Joint Base Charleston
Patriot
Vol. 3, No. 38
Team Charleston – One Family, One Mission, One Fight!
Friday, September 21, 2012
Airman or Ironman?
Lt. Col. Douglas Soho, 17th Airlift Squadron C-17 Globemaster III pilot, 437th Airlift Wing, competed in the Ironman 70.3 World Championships Sept. 9 in Las Vegas. Soho placed 654th out of more than 1,800 of the world’s best tri-athletes and finished 80th out of more than 200 qualifiers in his age group, 40 to 44, one of the largest age groups in the race.
17th Airlift Squadron Ironman
INSIDE
Story and photo by Senior Airman Dennis Sloan Joint Base Charleston Public Affairs
CFC
JB Charleston CFC kicks off See page 3
BASE RUN
100th Commander’s Challenge Run See page 2
NEVER FORGET WWII POW’s tell their stories
See pages 7, 8 & 9
The sun slowly rises over the Las Vegas desert as thousands of the world's fittest men and women position themselves at the starting line. The competitors have trained all year, weathering the elements, treating injuries and dealing with the constraints of day-to-day life preparing for this event, and it's no ordinary race. Imagine swimming a mile and a half, running from the water and immediately jumping on a bike to pedal your way over 56 miles of hilly terrain. When you've exhausted yourself by swimming and biking nearly 60miles, you begin running ... 13 grueling miles. No rest, no stopping, no turning back. Now, imagine the outside temperature has climbed to more than 100 degrees before your feet even start to smack the ground, chipping away at each mile of the half marathon finish. Lt. Col. Douglas Soho, 17th Airlift Squadron C-17 Globemaster III pilot, 437th Airlift Wing, competed in the Ironman 70.3 World Championships Sept. 9, in Las Vegas. Soho placed 654th out of the more than 1,800 world's best tri-athletes. Soho finished 80th out of 200-plus qualifiers in his age group, 40 to 44, one of the largest age groups in the race. "This was my first time competing in the World Championships," said Soho. He swam, biked and ran the 70.3 mile course in 5:25:00. "My time was slow for a normal Half Ironman, but the heat and terrain of the course definitely made the race a little slower for everyone," said Soho. "It was unusual to see the professional tri-athletes reduced to walking." Instead of wearing just any uniform for the race, Soho had the honor of wearing an Air Force issued tri-athlete singlet. "I qualified for the world championships in March when I placed fifth
in my age group in a Half Ironman in San Juan, Puerto Rico," said Soho. "Fortunately the Air Force decided to sponsor me and issued me a singlet with the Air Force symbol on it." Soho was approved for a permissive TDY to Las Vegas to compete in the race. "I was only one of two competitors in the race wearing an Air Force uniform," said Soho. "I was honored they supported me in my effort." Soho was cheered on by his wife Sara and his six year old son Heath. "I just remember coming out of the water feeling great, but once I got on the bike and started to tackle the hilly course and the temperature started to rise, I realized this race was going to be much harder than any of my previous ones." Soho lettered in both track and swimming in high school and went on to hold the position of team captain for the Air Force Academy Triathlon Club during the 90-91 school year. "I've competed in full Ironman courses before, but this race was more challenging than any of those," said Soho. Soho recently returned from a deployment to Southeast Asia, Aug. 28. He traveled to Las Vegas Sept. 5. "I have learned to train on the road," said Soho. "If it means swimming in a pool in Germany or biking through the hills of Europe on a collapsible bike, I make sure I get my training mileage in each week." Training on each discipline three or more times a week; swimming, biking and running, is something Soho never fails to do. "At the peak of my training I perform 15 to 18 hours of training a week," said Soho. "Balancing my responsibilities as an Airman, a father and a husband with all of my training is not an easy task, but I love pushing myself." During the Vegas Ironman competition, Soho not only had to worry about his pace, but his hydration and carbohydrate intake as well. See Ironman, Page 5
4th Annual Joint Base Charleston Run the Runway 5K
Weekend Weather Update
Courtesy of Joint Base Charleston Public Affairs
JB CHS, SC
Friday, September 21 Mostly Sunny
(20% precip)
High 86º Low 65º
Saturday, September 22 Mostly Sunny
(0% precip)
High 87º Low 67º
Sunday, September 23 Mostly Sunny
(10% precip)
High 87º Low 61º
The 4th Annual Joint Base Charleston Run the Runway 5K will once again be hosted by the 437th Airlift Wing. The race is open to military and civilians, to include those interested in attending from the local community. The race is in honor of retired Brig. Gen. Thomas Mikolajcik. Tee shirts will be available for purchase at the event. All runners and walkers must be able to maintain a 20-minute mile pace. Date Gates Open: Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012 at 6 a.m. Race Begins: Approximately at 7:45 a.m. Location 103 Lawson Dr. (Commissary) Joint Base Charleston - Air Base
Registration Closing Date Register at www.active.com no later than Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012 at 3 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. Additional Information Each race participant is allowed two non-par-
U.S. Air Force Courtesy Graphic
ticipating guests (who must register as non-participants). Any and all property is subject to search at any time entering or exiting JB Charleston - Air Base property. All race participants and guests are subject to a background check. If you do not clear the background check you will not be allowed on base. Your registration fee will not be refunded. Absolutely, no pets, weapons, knives, explosives, paint, skateboards, bikes, roller blades, glass bottles, alcohol, recreational or commercial
vehicles allowed on JB Charleston - Air Base. Early "Race Packets" pick-up for civilians will be at the Holiday Inn Express, 7670 Northwoods Blvd., North Charleston, S.C., from 9 a.m., October 25 through 9 p.m., October 26. DoD cardholders (civilians, military members and family and retirees) can pick up Race Packets at the Air Base Fitness Center during normal duty hours starting Oct 25. Civilians are required to enter the base via the Commissary/Exchange access gate located approximately one mile west from the main gate on Dorchester Rd. Gates will open at 6 a.m. Civilians will be shuttled to the start line from the Commissary/Exchange parking lot, then shuttled from the finish line back to the Commissary/Exchange parking lot, no exceptions. The last shuttle will leave the Commissary/Exchange parking lot at 7:20 a.m. sharp. DoD cardholders (civilians, military members and family, and retirees) do not enter via the Commissary/Exchange Access Gate. Your parking will be separate and identified prior to race day. There is no registration on race day. Race start time is subject to delay based upon weather and civilian airline traffic.
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