Bataan Is Completed...Race Day...

So back to the alarm clocks. I had three of them set for Sunday morning. The clock radio by my bed, my cell phone, and a hotel wake up call. The hotel wake up call came at 2:57AM, and I quickly got up, turned off the other alarms and drank a double dose of Spark energy drink. When a person runs a race like this, it is very important to take a good ol' crap in the morning before the race. The last thing a marathon runner wants to do is deal with having a bowel movement while on the course. Thanks to the caffeine from Spark, about 20 minutes later I had some quality toilet time. Again, if you have ever run a long race, you know how important this is. It was now about 3:30AM and I still had plenty of time to finish getting ready before we left for White Sands at 4:00AM.

The American Flag at the starting point.

As we all began to gather in the hall of the hotel to load the vehicles, there was a very distinct buzz in the air. Many people staying at our hotel were competing at Bataan, and most everyone was shooting for the 4:00AM depart time from the hotel. All of our team was ready. Bonser, as the head logistics officer, had insisted that we be paired up with a buddy Sunday morning so we could check one another's gear. Moseley and I were buddies, and being that all good soldiers carry out orders, we checked our rucks for the necessary gear, and headed to the White Sands Missile Range. The Bataan Memorial Death March was waiting for us.

As expected, there was some significant traffic at the Range, but in due time we were able to park. They offered a shuttle service to the starting point, but the wait for a bus was going to be long, so we decided a mile walk to the starting point wouldn't hurt us. We saw the lights in the distance, and headed out.

Right before the start of the race: Kneeling from left: Brandon D., Clay, and Heather
Top Row from left: Mike, Tommy, Brandon B., Levi, Doc, and Jason

Once I arrived at the starting point, we met up as a group and moved to the staging area for opening ceremonies and to wait for the race to begin. The opening ceremonies were impressive. There were high altitude parachute jumpers from the U.S. Army, and a flyover of Air Force jets. Those were very memorable, but the truly emotional portions of the pre-race ceremony were the Roll Call, the playing of Taps, and the cannon fire in memory of the fallen heroes of our United States Military.

I am not ashamed to admit that the playing of Taps is always emotional for me personally. To know the history of Bataan, and to be in such close contact with the military was significant. To hear Roll Call is emotional. A name is called and a man will answer, "Here!", but when multiple names are called and there is silence, everyone becomes aware that a man did not come home. He lost his life in service to our country. I don't remember how many names were left in silence, but there were many. The loud cannon fire in memory of these fallen men, only made the Memorial more real. We were there to remember those "Battling Bastards of Bataan", and they were on my mind.

As the opening ceremonies completed we waited for the race. Final handshakes and hugs were shared with my training partners, and then our group began to move toward the start line. After 6 months of training, Bataan was starting. It was time to race.

Bataan Is Completed...Part 1...

Sunday was race day, and at 3:00AM I heard the first of 3 alarms go off. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep too well the night before, because I was quite a bit nervous about the race. So far though, the entire trip had been going exactly as planned. We flew out of San Antonio early Saturday morning with no problems at all. Jason had taken care of the plane tickets in advance for us, and we flew in to El Paso, secured the rental van, and headed to Las Cruces where we would get our hotel rooms. From the very beginning when we decided to do Bataan, Brandon had become the man that would be taking care of all logistical planning. He did one heck of a job. We had an itinerary for every day that he designed, and it really made the trip go very well. Once the rooms were secured, we had lunch. While we ate, we all joked around about how the sun seemed to be much closer to us since we arrived in New Mexico. It’s hot in Texas, but out in the desert is felt hotter. Real hot. After the lunch of chicken breast and a double serving of brown rice, we headed out.

Group Pic At White Sands Museum

I rode out to White Sands Missile Range for final registration with the out of state member of our team, Dr. Srdjan Mirkovic. Brandon and the Doc had both gone through the SealFit course, and as we were putting a Bataan training group together, Dr. Mirkovic joined us. He did all of his training on his own in the Chicago area, but he communicated with us via email concerning training techniques and progress. He was definitely a member of our team, and a fun guy to compete with at Bataan.

Once we got to White Sands we found the area for registration with no problems. The lines were fairly long, but we completed the registration process, and still had time to explore the base. We took this opportunity to go by the White Sands Missile Range Museum, and take some photos. While we were at the museum, we did our best to scope out the course and figure out where the infamous Mineral Hill was. Mineral Hill is widely known as one of the tougher parts of the course where the runner is faced with an elevation gain of over 1,500 feet. We thought we could see the hill off in the distance. Mineral Hill. I couldn’t wait to meet the hill in the morning.

Clay and I scoping out the infamous Mineral Hill.

We loaded up in the vans, and headed back to town for last minute gear checks, and one final carb loading meal of chicken, rice, and rice crispy treats for dessert. After dinner, we headed to the hotel for some sleep. Brandon had secured some extra rooms for us, so I ended up having a room all to my self. Leigh stayed in the same room with Heather the night before the race so I would have no distractions. The gear and uniform was ready, and I crawled into bed at 8:30PM. First call was going to come early.

1 Day Until Bataan...

It's 0447, and I am about to get dressed where I can go meet the other guys and head to the airport. Leigh, Heather, Clay, and his cousin all drove to El Paso yesterday, and will meet us this morning when we get there. I've got no problem admitting that I am a little nervous about the race. Not necessarily about finishing the thing, but about doing fairly well. The weather forecast is calling for temperatures in the 80's at White Sands tomorrow. That's pretty warm for this time of year, but it gets a little warm in Texas from time to time too so hopefully it will relate to the weather we've had here lately.

I admit the entire process and thought of "having a mission" has worked. This race has allowed me to focus much of my energy on something positive these last several months. It has forced me to get off my butt and get out in God's creation. It has been fun to train with a great group of friends, and I have been able to share this experience with my wife and kids as well. This has been a fun ride, but I am without a doubt ready to get the race on and finish the deal.

Talking with people, I do believe that this blog has helped us as Americans remember a bit of our history. It will be one of the greatest honors of my life to go and meet some of the survivors of the Bataan Death March today. This race is also giving me an opportunity to interact with many active duty members of our military. Doesn't seem like too long ago that I was a young buck in the U.S. Army. Here's hoping my legs are as strong tomorrow as they were back in '97. Time to get it on!

5 Days Until Bataan...Let Us Never Forget What Happened At Bataan...

In all of the training that has taken place for The Bataan Memorial Death March, I think that I may have become a bit self absorbed in the race itself, rather than the reason for the race. These last two days I have gotten a very sober reminder. I have had a copy of My Hitch In Hell for some time now, but I planned on reading the book this week as one final push for motivation to complete the race on Sunday. Being an educated man and a student of history, I felt that I knew quite a bit about the Bataan Death March. After reading the first half of My Hitch In Hell, I realize that I didn't fully understand the outright evil that our American fighting men were subjected to.

Bataan Death March Survivors

I've just finished the chapter that recounts the actual march. Our men were murdered by the Japanese. They were beaten to death, shot, bayoneted, buried alive, beheaded, and starved. To read an eye witness account of the Bataan Death March has at the same time sickened me and made me appreciate and love those American men that were subjected to such despicable and inhumane treatment at the hands of the Japanese.

National Archives: The Japanese forced Filipino civilians to view murdered troops.

It is our job as Americans that we never forget our history. We especially must never forget the sacrifices of those that have helped preserve our Nation and way of life. As a society, we have somehow gotten ourselves in this twisted way of thinking where it is perfectly okay to embrace any type of filth or immoral behavior that we can produce. That's called being open-minded or tolerant. We've  become so "open minded" our brains have fallen out. We fail to remember our history because it is unpleasant to recount. Look again at the picture above. Our men were murdered by the Japanese at Bataan. This is real. This is not a novel, movie, or video game. These events really happened, and we owe it to those men to keep their memory alive.

We, as Americans also owe it to those men to be fully aware that they fought the Japanese enemy for many weeks before they simply ran out of supplies. These were fine American fighting men that were essentially "sacrificed" because U.S. Forces were unable to get to them for support. The Japanese had a stranglehold on the vast Pacific at the time, and our heroes at Bataan were left all alone. They fought and killed the enemy as long as they could, but after exhausting their reserve of ammunition, food, and other vital supplies, they were ordered by their commanders to surrender. These were great Americans.

On April 9, 1942, General MacArthur, from his headquarters in Australia, paid tribute to the defenders of Bataan:
"No Army has ever done so much with so little. Nothing became it more than in its last hour of trial and agony. To the weeping mothers of its dead, I say only that the sacrifice and halo of Jesus of Nazareth has descended upon their sons and that God will take them unto Himself."

May we never forget the men of Bataan.

One Week Until Bataan...The Hay Is In The Barn...

The training is done. Yesterday, Jason, Heather, and yours truly completed the final training run for the race next Sunday. I did a little over 10 miles in 1:45.33. That's a pretty good clip carrying a 35 pound ruck sack. In all honesty, I feel as prepared as I possibly can be, and am looking forward to the race.
Some football coaches like to say that the "Hay is in the barn." after the final football practice of the week. This means that the plan is in, you have practiced the plan, and all that is left to do is go execute the plan. The hay is in the barn. There is nothing left to do. Well, my Bataan training is done and all there is left to do is go out and run the race. I am ready. It's also a pretty good feeling that I have to depend on no one but myself. As a high school football coach, it's kind of funny, in a sick sort of way, that your livelihood is in the hands of 15-18 year old boys, and how they perform on a Friday night. Not so here. I alone am responsible for how it goes down at White Sands next Sunday. I can live with that.

Matthew, Daniel, and Zachary.

It's been quite a while since I have updated this blog, and to my dozens of rabid followers, I sincerely apologize. Let's just say that there have been some good but very time consuming developments take place in my life. I will possibly share them with you fine people as they unfold. I thought that I would be able to catch up on things during my spring break, but no dice. Matthew and Zachary have been at home with me all week, and oh man, you wanna see two little energetic fellas. Come to my house. After an extended time of tending to little ones, it leaves no doubt in my mind that the job of a stay at home mom is the hardest on the planet. A kindergarten teacher would come in a close second. But there is not a thing in the world that I would trade my boys for. Psalm 144 says: "May our sons flourish in their youth like well nurtured plants..." God has blessed me with three boys that are flourishing in their youth, and I am very grateful.

20 Days Until Bataan...Hard Work Pays Off...

Training partners: Heather Hofstetter, Mike Hoge, Jason Moseley,  Brandon Bonser.

The fruits of your labor. Sure is nice to see isn't it? The Good Book says to "Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise..." I interpret that to mean I need to get my rear end up in the morning and get going. According to this ancient proverb, it's wise to have a strong work ethic. Work your tail off and good things will happen to you.


I have had the privilege and pleasure to watch an "ant" work her butt off these last several months as we have prepared for Bataan. Heather Hofstetter, or "H2" as she has become known by her fellow Crossfitters, has put in an extraordinary amount of effort to prepare herself for this race. Heather is going the same route as her male training partners in that she is taking on this 26.2 mile desert race in the "heavy" division. She will carry a 35 pound ruck sack the entire way. This race is difficult for a man, and will be extremely difficult for a woman. Most women wouldn't even bother to try. 

Mike, Heather, Levi, and Brandon.

The Bataan Memorial Death March is widely considered one of the more difficult marathons in the world. Even the "light" category where you take on the desert course without a ruck is considered extremely difficult. To give you a little perspective; In 2011 there were 764 women that completed Bataan in the "light" category. There were only 73 women that entered the "heavy" division. Contrast that with the 1,435 women that completed the recently run Austin Marathon. Bataan is tough. No doubt about it. Heather however, has trained so hard that it is no longer a question of "Can she finish?" It's a question of "How fast will she finish?" She completed her final long training ruck this Saturday. A 21.32 mile ruck in 6 hours and 17 minutes. Heather has come quite a way. She has been working hard for a long time. You can click HERE to see her story yourself. 

I'd take H2 over Lebron anyday.

Too often we think that we must look to some well known or "successful" athlete, celebrity, or politician to model ourselves after. That's horse manure. There's good, strong, hardworking, moral, everyday folk in our community that we need to look to for a model as to how we should go about life. These are the ones we need to appreciate and admire. We just have to take the time to look for them. These last few months, Heather Hofstetter has reminded me what good old fashioned hard work and gritty effort looks like. Thank you Heather. You're going to kill it at Bataan.

Comal County Pearl Harbor Survivor Passes Away...

Robert E. Morris

On Wednesday, yet another member of the Greatest Generation passed away. Robert E. Morris was born on November 30, 1922 and lived a life dedicated to God, family, country, and to his community. He, like so many other members of the Greatest Generation, grew up enduring the hardships of the Great Depression, then was asked to go fight the most costly war in the history of mankind. Morris was a survivor of the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor that took place back in '41, and then spent the next several years of his life fighting to ensure that his Country and our way of life did not vanish from the face of the earth. He, and so many other members of this Greatest Generation met their challenges head on. No one asked them if they wanted to grow up in the most difficult economic times in our history. It just turned out that way, and they dealt with it. As young men, they were asked to go defeat some of the most sinister evil our world has ever seen in the form of the Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. They just did it. They represent the Greatest Generation our country has ever known.

Robert E. Morris

I had the honor to meet and talk with Mr. Morris last fall when I gave the Veteran's Day Speech at Canyon Lake High School. He was the grandfather of two of our students, and they invited him to attend the ceremony. He was introduced, and our student body was able to give him a lengthy standing ovation to recognize what he had done for our nation. He sat in the front row during the presentation, and I thank God that I had the opportunity to shake his hand, and offer a sincere thank you to this remarkable American. If you watched the speech that I gave, you know the central message that I attempted to get across to the audience was that we need to say "Thank you.", and honor our World War II veterans while we have the chance. The window of time is closing on this Generation, and we must never take for granted what they did for our nation.

Morris' grandson Chris, is one of our athletes at Canyon Lake High School. When I saw him on Thursday, he shared with me the photo on the right. The Navy clock hangs on the wall in the home of Morris, and at the time of his passing the clock stopped as well. I got chills when Chris shared this with me. That is either one amazing coincidence, or the God of the universe speaks to us in many ways. I believe the latter. Robert Morris sails in paradise now, because I believe what it says in the good book: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him."