This year, Dallas Running Club Half Marathon runners will have even more competition than meets the eye.
When 3,000 or so runners take off on the 13.1-mile trek around the White Rock Lake area Nov. 2, 36 Marines half-a-world away will run a course equal in length, if not terrain.
Before 2nd Lt. Ryan Bintz of Dallas shipped out to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in Okinawa, Japan in July, he had a chat with his dad, David Bintz, Dallas Running Club’s head marathon coach.
It all started with good-natured hypothetical banter over who could win a footrace — the platoon or the running group. Then it went a step further.
“He was always hearing me talk about my kids — that’s what I call the runners in my group,” David says. Ryan, feeling comparable fatherliness toward his platoon members, began to brag on his men’s athletic acumen.
“We ended up deciding to communicate with one another, e-mail each other training times, and get some friendly competition going on. We even had a name for it all — Running Mates.”
David’s group — comprising some of the club’s speedier runners — was anxious to get involved. So were many other Dallas runners. “The thing just took off,” David says.
One might say supporters ran with the idea — folks have donated registration money, running gear and supplements.
Organizers encountered a minor problem with sending clothes. All clothing they receive has to match, like uniforms, says club president Libby Jones. Thankfully, sportswear retailers New Balance heard about the quandary and donated matching technical training tops to the entire platoon.
But the Marines weren’t so unanimously gung ho at first.
“The idea of writing emails sounded like extra duty, and the term ‘half marathon’ was intimidating,” Ryan e-mails from Okinawa. “These are Marines who can run six miles in 45 minutes … [but now they] are coming at this challenge with more enthusiasm … the support from the Dallas runners has been great.”
Provided their location is conducive, the Marines and registered half marathon runners in Dallas will run the race simultaneously, after which Ryan will radio in their results.
Tangible offerings and extra training motivation is valuable, but the Bintzes believe the most beneficial byproduct of the so-called Running Mates project will be newfound camaraderie.
Ryan has talked to his dad about the guys in the platoon. “Some of them have no family; they don’t have people to communicate with back home. And they’ve got warfare at the front of the mind,” David says.
Marines welcomed into the Dallas Running Club fold will enjoy new bonds that go beyond the sport, David hopes. That’s what the running club is all about, after all.
“When I am coaching these kids … well, none of them expect to win,” he says with a smile. “That’s not why they are here. They are here because of what they get out of running with other people — running with a team.” —CHRISTINA HUGHES BABB
SPONSOR A MARINE
Get involved with a $25 donation to the Dallas Running Club Half Marathon Nov. 2. Your donation allows the Marine to register and remotely participate in the race, and receive the finisher medal, event shirt and bib. Additional donations to cover supplies and shipping costs also are appreciated.
