From pink army boots and wigs, to beaded necklaces and boas, the scene at Kandahar AirField was anything but ordinary.
In support of cancer research on October 1, 2011, Canadian Forces deployed in Afghanistan rallied the troops to host the first-ever CIBC Run for the Cure outside Canada.
Global News chatted with Greg Poehlmann, a Major and a senior public affairs officer with Mission Transition Task Force (MTTF). Poehlmann participated in the run with approximately 378 military and other personnel from Canada and around the world.
Q: Hours ago, you just completed the first-ever Canadian Run for the Cure outside of Canada. How did it go?
GP: The run today was held in near perfect conditions. It was a cool 15 degrees Celsius when we gathered around 6:00 in the morning. The predominant theme was “pink” and it was not a normal military run with standard military approved running gear.
After singing the Canadian national anthem, we had a hilarious race warm-up to the beat of ‘Macarena,’ which reinforced the “carnival type” feeling in the crowd.
After one hour, the last walkers came in and then the celebrations began. We had Tim Horton’s coffee, bagels, door prizes and then the cheque for the $13,500 raised we raised so far, was given.
Q: Why did you decide to participate in this run?
GP: My girlfriend lost her mother six years ago to advanced breast cancer and, only recently, a close friend of hers passed away from the same disease. We both did the run in Ottawa a couple of times to raise money and ‘do something.’ When I saw she was going to do the run again this year in Ottawa, it was easy to commit to run over here at the same time.
Also, Canadian Forces members get great support from Canadians and this is our way of paying it forward and bringing a touch of home back here.
Q: In what way, if any, have you been preparing in this run?
GP: I am a soccer player so I’ve always been a runner and I’ve completed two marathons, so 5 km is not a huge training requirement. While we are here, we have access to a gym so I usually run 5 km on the treadmill every two days to stay fit.
Q: What safety and security measures were taken during this run?
GP: The entire run was within the confines of the Kandahar Airfield.
The biggest safety concern was road traffic as we can’t shut down the Kandahar Airfield base (a small city of about 30,000 troops) and civilians, but we had military police and volunteers keep traffic under control. We also start early to beat “rush hour.”
The Run for the Cure in Canada will be held in 59 communities across the nation on October 2. In 2010, close to 170,000 participants raised $33 million to fund
innovative breast cancer research, education and awareness programs.
VIDEO: Kandahar Run for the Cure 2011
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