TIRIN KOT, Afghanistan – A U.S. soldier won Afghanistan’s first marathon Sunday, battling the country’s thin mountain air for more than three hours before crossing the finish line, where he promptly burst into tears remembering four comrades killed in recent fighting.
A total of 184 soldiers and civilians working for the U.S. military took part in the race at Firebase Ripley, a remote camp near Tirin Kot in central Uruzgan province, facing high altitude and a bumpy track as well as the threat of attack.
Plastic palm trees among the gun stores and bunkers near the course lightened the mood for the runners, who the Afghan National Olympic Committee said were competing in the first marathon in the war-ravaged country’s history.
The winner labored across the finish line after five long laps of the airstrip to cheers and handshakes in 3 hours, 12 minutes and 15 seconds – an impressive time for the conditions.
“I just thought about those four guys when I crossed, that they won’t be going home with us, and it kind of hit me,” 1st Lt. Mike Baskin, a California native, told an Associated Press reporter.
The first woman to finish was Spc. Jill Stevens, a 21-year-old from Utah, whose helicopter battalion is deployed at Bagram Air Base near Kabul.
The sole Afghan who ran in the race pulled out after one of the just over five-mile laps, complaining that regular soccer games were no way to prepare.
“These people are very fit, but this is not for an Afghan who only gets tea and bread for breakfast,” said Mohammed Anwar, who works for the military, sitting on the ground and looking with concern at his knees.
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