More than 500 members of the U.S. military and civilian employees of the Department of Defense competed in the Boston Marathon Shadow Run held on Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan on April 18.
The Fort Drum-based 10th Mountain Division hosted the race, which is the only sanctioned Boston Marathon overseas.
The Boston Marathon Shadow Run had official start and finish banners, bibs, T-shirts, and medals, thanks to the Boston Athletic Association.
The winner of the race was State Department employee Josh Peterson, who ran the race in 2 hours and 39 minutes. U.S. Army Capt. Daniella Mestyanek had the fastest run among the women, with a time of 3 hours and 12 minutes.
Mestyanek dedicated her race to the fallen service members with whom she had served:
“Really with Boston, it was kind of poetic. I just want to dedicate it to them and this is why I do this.”
The 2014 Boston Marathon Shadow Run was the last one held at Bagram Air Field, according to The Associated Press, because the U.S. military will pull most troops out of Afghanistan by the end of the year.
Here are interviews with both Peterson and Mestyanek (courtesy of DVIDS) along with Chaplain (Capt.) Lucasz Willenberg, who is credited with bringing the Boston Marathon Shadow Run to Bagram Air Field:
