Run Like a Girl
A tradition started in 1997 at the 13th Army Ten-Miler—the Commander’s Cup for the top U.S. active-duty female team. In the first year, the ladies from Fort Bragg set a standard for others to follow. The teams are comprised of eight members with the top four to score. The concept is the combination of individual and team effort. Each member is out to give their best performance, and in the mix is the coach who provides the technical guidance. We all like winning, but it comes down to all giving 100% and leaving it out on the road.
The Fort Bragg women’s team for 2019 was under the leadership of Erica Chabalko (Womack Army Medical Center). The pressure coming into 2019 was 14 wins for the team plus holding the team record of 4 hours, 13 minutes, and 49 seconds (set in 2016). There were 11 teams going for the top honor.
It is one thing to take care of your own exercise program, but to play a part in seven others takes more dedication. I asked Erica to share some thoughts.
How long have you been in uniform, and what was the motivation to serve?
“I have served since 2005. I believe that my motivation to join the military differs from my present motivation to remain in the service. I knew very little about what it means to be in the military before I was accepted to USMA, only that I enjoyed challenges, loved being outdoors, and wanted to serve. Over time, I learned more about leading and being a soldier and realized that this was a profession that I wanted to be a part of.”
How did you get involved in the sport of running?
“I’ve played sports most of my life, so naturally, running began as a punishment or conditioning mechanism for other sports. While I was in the Army, I signed up for different races, increasing my distance over time, and found that I sort of loved this sport.”
How did you get selected as team coach?
“I became the Fort Bragg Women’s Coach in 2018. Because I was one of the only returning members to the team, I expressed a desire to carry the torch after our podium finish as a member of the 2017 team. I have coached teams at several installations: Fort Polk, JBLM, Fort Stewart, and Fort Leavenworth. I was on winning teams at Fort Polk and JBLM, and it is a great feeling. I knew what it took to reach the podium and I was up for the challenge to lead the way there. I really love coaching aspiring runners because many of these women do not really know their true potential. It is very rewarding to see them grow and reach their goals over the course of the train up.
Knowing the history of the Fort Bragg team, what pressure did you face taking on the role?
“I felt some personal pressure to do recruiting and made awkward cold calls to ladies who were recommended by some of my friends. It was all worth it, though, to attract the most talented, fastest group of women. I did not want to operate from a position of fear with the women because I view positive influence and imagery to be more effective than negative ones. So, I tried to just frame this as, ‘Hey ladies, this is going to be painful, but trust my training plan and we will prepare ourselves physically to be ready for the challenge.’ And they certainly delivered!”
What is the criteria for team selection?
“I invite women with interest in joining the team to come out to practice with us. I don’t really care too much about historical times. Most women who reach out to me are more concerned about that aspect than myself. I have had this discussion with ladies on the team that most women are wired to only step into the ring if they can envision success. However, I was not opposed to having women come out and improve their running times. Nevertheless, we had a series of local road races we participated in leading up to the final time trial in August. I recorded the times for these events, as well as observations during the season’s tough workouts to make the final determinations for team selection. Bottom line, our mission was to win, so I needed to select the fastest women.”
How do the soldiers balance training along with military commitments?
“This is tough! One of our ladies said it best when she stated, ‘Many acronyms tried to keep us away from training: MLC, TDY, EDRE, GRF, JRTC, etc.’ Bottom line, this is something that the ladies communicated with me on an individual basis so I could maintain a current status on their fitness levels. I think, in some cases, the military aspects may have made them think they were losing fitness, but training distractions exist for most athletes. I’d say that we did the best we could and made sure that our ladies stayed injury free.”
How do deployments affect the team composition?
“Deployments affect available team members and continuity of the team. The pre-deployment training can also impact it. However, we have a team philosophy of ‘Soldiers first,’ so we do the best we can to make sure that the ladies are deployable. We had one member, Claudia Herrick, who returned to Fort Bragg shortly after the race due to a deployment. I was happy she could race!”
Does the team train as a group or more individually?
“We trained as a group most days, but some days folks had to train individually due to unit requirements. Most Saturday runs were individually executed as well.”
What is your philosophy when it comes to the sport as a participant and as a coach?
“I think my biggest takeaway is that this should be fun! I love to run, and I feel fortunate that I have had the ability to run for so long. I always want to improve my pace and efficiencies so I can minimize time spent training while still getting the same outcome. After all, the time I spend running is time that is taken away from my kids.”
How did it feel when you knew the ladies made it to the podium for another year?
“AMAZING! It is a great feeling when the effort matches the outcome!”
Do you feel that this sport is emotional?
“Absolutely! There is a huge emotional/mental aspect that cannot be understated.”
What has been a memorable moment since you have been with the team?
“I’d say our huddle before the race. We had our arms over our shoulders, and we knew that we were going to lay it on the line. It was a very memorable moment because everything led up to that.”
Has there been any disappointments along the way?
“No disappointments to note for the females. It was bittersweet to see the men’s team come up short and get second place though.”
How did you feel about the level of competition at the Army Ten-Miler?
“The competition is always intense and knowing this helps with staying focused during the training. There are many talented runners that step up to the line on race day, and you never know who may shine on that day.”
What do you want our readers to know?
“Get out and run the Army Ten Miler! You won’t regret it whether you’re a seasoned runner or novice.”
Congratulations to the team: Berenice Macias (1:04:22), Anya Price (1:04:41), Amberly Weber (1:05:58), and Erica Chabalko (1:07:26).
