185th ARW Members Run in the 7th Annual Siouxland Lewis and Clark Marathon

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Rich Murphy
  • 185th Public Affairs
Sioux City, Iowa --  Fifty Airmen laced up their running shoes and raced in the Seventh Annual Siouxland Lewis and Clark Marathon in Sioux City, Iowa. Airmen from the 185th Air Refueling Wing, sporting custom designed "Team 185th" t-shirts, participated in a full-marathon, half-marathon and five-person relay marathon Saturday morning.

"This race is a great opportunity for us to get our names out in the community and to emphasize fitness," said Master Sgt. Marty Hogan, who, along with Master Sgt. Joseph Donovan, organized the 185th's participation in the race.

He added, "We have a lot of talented runners at the 185th and this race gives us a chance to showcase them to the community."

Among those showcased was Senior Airman Melissa Knight, a member of the 185th Intelligence Squadron. She finished first in the Female 20-24 Division, seventh in the Female Division, and 35th overall with a time of three hours, 36 minutes and 50 seconds.

Knight's finish qualifies her for the Boston Marathon, which is held April 19, 2010. Knight has been a member of the Iowa National Guard Marathon Team and the National All-Guard Marathon Team and has competed in several races across the country representing the Iowa National guard.

"[Knight] is a very good young Airman and her example should be something the rest of the younger Airmen learn to follow," said Hogan.

Hogan also competed in the full marathon and finished in three hours, 41 minutes and 30 seconds. With their finishing times, both Knight and Hogan qualified for this year's Iowa National Guard Marathon Team.

The Siouxland Marathon begins in front of the Marina Inn Hotel and Conference Center in  South Sioux City, Nebraska. The course then crosses the Veterans Memorial Bridge, where it connects with the Missouri & Big Sioux riverfront trails. From there, runners follow the trail into the Dorothy Peacaut Nature Center. The course then moves into scenic Stone State Park. Finally, the marathoners cross the finish line on Historic 4th Street.

The top Airmen to finish the half-marathon in the Male and Female divisions were Adam and Jennifer Carlson. Adam finished the half-marathon with a time of one hour, 43 minutes and five seconds. Jennifer, Adam's wife, finished shortly after with a time of one hour, 56 minutes and 32 seconds.

Kristy East, Rob Hullinger, Larry Christensen, Brian Knight and Brandon East were the first Airmen to finish the relay race. Their team, The Fantastic Five, finished with a time of three hours, 38 minutes and 44 seconds.

In addition to participating in the race, several Airmen volunteered to help out with the race. The 185th ran a water station and distributed runner's blankets to racers at the finish line.

Race director Steve Uhl, a former Navy Commandant for the Sioux City Navy Reserve, was pleased by the 185th's participation in the race. He said, "We always get strong support from the 185th, but this year, they have really helped out a lot."

The 185th represented 10 percent of the total race numbers. Four unit members participated in the full marathon, 10 members participated in the half-marathon and 35 members participated in the relay marathon.

"This [race] was an awesome display of 185th power and team unity," said Hogan.

To find out more about the Siouxland Marathon, visit www.siouxlandmarathon.com. Those interested can also visit www.allsportcentral.com for a complete listing of race results.

Airmen and family members interested in joining the 185th Marathon Team can contact Master Sgt. Marty Hogan at 712-233-0741 or email him at marty.hogan@iasiou.ang.af.mil.

Below is a list of the Airmen who competed in this year's race and their times.

Marathon Runners 
Jim Loucks 3:58:28 
Marty Hogan 3:41:30 
Melissa Knight 3:36:50 
Phil Gugat 4:49:08

Half Marathon Runners 
Layne Delperdang 2:09:17 
Adam Carlson 1:43:05 
T.J. Fennell 1:46:50 
Joseph Donovan 1:48:49 
Jennifer Carlson 1:56:32 
Jeffrey Demers 2:24:04 
Joseph Ascherl 2:00:28 
Tiffany Lynch 2:32:53
Jerry Anderson 1:56:09

Relay Marathon Runners

185th All Female Team 4:08:55
Melissa Knight
Kerry Gill
Nicole Allen
Angela Chacon-Bernhardt
Michelle Greve

Team FM 4:17:38
Kersha Bumsted
Mike Winter
Ben Blackford
Kyle Fisher
Andrea Payne

Team Gugat 4:13:41
Betina Casares
Christopher Gugat
Lee Gugat
Kameron Gugat
Karissa Gugat

Team Intel 4:33:28
Lana Deas
David Wright
Donna Willers
Ed Sauley
Alicia Root

Fantastic Five 3:38:44
Kristy East
Rob Hullinger
Larry Christensen
Brian Knight
Brandon East

Just Enuffers 3:50:52
Lindsay Murphy
Jeremy Ascherl
Tim Grover
Sara Merchant
Ron Bennett

Team MPF 4:18:09
Mark Dawson
Justin Wagner
Larry Carda
Donna Ascherl
Caroline Ascherl

Volunteers
Kate Donovan and family
Kersha Bumsted
Patty Loucks
Eva Florke
Brian Owens
Annie Pierce
Larry Pierce
Helen Gugat
Sonny Casares
David Kintigh
Margaret Smith

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