U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program runner Sgt. Augustus Maiyo crosses the 2016 Army Ten-Miler finish line first, followed closely by 1st Lt. Robert Cheseret, Spc. Shadrack Kipchirchir and Sgt. Hillary Bor. (Photo by David Vergun)
By David Vergun
Army News Service
WASHINGTON — Sgt. Augustus Maiyo led his fellow Soldiers to snatch the top five places in the 32nd running of the Army Ten-Miler Oct. 9, 2016.
“We were running together the whole time,” said Maiyo, a Kenyan native who is a member of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) at Fort Carson.
According to Maiyo, most of the WCAP team stayed out in front the entire race. That allowed the team members to move to the finish line as one. Of the more than 35,000 runners who participated, none of the others came even close.
“It was a win for the Army,” he said.
Maiyo was the first to cross the finish line with a time of 48 minutes, 20 seconds, with 1st Lt. Robert Cheseret on his heels recording the same time. Spc. Shadrack Kipchirchir and Sgt. Hillary Bor, both posting times of 48:22, and Spc. Leonard Korir, 48:32, claimed the top five spots for the Army and the WCAP team.
Fort Carson Army Ten-Miler runners pose for a photo with Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel A. Dailey, center. The team members are, from left, Capt. Marie A. Hoffman, Maj. Michael B. Moore, Lt. Col. Elizabeth J. Helland, Lt. Col. Khanh T. Diep, Sgt. Ali Asgary and 1st Lt. Andrea P. Stam. (Courtesy photo)
Seconds before the start of the race, Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Mark A. Milley had picked up a microphone and asked if the Soldiers were going to win. They raised their arms in a victory gesture and declared they would do it for the Army. A loud “Hooah!” followed from the racers, many of whom were Soldiers or veterans.
Fort Carson runners placed fifth in the active-duty men’s team and ninth in the women’s category. The men’s team consisted of Maj. Michael B. Moore, Capt. Nicholas E. Sterghos, Spc. George Kiplagat, Spc. David Kiplagat and Sgt. Ali Asgary. The women’s team was Lt. Cols. Elizabeth J. Helland and Khanh T. Diep, 1st Lt. Andrea P. Stam and Capt. Marie A. Hoffman.