Pease Relay Race 2014

Monday, October 20, 2014 · Mike Davis

Good morning, Today is a special addition Sunday (but on Monday), Coffee and Chat with the Coach. Yesterday was quite a day for Kathy and I, up at 5am, quick showers, then off and running. For six years we have been organizing a relay race event that brings military members, their families and Department of Defense workers together. The idea for this event came to me as I drove to the 2008 York Days 5K. As I drove I was thinking it would be really cool to bring an event to my fellow Guardsman. that not only promoted health and wellness, but also the same excitement and fun that many of us runners enjoy with all the races we participate in. Initially I wasn't thinking a relay race, but more some type of competition amongst the squadrons on the base. A fellow guardsman and friend was also running in this particular 5K so I suggested that he come by my office the following Monday and discuss this crazy idea. He was quite enthusiastic and agreed to come by. Our conversation on that Monday is somewhat foggy well over six years later, but I do remember that we ultimately came up with the idea of organizing a relay race. We didn't believe that there would be very many squadrons participating but at the least we it would be my squadron against his. Before we could move forward with our idea we would need to gain the approval of our the 157th Air Refueling Wing commander, Col. Richard Martell. Col Martell was concerned about the liability issue so he forwarded my request to the JAG office and I thought that would be the death of our idea. Surprisingly the JAG approved the event and even created a waver form for us and with that we were given the go ahead! With the green light to have our event we got more serious with the planning. We begin reaching out to the other runners on the base and our largest squadron on the base Maintenance jumped in with 2 teams. Our course was a challenge to devise, but after getting permission from the town of Newington, we came up with a wonderful course that would begin on the base, run out to the Wildlife Refuge, backtrack some, then turn into Newington Village where we would run through village and then over the old General Sullivan bridge to the Dover DMV and the reverse and run back to Pease and then do it all over again. The distance would be something like 27 miles broken up into 8 legs. Starting and finishing on the base was the goal, but the course itself turned out to be something special. Running around Newington Village and over the bridge in the fall is amazing. Quickly we realized that we would need help with all the various logistics so our team of 2 became a committee of 6 and thankfully. With little planning and any idea of how to put on a race event, nine teams ran our first Pease Relay on November 1st, 2008. This years Pease Relay Race was not our largest in our six year history but with 13 teams and over 40 volunteers, we continue to establish an amazing event. A relay race is the perfect event for military folks as it plays right into the things they represent such as competition, esprit de corps, pride, team and of course fun! We crowned the Medical Group champions for the second consecutive year as they blew away the field, but I can tell you first hand; every team ran with the pride of a champion. While this may sound extreme I have always related running in this event as similar to the Olympics in that the pride of representing your squadron is much like representing your country. You run with a greater purpose no matter what place you are in. Personally my squadron has never finished higher than third place, but every runner loves this event. This event has become a professionally run event with custom designed technical shirts for all the runners, organized volunteers, awards and a huge post race party. The unit members and beyond have come to look forward to the Sunday following Columbus Day weekend as a chance to come together and enjoy the camaraderie, competition and fun! I am so proud of this event and my goal has been to establish it as a permanent fixture long after I move on and I believe with the help of others that will be a reality. Kathy and I have been the only holdovers from that first year and even Kathy will be retiring and I will have to find another volunteer coordinator, but others keep stepping up so I will. Thank you Kathy! Well I hope you enjoyed a little peek into an event that has meant so much to me and one that I am quite proud of.