FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 17, 2012

Contact:
Maj. ChrisHeathscott
State Public Affairs Officer
Arkansas National Guard
(501)212-5020 
christopher.heathscott@us.army.mil

Two Arkansas Guardsmen earn spots on All-Guard Marathon Team ~ Arkansas Guard’s marathon team places fourth in national trials

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Arkansas National Guard Running Team competed in the National Guard Marathon Trials here Sunday, May 6, with two of the team’s six runners earning spots to now represent the Guard’s national team.

Lt. Col. Pat Reed and Sgt. 1st Class James Bresette finished the 26.2 mile run in less than three hours, each securing one of the 55 slots on the “All-Guard” team which was established to represent the National Guard in other marathons around the nation.

Competing against a total of 216 Army and Air National Guard runners from 44 states and two U.S. territories, Bresette placed in the top three with a time of 2:45:16. This was Bresette’s ninth time to run in the Lincoln Marathon, and the ninth spot he has earned on the All-Guard Team.

The Lincoln run was Reed’s third marathon, but it marked the first time he broke the elusive three hour mark with a time of 2:59:49. Although this was Reed’s first attempt at Lincoln, his average run of 6:51 per mile earned him a spot on this first try.

Altogether the team claimed its best finish ever, placing fourth out of 38 teams. With scoring calculated with the combined times of a team’s top three runners, Lt. Col. James Mann helped Arkansas seal the fourth place spot with his own time of 3:20:06.

“The weather is always the one factor that can’t be controlled,” said Mann. “You always hope it turns out in your favor to run the 26.2 mile distance, but this year the weather was not the best for running a marathon. It was windy, humid and the temperature was almost 80 degrees by the finish. I know this really impacted a lot of runners but our team did a great job and ran well.”

Despite the weather, the team pushed through to tally a total of 9:05:11, just five minutes behind Oregon’s third place team. And that score consists of Arkansas’ top three only, the states’ other three team members weren’t far behind.

Running in their first marathons, Spc. David Chinchilla sprinted a time of 3:22:46 and Lt. Col. Scott Stanger was not far behind logging a time of 3:34:49. Capt. Barry Eason also crossed the finish line with an impressive time of 4:43:59.

Each state is authorized one team comprised of Army and Air National Guard personnel to compete in the trials with a minimum of three runners. The top runners travel with the All-Guard Team to different running events around the country throughout the year to include Hawaii in September. They compete in relays, half and full marathons.

The next event for the Arkansas team will be the Army 10 Miler in Washington, DC, this October, according to Mann. Arkansas Army or Air National Guardsmen interested in more information about the team and events can call (501) 212-5915 or email james.mann@us.army.mil.

PHOTO RELEASE
See photo at right

full cutline -
Team
Team members left to right: Spc. David Chinchilla, 3:22:46, Capt. Barry Eason, 4:43:59; Lt. Col. James Mann, 3:20:06; Lt. Col. Scott Stanger, 3:34:49; Lt. Col. Pat Reed, 2:59:49; Sgt. 1st Class James Bresette, 2:45:16.

additional photos available - go to ArkansasNational Guard Facebook page