The Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Family and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Program came closer to creating two teams for the Army Ten-Miler with its second qualifier race Friday.
Runners gathered early in the morning at the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Fitness Center to run a course of roughly 6 miles around the base, according to JBM-HH Sports Director Richard Pulignani.
Among them was Capt. Leyla Kosakowski. She participated in the first qualifying race in June, but also ran Friday to get another run in with the group. After running the race for the first time last year, she specifically wanted to be on the JBM-HH team in October.
“I just kept thinking, you want this, you want to represent this post, you want to be on this team,” she said.
Over 35,000 runners and 900 teams from across the world come to run the Army Ten-Miler which benefits Army MWR programs.
The Joint Base MWR registered two teams for the Army Ten-Miler Oct. 7 in Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Virginia, are in the mixed masters division for anyone ages 40 and over and the mixed active duty division. Both teams are composed of eight men and women.
Kosakowski was the top female finisher among active duty runners in the qualifying race.
She got her chance to run the Army Ten-Miler for the first time last year, after missing the cut several times in the European Qualifier while she was stationed in Italy. She even flew back from her career course in San Antonio to participate.
“I loved it,” she said. “It was an amazing race. I ran with only my watch, no phone, no headphones, and just focused on the scenery. When I finished, I was surprised it was already 10 miles, as I felt like I could just continue to run.”
Kosakowski believes the Army Ten-Miler is a “must” race for everyone.
“It could be someone’s first run or a pro’s run,” she said. “You’ll enjoy the scenery, D.C.’s iconic landmarks, the volunteers cheering you, and just everything about the race.”
Because of her passion for running, she is very excited to be able to run the race again this year and set a personal best.
“Being in the Army, the schedules can be unpredictable,” she said. “You may be deployed or getting ready for a deployment, or you may get injured and can’t run the way you want to. I run because I enjoy it. I run these races to see how far I can push my limits.
“I can’t wait to try for a (personal record) during this race. I’m really hoping to get under 75 minutes this time.”
Pentagram Staff Writer Abigail Kelly can be reached at akelly@dcmilitary.com.