The MNC-I Headquarters is lead by I Corps, known as America’s Corps, out of Ft. Lewis, Washington and we have been in Iraq for almost five months with seven months left.
|  | Why We Run
Outside of work, many service members look to fitness as a way to relieve stress, break up the monotony and stay fit. Part of this fitness routine is running and taking part in the numerous races held on Victory Base and the surrounding bases. Many of these bases will hold “Shadow” runs which are sponsored by the stateside running organization to help the service members have a touch of home while away. Many soldiers here wanted to run the Seattle Marathon this year, in Seattle. But, since we are here, that’s obviously not going to happen. So, the next best thing is to run a Shadow Run. This is how the idea of contacting the SMA to try and organize a Shadow Run came about.
Training for a Marathon in Iraq
Many runners have started their marathon training already and are facing some of the hardest conditions imaginable to run in. Temperatures during the day are constantly over 100 degrees so the runners are forced to run early in the morning or late at night to beat the heat. Even at these times the temperature will be in the upper 80s to low 90s and the blowing dust creates an issue with breathing. But, we are still at it. Every day you will see people pounding the pavement to prepare for the race. The 11th of August was the first week of "official” training under the 16-week plan. There is no coach for the training but we will have meeting times on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday morning. The participants can run what the scheduled training is for that day or can “run their own run.” The intent is to get everyone together and train with each other as much as possible.
Dust Storm at the Palace |
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