Afghan marathon is in
stride with Honolulu’s

The Honolulu Marathon might be the only race in the world that has foxholes along the course for runners to jump into in the event of a rocket or mortar attack.

That's one of the security measures planned for some 300 American servicemen and women who will run the Honolulu Marathon in Afghanistan on Sunday, the same day more than 26,000 runners are expected to begin the race in Honolulu.

To give runners in Afghanistan a sense of the aloha spirit, wooden palm trees will dot the course, and a sign will designate the course's small hill as "Diamond Head," symbolic of the famed Honolulu landmark and highest point on the Honolulu course.

The Honolulu Marathon in Hawaii will start at 5 a.m., nine hours after the start of the run in Afghanistan, which is 13 1/2 hours ahead of Hawaii.

The war zone race will involve nearly six laps around a dusty airstrip at Firebase Ripley just outside Tarin Kowt in the central province of Uruzgan, a former Taliban stronghold and a possible hiding place of Osama bin Laden.

Capt. Ivan Hurlburt, signal officer for the 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, began organizing the race after another soldier expressed the wish of going back to Honolulu for the marathon.

Race officials in Honolulu gave their enthusiastic support.

The 5th Infantry is part of the 25th Infantry Division (Light) based at Schofield Barracks near Honolulu. About 16 members of the battalion are Honolulu Marathon veterans, including Hurlburt, who has run it four times.

The battalion arrived in Afghanistan in April and has been at Tarin Kowt since June. The unit has lost four soldiers in combat in the province, and two others have been seriously injured.

The unit has worked to the point where it can hold an event like this in an otherwise hostile area, Hurlburt said.

The runners at Tarin Kowt will check their weapons before beginning the race, according to race officials. But they will be protected by fellow soldiers, including those in guard towers, which will double as aid stations.

A counter reconnaissance force, more commonly known as a Quick Reaction Force, will be ready to deploy and intercept those who might plan any harm, the officials said.

The team will be in full gear standing by with armored Humvees ready to roll out the gate on a moment's notice, they said.

The runners have been motivated and inspired by Patti Dillon, a four-time Honolulu Marathon winner who now coaches young runners in New London, Conn., where she lives.

Dillon sent Hurlburt a huge banner featuring her quote from a media interview: "If they're going to beat you, make 'em spit blood."

"The soldiers here have been inspired by her, and we have seemed to inspire the young runners she teaches," Hurlburt said in an e-mail. Hurlburt has posted Dillon's e-mails, which include marathon training tips.

"It has been a great inspiration for us to have an American distance-runner world record holder have a genuine interest in a marathon that is being held for and ran by soldiers," he said.

Microchips in the runners' shoelaces and timing mats will record the runners' progress and finish times. The microchips and mats were sent to Afghanistan by ChampionChip USAÚBurns Computer Services, the Ann Arbor, Mich., company that has recorded finish times in Honolulu for 18 years.

"The runners' families will be able to follow their progress live on the marathon's Web site," said company president Mike Burns.

The results of the race at Tarin Kowt will be listed separately in the marathon book and on the Web site, Burns said.

The winner and second and third finishers will receive wood bowls carved from native Hawaiian koa, and all runners will receive medals and official Honolulu Marathon T-shirts. Various Hawaii businesses have donated other items that will be awarded to the runners, Hurlburt said.

Hurlburt's unit has worked to bring to the people of Afghanistan a sense of what freedom is, he said, and holding the marathon is "a testament to the work we have done with the people of Afghanistan."