Reserve runners complete 86-mile race

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Hillary A. Stonemetz
  • 55th Wing Public Affairs
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. --  Eight Team Offutt members from the 610th Information Operations Flight participated in a grueling 86 mile relay race Oct. 11 from Omaha's Old Market to Lincoln's Hay Market.

The race, the inaugural Market to Market Relay, was the first long distance relay race in Nebraska.

The relay was composed of 150 teams of six to eight people. The route snakes across the countryside along existing trail systems and back roads.

"We initially looked at the relay as a fundraising event for the flight's 25th birthday this month," said Lt. Col. Brad Hyndman, 610th IOF commander. "However, it morphed into more of a teambuilding and fitness event as well as a potential Air Force Reserve recruiting event and a chance to put the Air Force Reserve in the public eye."
The 610th OIF, part of the 610th Intelligence Squadron, is an Air Force Reserve unit organized under, but geographically separated from, the 442nd Fighter Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.

According to Market to Market Relay organizers, the route was broken into 24 stages with each runner completing either three or four stages depending on the number of people on a team. Each stage varied in difficulty and length.

To prepare for the relay, some 610 IOF team members ran four to eight miles two to three times a week over a six week time period. Other team members ran marathons and other smaller races.

"The relay was a great way to get out and get moving while working on a teambuilding event with my unit," said Staff Sgt. Guillermo Rosas, 610th IOF intelligence analyst and team captain.

Each person on the team ran between six to 12 miles throughout the relay.

The relay was a fun day on the road with other runners, getting exercise while getting a close-up view of the area between Omaha and Lincoln, said Eric Miller, National Geospatial Intelligence imagery analyst.


"I enjoyed the camaraderie and encourage people to get out a participate in this relay next year," said Sergeant Rosas.

The 610th IOF team ran a total of 12 hours and 27 minutes and placed 102nd out of a total of 153 teams.

The team members are colonel Hyndman, sergeant Rosas, Tech. Sgt. Dave Woodcock, Mr. Miller, Airman 1st Class Christopher Patton, Senior Airman Matthew Decker, Senior Airman John Charles Horton and Staff Sgt. Shawn Bell.

For more information on the Market to Market Relay, visit www.markettomarketrelay.com.