The Running of the Herd

Once a year there is a 24-hour relay race held on the 8^th of November called the Running of the Herd. The race is grueling; a team is composed of seven runners, and each lap is approximately 5 miles, and one runner must be running at all times during the race. The average runner will run about 20 miles during the course of the event, with some running as many as 30 to 35 miles.

The people who compete in this race are not professional athletes and have little or no training before the race. Most of them are soldiers, but some spouses and civilians run too. So why on earth would they put their bodies through such a physically demanding task?

The Running of the Herd started on November 8^th of 2007 to commemorate the loss of soldiers in Vietnam during a grueling battle on the 8^th of November (Big and Rich wrote a song about it, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfElHIt7n0s

to see the video), the loss of ten 173^rd Sky Soldiers during a deployment to Afghanistan in 2008, and more recently the loss of more Sky Soldiers in October of 2010. Needless to say, the men and women who compete in the Running of the Herd do so to honor the lives of those who gave all for our country.

I have been to the 2^nd and 3^rd annual races of the Running of the Herd as a spectator. The races tended to be small with only a handful of teams, but the atmosphere is one of both remembrance and celebration. There are about 30 teams registered so far this year, which makes it the biggest event yet. This year, for the 4^th annual Running of the Herd I will be attending as a competitor. I do not by any means plan on breaking any records or even being on a team that has a shot at winning. I am doing this race for two reasons; to honor those who gave all for our country, and to challenge myself. I am not by any means a professional athlete…I hardly consider myself an athlete, but I am in the best shape of my life right now and I have been running a lot lately. I’m looking forward to this experience, but at the same time I know that my body is going to hate me for it afterward. Even so, that is a small price to pay compared to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

I will be sure to post pictures after the race and write about my experience…wish me luck!