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Bataan Memorial Death March Runner Comments
Back to Bataan Memorial Death March Information & Reviews
Course 4.7 
Organization 4.7 
Spectators 4.2
Number of comments: 115 [displaying comments 101 to 111]
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J. M. from Kingston Tennessee
(6/6/2004)
 "Exhausted - humbling yet gratifying" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Bataan Memorial Death March
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon. I also decided to enter the heavy category with a 35-pound backpack. The course was beautiful, yet more demanding than anything I have ever done. The support staff was outstanding with medical support about every three miles or so. Water and Gatorade were available about every two miles. Seeing the veterans throughout the march was such a highlight of our trip to the desert. I suggest to anyone wanting to do a marathon...do this one. | |
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J. K. from Tucson, Arizona
(4/16/2004)
"Challenging for my first marathon" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Bataan Memorial Death March
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon ever and while it probably wasn't a great idea to start out on Bataan, there couldn't be anymore facilities out there to help me along. I was told by anyone I talked to that was familiar with the race that it was much more difficult than I actually found it to be (they REALLY exaggerated). Friendly people, great weather and lots of water. The only downfall I would say is that there aren't many people around that area so there weren't very many spectators. | |
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B. K. from Ontario, Canada
(4/14/2004)
"A day to remember" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Bataan Memorial Death March
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Bataan Death March was definitely my toughest and most difficult marathon ever. At the same time it offered a very unique experience of participating in the event that spiritually connected veterans of WW2 with young soldiers and not so young civilians like myself. The course was very demanding, the volunteers fantastic and the unforgettable presence of the Bataan veterans made that day very special. The opening and the award ceremonies were particularly moving. After I passed the halfway mark and was running down the paved road, I was greeted and cheered by hundreds of marchers hiking steadily uphill. I finished Bataan (my 23rd marathon) in my worst time ever, above 4 hours. My marathoner's nightmare materialized as the famous, long and deep sand pit that slowed me down to a walk. However, when I finally crossed the finish line and was greeted by the Bataan veterans, I knew that 21st March 2004 would remain forever a day to remember. | |
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Rich Holmes from Washington DC
(4/6/2004)
 "Unique -- and very hard" (about: 2004)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Bataan Memorial Death March
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 I'd read the comments, I knew it would be very tough, that was no surprise. But this one you don't do for time, or to say you conquered it. You do it because it links you to brave men, many of whom died or saved others, doing something a whole lot harder than this is. And you'll be with a lot of people who feel exactly the same as you, reverently respectful of the Bataan heroes. Proud to be American. | |
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L. S. from Houston, TX
(3/22/2004)
"Humbling and moving" (about: 2004)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Bataan Memorial Death March
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I knew that this race would more than kick my butt, yet I chose to do it for several reasons: I come from a military family, and the meaning of this march courses through my veins; I would be able to visit a long-time friend who lives in Las Cruces; and this would be a real test of wills. Living at sea level, I don't have a good way to train for an event like this. I started feeling light-headed by about the 4 mile mark. I kept having to take walk breaks. I kept having to wipe the sand out of my mouth. I could feel my skin searing. My legs felt like lead pipes after only 12 miles. Whether I was walking or running, the volunteers at the aid stations were encouraging and enthusiastic. Many other marchers offered their words of encouragement and support, as did I to them. Although I participated as an individual, and I was often not within spitting distance of another marcher, I was never alone. The spirit of the other marchers, the spirit of the Bataan survivors, was with me at all times pulling me through the sand and the heat and the hills. If you can set aside your desire to 'place', and compete simply to test your body, mind and soul, this is THE race to do. | |
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david parish from Brighton, TN
(12/21/2003)
"The single most gratifying feeling" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is not a race to be first. There should be no I in this event. We can rate the course 4s and 5s all we want, but it's not about that. It's about sharing and camaraderie that only a very few will ever experience. It should be celebrated with the feeling of an undying love and gratitude to those who made the ultimate sacrifice and an everlasting commitment to those survivors, American and Philipino, who we are privileged to still be around. While there in ?02, I listened to some of their stories and was moved, but the most memorable event of my life took place the morning of the 'race' when the 'survivors' walked through and among us just before starting the event. I was privileged enough to shake hands with them, and pat them on the back and to also salute them for their courage and fortitude I can only dream of having. I will be there again this year (?04) in hopes of recapturing that feeling! | |
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C. B. from United States of America
(1/10/2003)
 "I will be there again this year." (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The Bataan Experience TRAINING. We trained for the log march-sessions, 12 to 18 miles, on weekends to cause no impact on the mission. I marched for two hours on Wednesdays As you gradually increase it during training, distance becomes secondary to time awareness: the longer you have been carrying the pack, the more energy you have used. The result however is undeniably positive: you become physically fit. THE MARCH. Initial eagerness was as abundant as participants and dust. With each step we took, we bumped into one another with our added weight and the extra adrenaline push. As the marched miles grew, so did exhaustion and the lure of just stopping, dropping the bag, and laying down. Gender, race, age, rank converged rather than collided: we all felt the same pain, we all were running on empty, just on the sheer will power of reaching the finish line. THE MEANING. Enduring pain and the desire to give up was perhaps the inevitable conflict the soldiers in the Bataan March felt during this infamous event. Experiencing the reality they faced is far fetched. Some distant empathy filled my heart with each step I took during the final eight miles of the course. I was conscious however of the enormous differences between this event as a sort of a sport and the actual march, a horrible chapter in the history of our nation. For us, there were water and fruit stations along the way; for them, there was thirst, disembowelment or decapitation that motivated the barefoot soldier to keep going. For us, there was a beautiful background of mountains and serene clouds on a blue sky. For them, infested clouds of malaria-carrying mosquitoes, and the rumbling hue of colors of that terrible mushroom that grew in Nagasaki. I will be there again this year. SSG Barahona | |
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A Runner from Virginia, USA
(10/18/2002)
"Excellent!" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 From the hot dog stand at the 14 mile point (really--I didn't believe it until I saw it) to the Bataan Death March survivors, this race is the best. But don't count on any personal bests from this desert course. That's not why you do it. | |
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-cruces.org - Juana Johnson from Las Cruces, NM
(8/15/2002)
"The whole event was just WONDERFUL!!" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This comment is quite late about the 4/2002 march, but I had to input this. Out of our small neighborhood, which consists of 9 homes, 5 of us marched: Michael and Juana Johnson, wife and husband, time: 8:31 Michael and Linda McCamley, wife and husband, time: 10:12 Abe Martinez, time: 8:42 Also astonishing: Michael McCamley was just getting over a serious illness and we watched him and Linda walk together to help him regain his health. We didn't see Abe out walking, but evidently he kept up on his training. My husband and I have kept our training for the 2003 March. Our goal for the 2002 March was to come in under the 8 hours, but came short of that goal. We hope to reach that goal in 2003! The whole event was just WONDERFUL!! | |
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A Runner from Texas
(4/23/2002)
"Hardest thing I have ever done, proudest too" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 History, patriotism and a challenge. I think I walked more this race than in all previous races combined. Don't neglect your hills, trails, sand and altitude training. Very moving experience that takes a few weeks to sink in and appreciate for all it was. A must do at least once race. You'll be glad you did. |
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