By Patty Sands, WTC Stratcom
COL Darryl Williams, WTC Commander, accepts one of the donated Army Ten Miler trophies from the irun4god running team coach Sue Bozgoz.
One never knows when a simple introduction will turn into something great.
The first time I saw Sue Bozgoz, coach of the irun4god running team, she was giving a motivational speech at the D.C. Armory in Washington. I remember thinking that her speech was riveting and her passion for helping others was evident. Later that day, I saw her again as she slowly made her way through the exhibits at the Army Ten Miler. When she saw the Army Warrior Transition Command’s (WTC) display, her eyes lit up and she exclaimed, “Hooah!”
Later that day, I was pleasantly surprised to find that all of the irun4god runners had ironed Army Wounded Warrior Program (AW2) patches on their jerseys for the Army Ten Miler race. After Sue Bozgoz had shared information about WTC and AW2 with her team, the runners decided to dedicate their race to Army wounded warriors. With iron-on AW2 patches on their uniforms, the team competed against 30,000 runners and won 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place wins in several categories. Their wins also included 1st place in the overall open male team and 1st place in the overall open female team categories.
Today, the irun4god team, now a member of the AW2 Community Support Network, presented their trophies from the Army Ten Miler to COL Gadson, AW2 Director, and COL Darryl Williams, WTC Commander, to honor Army wounded warriors. Gratefully accepting the trophies on behalf of all wounded, ill, and wounded Soldiers, COL Williams spoke about the importance of physical fitness in the lives of wounded warriors. He commended the runners for their successes and thanked them for their support and assistance of wounded warriors. The trophies are planned to be displayed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
One of the winning runners, Ronald Kijrui was asked why he donated his trophy to honor Army wounded warriors. In response, the quiet athlete humbly said, “The warriors are the reason I can run and be free. They walk into danger everyday for us. The least I can do is run for them and run with them.”
Sue and her team have offered to train AW2 Soldiers and Veterans for next year’s Army Ten Miler. I fully anticipate there will be a record number of race participants from the AW2 community and they will be ready in body, mind, and spirit. That is indeed–going the extra mile.
