Team Fairchild members run 185 mile relay race

Published Sept. 9, 2009
By Airman 1st Class Natasha E. Stannard
92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- Members of Team Fairchild formed two co-ed and one all male 12-person teams to compete in the Spokane to Sandpoint relay race.

The competitors began the race atop Mt. Spokane, Aug. 14 at 7:30 a.m. The run took competitors on a 185-mile course consisting of 36 legs through the heart of downtown Spokane on the Centennial Trail, through an amusement park and finally to the finish line at Sandpoint, Idaho.

"It's a very scenic route," Colonel Barnes said.

Colonel Barnes and fellow Survival of the Fittest team member Tech. Sgt. LaCashana Knight, 336th Training Squadron Operations Support Flight computers non-commissioned officer in charge, both participated in the race last year. This year their team placed 21st out of 74 overall and 7th out of 33 in the co-ed division with a time of 25 hours and 37 minutes, which is approximately a 2.5 hour improvement from their teams' time last year, Colonel Barnes said.

This improvement was facilitated with preparation. Barnes' team ran four to seven miles to train for the task ahead, he said.

First time participants Senior Airman Justin Wilkins, 22nd Training Squadron Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape Specialist and Airman Basic Levi Wood, 22nd Training Squadron Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape Specialist, are members of the all male team, Double Deuce. Their team placed 5th out of 74 overall and 1st in the public service division with a time of 22 hours and 32 minutes.

The long journey required 12 competitors on each team to rotate running during the continuous relay. Each runner raced three legs varying in distances from four to seven miles, which are ran at any hour, day or night, Colonel Barnes said.

In the first leg, the competitor is typically very motivated. They see the other runners in front of them as targets to pass and make it a goal to reach them, Colonel Barnes said.
"While I'm running, I think about catching up to the next person," Airman Wood said.
The second leg, on the other hand, is like a survival course. The competitors are generally focused on getting through this portion of the race because in some cases they're running on pitch black back-country roads. At this point, most of the teams have dispersed so some of the runners go through their portion of the leg without seeing a single person. This portion of the race can get the runner anxious and at times a little worried, but at the same time it's very peaceful.

"When it's dark, you have so many thoughts in your head, but it was very peaceful, serene and beautiful," Colonel Barnes said.

Not only is the run beautiful and serene, but the challenging event is also very beneficial to the body and the mind. For some runners it helps them clear their head and get new or different perspectives about various parts of life, Sergeant Knight said.

"When I run I feel unconstrained from everyday life," Sergeant Knight said. "My only responsibility at that time is to run."

In the last leg, runners are running through long winding country roads and just want to reach the end of them. They're glad to have gone through the experience and enjoy the aspects of running, but by that time all that's in mind is the finish line where the entire team is waiting, Colonel Barnes said.

"I thought about getting to the finish line as fast as possible," Airman Wilkins said.
Once the last runner is in site with the guideon in hand, the team joins him in the race to the end, said Colonel Barnes.

"The best part was finishing with everybody together," Colonel Barnes said.

Another part of the race came approximately two thirds of the way through, competitors ran into Silverwood Theme Park to go on a midnight ride on the Tremors roller coaster. The participants who weren't running at the time were woken up to join the members who were running on the roller coaster ride.

"In a 24-hour period I ran in fishnets, ran in the rain, rode a roller coaster, and then ran under the stars," said Sergeant Knight.

While a roller coaster ride is fun, runners had different motivations that lead them to the race. Airman Wilkins said he participated because it's a 185-mile race. Airman Wood said a member of the team recommend that he should join them. Airman Wood said he felt it was a great way challenge himself and a great way to build teamwork.

"It brings people together with one common goal," Airman Wood said. "Spokane to Sandpoint is an excellent team and community building competition."

Colonel Barnes and Sergeant Knight participated this year because they enjoyed it so much the previous year. They also said the entire group is a great Team Fairchild cross section bringing people together.

"I thought it was a great opportunity to spend time with people that you normally wouldn't get to spend time with," Colonel Barnes said.

The race provided Team Fairchild members the opportunity to form a squad of officers, enlisted personnel of all ranks and military spouses. Unless there is a special occasion, it's rather unusual to see these three groups in the same room together. However, for this event they spent more than 24 hours with one another, Sergeant Knight said.

"We got to know each other in a way no Thanksgiving or Potluck can afford," Sergeant Knight said.