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Army Ten-Miler Provides Motivational Path for Veteran Running to Honor WWII Veteran Parents

Two years of a global pandemic have undoubtedly affected the fitness routines of thousands of Americans, what with unprecedented changes to daily life that have hindered healthy habits, impacted nutrition routines, gym workouts and perhaps most of all, motivation.

For District of Columbia Army National Guard Veteran Crystal Talley, who has always been active and, in fact, served as a source of motivation to family, friends and colleagues, she found herself in an uncomfortable position, out of shape and feeling it. Even before COVID-19, her health journey took a major hit as she battled her son’s drug addiction, losing her home in the process. While she had maintained her strength conditioning, it was evident that her endurance was not what it once was … and she was intent upon changing that. Adept at setting and achieving goals, Talley decided in 2022 that she would train for the Army Ten-Miler, committing to run the October race in Washington, DC, and dedicate her efforts to honoring her late parents, George and Ogden Louise Richardson, both US Army World War II Veterans, and her inspiration from early childhood.

As the youngest child (with five older sisters) she says that she heard fewer stories about her parents’ wartime experiences, but both were proud to have served, and were equally pleased, as well as immensely supportive, when Talley chose to enlist in the D.C. Army National Guard when she was 20, following high school, some college courses and a trade school. Having grown up in the Military District of Washington (MDW), Talley felt that enlisting was the next logical step for a woman who craved organization and discipline.

Talley is running to honor both parents, but said her mother’s service is particularly impactful because Oregon Louise Richardson was one of the first Black women to serve. In fact, according to an official US Army report about The Army Nurse Corps, “only a small number of Black nurses were accepted during World War II. When the war ended in September 1945 just 479 black nurses were serving in a corps of 50,000.”

Like her mother before her, Talley completed her Basic at Fort Dix, N.J., adding another connection to home. While she had played sports in school and was always athletic, she had never been a runner prior to Basic. Naturally she had to learn how to run in order to pass the PT test, but in a happy turn, discovered a love for the sport. Running and maintaining her overall fitness became trademarks garnered in the Army and maintained through the following years.

Next up, Talley traveled to Fort Gordon in Georgia for Advanced Individual Training (AIT), preparing for her job as a Communications Specialist, a job well-suited to someone who grew up taking apart electronics at home, and now works in an IT position for a federal agency. Not surprisingly, she says that while her father may have admired her curiosity her family did not appreciate TVs, radios and stereos that were deconstructed!

Despite multiple setbacks in life, Talley found motivation through memories of her parents, and began officially training for ATM in May. Having mastered fitness during her Army National Guard career, she knew the basics and was well aware that she had to lose weight in order to move faster – she could not just hit the road running. She began the process by walking her very hilly neighborhood on a daily basis, in order to build cardio endurance. Consulting with a nutritionist and refining her diet, Talley has once again fully embraced healthy eating habits, resulting in her becoming lighter on her feet. Initially her feet and legs were out of shape, but through thorough dedication to her training regimen, Talley no longer even thinks about it.

Top runners traditionally debate street versus treadmill, but Talley’s take is that the treadmill provides something of an artificial advantage while the street does not, so she prefers to run just outside, even in inclement weather, helping her to effectively breathe in the elements.

Running provides a sense of mental focus and clarity, and these days Talley trains early mornings in the gym five days a week, and maintains a regular running schedule through the week, focusing on stretching each Sunday. Aside from the motivation she has remembering her parents and their service, she also receives support from her daughter, who has even agreed to join her mother on an occasional run.

In addition to her military service, Crystal Talley has worked for the federal government throughout adulthood, including at the State Department, and in a civilian job at the Pentagon, where she was working on 9/11, but was safely evacuated. In the past, she also created and ran both fitness and motivational events, and plans to share the motivational message of her Army Ten-Miler journey on her website.

Talley’s Father and Mother, Both WWII Veterans