With the early-morning sun illuminating the Custis-Lee Mansion and Arlington National Cemetery in the background, competitors in the wheelchair and hand-crank categories of the Army 10-Miler cross the bridge into Washington, D.C. on Oct. 20, 2013. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)
With the early-morning sun illuminating the Custis-Lee Mansion and Arlington National Cemetery in the background, competitors in the wheelchair and hand-crank categories of the Army 10-Miler cross the bridge into Washington, D.C. on Oct. 20, 2013. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)
Kerri Gallagher is the first woman to finish the 2013 Army 10-Miler with a time of 54:56 on Oct. 20, 2013. Gallagher also placed first in the women's division in 2012. (Rick Vasquez/Stars and Stripes)
Julie Culley, from Arlington, Va., took third place in the women's division at the 29th Army 10-Miler on October 20, 2013. (Rick Vasquez/Stars and Stripes)
The first three runners to arrive at the 29th annual Army 10-Miler finish line represented Brazil. The runners were: Solonei Silva, No. 24, 1st place, 48:04; Paulo Paula, No. 22, 2nd place, 48:06; Frank Caldeira, No. 19, 3rd place, 48:08. (Rick Vasquez/Stars and Stripes)
Wounded Warriors get on their way at the 29th annual Army 10-Miler, October 20, 2013. (Rick Vasquez/Stars and Stripes)
Runners get ready to go at the 29th annual Army 10-Miler race, October 20, 2013. (Rick Vasquez/Stars and Stripes)
Army Capt. Kelly Calway speaks outside the Pentagon after finishing sixth in women's division in the 2013 Army 10-Miler on Oct. 20, 2013. Calway was the first military woman to finish this year's race and received a trophy, the first time race organizers were recognizing the accomplishment. (C.J. Lin/Stars and Stripes)
Runners cross the finish line of the 29th annual Army 10-Miler race outside the Pentagon on Oct. 20, 2013. (C.J. Lin/Stars and Stripes)
Runners cross the finish line of the 29th annual Army 10-Miler race outside the Pentagon on Oct. 20, 2013. (C.J. Lin/Stars and Stripes)
Runners cross the finish line of the 29th annual Army 10-Miler race outside the Pentagon on Oct. 20, 2013. (C.J. Lin/Stars and Stripes)
A wounded warrior crosses the finish line of the 29th annual Army 10-Miler race outside the Pentagon on Oct. 20, 2013. (C.J. Lin/Stars and Stripes)
Runners cross the finish line of the 29th annual Army 10-Miler race outside the Pentagon on Oct. 20, 2013. (C.J. Lin/Stars and Stripes)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013 in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)
Ruby Silvey of Simpsonville, S.C. carries a flag during the Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013 in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013 in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013 in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013 in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013 in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013 in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013 in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013 in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013 in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013 in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013 in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013 in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013 in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013 in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013 in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013 in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013 in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013 in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013 in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)
In an October, 2013 file photo, Stephen Marthy of Honolulu and U.S. Army Pacific leads a group of runners past the two-mile mark of the Army 10-Miler in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. Marthy finished 49th overall. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013 in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)
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The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013, in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Meredith Tibbetts/Stars and Stri)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013, in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Meredith Tibbetts/Stars and Stri)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013, in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Meredith Tibbetts/Stars and Stri)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013, in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Meredith Tibbetts/Stars and Stri)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013, in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Meredith Tibbetts/Stars and Stri)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013, in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Meredith Tibbetts/Stars and Stri)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013, in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Meredith Tibbetts/Stars and Stri)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013, in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Meredith Tibbetts/Stars and Stri)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013, in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Meredith Tibbetts/Stars and Stri)
Sarah Luebbert of Elizabethtown, Ky. high-fives a spectator at the Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013, in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Meredith Tibbetts/Stars and Stri)
The Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013, in Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. (Meredith Tibbetts/Stars and Stri)
Caleb Runge (16156) and Brody Lester of Texas A&M and Daniel Elias of Washington, D.C., in the Army 10-Miler, Oct. 20, 2013. (Meredith Tibbetts/Stars and Stri)
ARLINGTON, Va. — Even with the government shutdown raising anxiety about whether various military teams would be tackling the Army 10-Miler, some of the top finishers knew there was only one thing to do in the days leading up to the race: Just keep on running.
It paid off for Army Capt. Kelly Calway, who was the first military female to finish the 29th annual race that wound through the streets of Arlington, Va. and Washington, D.C. on Sunday, just days after the shutdown ended.
“Honestly, I did monitor it pretty closely, but I didn’t get too stressed out,” said Calway, who finished with a time of 57:06. “I just kept training, that’s all I could do. It’s like the weather — if I stressed about it, it would be a detriment to my training.”
And Calway, 29, also got a trophy for the feat, as it was the first time that race organizers were recognizing the top military finishers. Calway, who will be among the first women to serve as intel officers for infantry battalions when she deploys to Kuwait next month, has been running the Army 10-Miler for several years and has finished as the first military female before, but was never officially recognized.
“We have so many truly amazing military women and it’s amazing to represent them,” said Calway, who is based in Fort Carson, Colo.
The race was also a first for Spc. Aron Rono, who placed fifth among male finishers and was the first U.S. military male to finish, with a time of 48:18. Rono’s teammates from the All-Army team also finished in seventh and eighth place.
“When I was running, all along the course there were military guys giving me support and handing out water,” Rono said. “It was awesome.”
For Capt. Elinor Kim, a member of the U.S. Army Europe team who was also competing at the 10-Miler for the first time, seeing the Wounded Warriors was the best part.
“When you pass by the Wounded Warriors who are in squad formation, carrying a flag, running faster than me ... I was inspired,” Kim said.
The shutdown left Kim and the USAREUR team in limbo, as officials tried to figure out whether or not they would be flying back to the states to compete.
“They told us everything was good to go,” said 1st Lt. Jessica Letarte, who is based at Grafenwoehr, Germany. “And then a week before they said it’s not good to go, just keep waiting. So we just kept waiting and waiting.”
And then the day before they were supposed to fly out, they were given the authorization to go, forcing team members in Germany and Italy to scramble to buy last-minute tickets and pack their bags to get back to the U.S. the next day.
So with shutdown anxiety relieved and the race wrapped up, it was good to be back, Letarte said.
“Now we can relax a little bit and enjoy D.C.,” Letarte said.
The top five male finishers were:
Solonei Silva, 48:04 Paulo Paula, 48:06 Frank Caldeira, 48:08 Chris Kwiatkowski,48:17 Aron Rono, 48:18Top five female runners include:
Kerri Gallagher, 54:56 Elizabeth Maloy, 56:02 Julie Culley, 56:13 Tezata Dengersa, 56:37 Kirsten Kasper, 57:05See complete results here.
lin.cj@stripes.com Twitter: @cjlinSS
