U.S. military shows its mettle at the Myrtle Beach Marathon, nine complete 25th races
The U.S. military showed out at the 25th Myrtle Beach Marathon on Saturday.
A member of the Army won the women’s half marathon, while members of the National Guard finished first and third in the men’s half marathon.
Nathan Wanuch, of Huntland, Tennessee won the men’s half by about 6 seconds over runner-up Ethan Turner of Chapel Hill, N.C., in a time of 1:13:06. Fellow National Guard marathon and endurance team member Nathaniel Sink of Columbus, Ohio was third in 1:13:51.
Lindsay Gabow, a military intelligence officer stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, won the women’s half in a time of 1:20:10, which was more than 3 1/2 minutes faster than runner-up Anne Fechtel of Charlotte, N.C.
“The Army really values running specifically, probably more than any other form of physical fitness,” Gabow said. “Running is really the foundation of what units will do for physical fitness training. You’ll see units out there at Fort Bragg every morning at 6:15 or 6:30 and they’re all running.
“So that definitely has helped me as an officer and it’s helped me inspire my soldiers. I actually have a couple of my soldiers out here who ran their first half marathon today. The two, the Army and running, are complementary.”
Gabow, a native of Pelham, N.Y., is a six-year Army member who ran cross country and track while in school at West Point. Her best marathon time among the two she has run came at the 2018 Armed Forces Marathon. She has won won three of the five half marathons she has entered with a personal best below 1:19.
She plans to continue competing in half marathons and work to better 2:45 in a marathon when she has more time to dedicate to training.
“I’m somewhat competitive so I would say it’s a bit more than a hobby,” Gabow said. “I enjoy coming out and placing and hopefully winning half marathons. As for running in other marathons, that requires far more commitment, a lot more mileage, so I think I really need to be in the correct head space for that.”
She has family on the Grand Strand and frequently visits Myrtle Beach. “I love Myrtle Beach. This is one of my favorite places,” she said. “What I love about this place is everybody is friendly and it’s a pretty slow pace versus New York, which for me is a little too fast-paced and not quite as friendly. I always feel comfortable when I come here.”
Wanuch’s wife and two young sons were along the course route near the finish line holding signs encouraging him and the other National Guard runners in the races.
“I passed them with less than half a mile to go and I knew second place was right behind me, and seeing them jumping up and down cheering for me, it gave me that last little boost that I needed to hold off second,” Wanuch said. “It was great having them here.”
Wanuch has been in the National Guard for more than three years and qualified for its marathon squad through team trials last year.
He has won four of the six half marathons he has run and the Chattanooga Marathon among the three full marathons he has entered.
“I wasn’t expecting to win this one,” he said. “I’ve seen some fast times on this course so it came as a pleasant surprise when I found myself crossing that line first.”
More than 30 National Guard marathon team members were entered in either the full or half marathon.
Heavy weight to bear
Running 13.1 miles is taxing enough for most people.
But for Jacob Guida and Elliott Fish, they wanted the added difficulty of running in boots with 25-pound backpacks strapped to them on Saturday.
The two University of South Carolina students are in the Air Force ROTC and are training for an 18-mile Norwegian Ruck march in April, which awards a foreign military badge for completing 18.6 miles with 25 pounds strapped to your back in full uniform.
“It’s kind of preparation for that [Norwegian Ruck], but then also it’s kind of like self determination, come out and do it ourselves,” Guida said.
So they ran together and completed the half marathon in 2:42:52, which is as fast as they recently ran 12 miles with the 25 pounds.
“It’s basically two miles ahead of our pace for what we need to be doing for the 18 miler,” Fish said.
Running in camouflage with camouflage backpacks, Guida and Fish received constant encouragement from other runners and spectators lining the course.
“The showing was great. I feel it was constant. Other runners were hyping us up as they were running,” Guida said.
The duo was ready for some rest and relaxation following their arduous run.
“I’m ready to go take a nap,” Guida said.
“And eat some good food while we’re down here,” Fish added.
Legacy group continues run
Nine runners participated in their 25th Myrtle Beach Marathons on Saturday, keeping their perfect attendance streaks intact.
They include Myrtle Beach resident Jim Pence and Janey Mitchell of Pawleys Island, who completed the marathon in 4:31:42.
Mitchell was diagnosed with both breast cancer and leukemia in 2019 and completed the half marathon in 2020 while undergoing treatments. In 2021, she resumed the full 26.2-mile distance despite receiving an infusion two days prior to the race.
Pence, 62, ran in the marathon for 22 straight years before moving to the half three years ago, and he completed the half on Saturday in 2:28:43.
“The last three I think my wife had an intervention. She said that was enough. As long as I can stay in the whole marathon it’s great, and the half’s good for me man,” Pence said. “I’ll be here as long as they’re happening. As long as I can limp across here.”
The other 25-year participants are Bobby Bruce, David Buck, Jim Herring, Trip McClendon, David McKay, Robert Peterson and Jose Santos of Mint Hill, N.C., who has completed 25 full marathons and runs in a Superman outfit.
Medical assistance required
A total of 42 runners were treated in the field hospital set up in the Myrtle Beach Pelicans’ home clubhouse, according to Dr. Jarratt Lark of Grand Strand Medical Center, director of the field hospital for all 25 Myrtle Beach Marathons.
Lark said it was generally typical race ailments, including dehydration and cramps. Some required suturing for cuts caused by falls, about eight required intravenous fluids and three were transferred by EMS to the hospital and all were in stable condition as of late Saturday afternoon.
“It was a relatively average year for the volume of runners,” Lark said. “The full marathoners required more aggressive therapy than the half marathoners on average.
“. . . The weather is helpful for us. If it’s raining and cold that’s worse for us, or if it’s too hot.”
There were five aid stations throughout the course in addition to the field hospital, where Lark said new ultrasound technology was used to evaluate orthopedic injuries and assess the fluid volume status of patients.
This story was originally published March 5, 2022 at 6:20 PM.
