Government shutdown didn’t slow military runners in Army 10-Miler

By C.J. Lin

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.”

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