What is it like to train and participate in the Bataan Memorial Death March?  The Hudson Valley Haulers are experts. For the three years this team won the traveling trophy for the first National Guard team to cross the finish line.  In the following interview this highly- successful team shares some insights into their preparations, the experience of the march itself and what the event has come to mean to the team members.

The Hudson Valley Haulers are winners of the 2006 National Guard trophy awarded to the first National Guard team to cross the finish line.  They completed the 26.2 course in 4:35:45. (photo courtesy of the Hudson Valley Haulers)

What is your team’s name?
The Hudson Valley Haulers is derived from the location of our home here in Newburgh New York. The area between Manhattan and the Catskills is considered the Hudson Valley. We fly the C-5A Galaxy, the largest cargo plane in the United States military inventory, hauling massive amounts of cargo around the world.

What category were you in?
National Guard Military Light. We are in the Air National Guard and therefore do not really carry rucksacks unless tasked in a special deployment overseas.

What are the names and ages of the team members? 
Kris Geis (39), Team Captain 2004.  Nic Caputo (36), Team Captain 2005.  Alta Wood (39), Team Captain 2006.  Lew Benassutti (40).  Tom Albrecht (37). Ryan Dannemann (28)

How did you hear about the Bataan Memorial Death March?
A fellow officer mentioned that people like ourselves would possibly be interested in competing, given our background in adventure sports. 

Had any of your teammates done the march before?
Our first time would have been 2003, had it not been cancelled due to military obligations throughout the services during the Global War on Terrorism.  Our first year of participation was 2004.

Did any of you have prior experience with other marches or marathons?  Extreme sports?
Yes.  We’ve all done something in the realm of extreme sports to include adventure races (Kris Geis has competed in the Subaru Primal Quest), rock climbing (we live under “The Gunks”, the premiere climbing area of the northeast), mountain biking, running (Nic Caputo and Alta Wood competed in the NYC marathon) Tae Kwon Do (Tom Albrecht is a five-year Black Belt and instructor), and various other sports such as kayaking, rugby (Lew Benassutti is on a local rugby pick-up league) and snow boarding/skiing. 

Why did you decide you enter?
We have an immense pride in the uniform and our role in the military ranks as Air National Guard members.  We are always looking for the next challenge and it was the draw of honoring the actual Bataan Soldiers and survivors.   

How did you decide what category to enter?
We wanted to compete in our uniforms and represent the Air National Guard.

How did you put the team together?  Tell me about your teammates, what are they like? 

We’re all very good friends and junior officers at the same base.

• Kris is the “work horse” of the entire group and if he hasn’t tried a sport, it either is not worth doing or hasn’t been invented. Always positive and motivating.
• Alta is the lone female of the group, but seriously considered one of the guys when it comes to athletic ability.  She has an innate drive to excel and absorbs each new aspect of a sport like a sponge.
• Tom is the giraffe at 6’4” and makes the rest of us shorter people look like midgets.  He’s the most laid back, go-with-the-flow type person you’ll ever meet with a heart of gold and determination; the true team player.
• Lew is almost exactly opposite of the rest of us in that he never has really exploited his inner athleticism.  He became our “project” and quite honestly was our true success story during our first year, with the team rallying around him to get us all across the finish line together.
• Ryan is the young guy where he can slouch on some the more intense training and allow his youth to take over.  He is very head strong, determined and intelligent, having a good talent for poetry and storytelling.
• Nic is all encompassing.  He is our coach, our team captain, our mentor, and our cheerleader.  His intentions are always sincere, heart felt, and for the betterment of every participant of the race.  He is the epitome of a team player and a leader.

When did you start training?
Our official training schedule usually starts in November, however we all try to get a jump on each other to get ahead of the game.  This past year we threw in an extra month because of our performance goals this year.

How often did you train?
About four-to-five days a week but many times ended up with the occasional six with different disciplines or if we counted a great day on the local ski slope as “training.”

Did you have a training plan or was training more informal?
We had a very formal training plan, published and everything by Kris, our official team trainer.  This is one of Kris’ true talents being so organized and leaving nothing to chance or guess work.  It was a sad day at the gym if you ever forgot to check the schedule for the days training regimen!

Did you train individually as well together as a team?
We always made the effort to train as team.  The first year we were so in tuned with each other we could almost feel each others emotions, physical strength and thoughts as if they were our own.  The first year we even made a comical log book that we still refer back to and laugh.  If you’ve ever trained as a group you’ll find that some of the most comical events will unravel right in front of you that will become the topic of discussion at almost every get-together following the event.

Give us a general idea of what you did (built up to the weight, distance, etc.)?
The first year we spent a good deal of time in snow shoes, having been a great snow year in New York.  We trained at lunch for an hour either doing hill, speed or endurance training.  Each year we had three progressive “hikes” or runs (12, 17 & 23 miles long) throughout the training season.  We are fortunate to live in a very beautiful recreational landscape having done a lot of our training on the Appalachian Trail, Shawangunk Ridge Mohonk Preserve, Catskill Mountains and numerous state parks.  Although many of those training sessions were done in the most diverse weather, to include below zero runs in the snow, we were able to do much of this year’s training in the sanctuary of our own newly-constructed base gym on the treadmills.  The dynamics of the training gradually changed with each passing goal.  The first year it was all about hiking, hanging out with friends and taking in the sights.  This year we had to bring out a “Fun-Meter”, with the top of the scale being “Almost Fun”.  Our goal was to run this event in a respectable marathon time of 4-4.5 hours, which meant we had a long way to go from the days of just running the flats and hiking the hills. 

How did you train for the extra weight?
Although we competed in the light category, battle dress uniforms are heavy weight cotton and no matter how light the combat boots, they turn into cinder blocks by mile five in New Mexico.  Training in the winter, forces you to use hiking boots while running, snow offers the resistance similar to the sandy conditions experienced on the march and extra layers add to the weight of Camel Baks and food stores on the long runs.  Our good friend Lew, however, was roped into this event well before he ever knew the full meaning of “training” and the exertion he would experience at this event.  As tuned in as we all were, none of us anticipated that we would run 75 percent of the course, least of all Lew, which makes our success even that much more notable.

Did you enter with the goal of winning or placing high?
The first year we never even dreamed of placing or doing as well as we did, in fact, we decided only at the last minute to stick around for the awards ceremony.  We were outside the tent because it was standing room only, when they announced the National Guard Light category winners as “The Hudson Valley Haulers”.  We all looked at each other and mouthed silently, “Are they serious?” or “really?” to each other in disbelief.  So just think of the surprise and elation we felt when they handed Kris the traveling bronze trophy as a prize?  The marked expression of sternness and defeat by the commander was all we needed to realize we were being challenged for next year, and since the Army has captured the trophy for the past 14 years, we were the “Newbies” of the event that just took their property home with them as if it were being stolen.   From this point on, we always anticipated returning home with the trophy.  While we had a goal of just finishing the first year, the second was to reclaim the trophy without using a tow rope and the third was to place first in every category, even though we could only compete in one.

Do you have any training tips you could offer future competitors?
Team events are the way to go.  All of us have done individual competitions and nothing is more enjoyable than training and competing with a good group of people.  Start your training well in advance of the event and above all else train for “The Hill.”  Everyone including ourselves always underestimates the hill.  There is definitely a need to stress the importance of nutrition and what works well for your body.  Never try anything new the day of the event (we’ve got funny stories for this too, but not pleasant for publication).

What were you expecting of the event? 
Most of us expected to be moved by the event but nothing could have prepared us for how much it would move you and get the emotion to the surface.  I don’t think there has been a dry eye on the team in the past three years while crossing the finish line.

Had you ever been to southern New Mexico before?
Some of us have and having been adapted to high humidity every summer here in lower New York, the dry air was actually good for us.

What was the attitude where you came from?  Did the altitude here affect your performance?
Although we did most of our training from 250-1500 feet above sea level, the altitude in New Mexico did not affect us at all. We prepared for the higher altitudes by properly hydrating and increasing our aerobic threshold.  Our team trainer ensured that the team properly hydrated throughout training up to the event (100+ ounces a day).  This alleviated headaches, cramping, and breathing issues, which are all early signs of altitude sickness.  Secondly, increasing our aerobic threshold and intensity levels by performing the scheduled interval and hill training, took the team out of the “comfort zone,” which improved cardiovascular fitness, speed and overall aerobic power.  This was our greatest training accomplishment this past year because we allowed our bodies to perform more efficiently at higher altitudes making us more competitive on race day.

What was the hardest thing about the event?  What was the most difficult segment of the course?
The hardest aspect of this event is that even though it is considered a marathon it has far too great a diversity to be considered “just” a marathon.  Changing from hard pack to asphalt back to hard pack and then desert sand is enough to buckle any athlete’s knees.  Add in the harshness of battle dress uniform in dusty conditions and a five-mile long hill under full sun separates the weekender from the diehard athlete.  Even though the hill is considered a very tough aspect I believe the last four miles of the event is the most difficult for three reasons.  First, the sand is unstable, rutted and your feet are well on there way to becoming lumps of clay.  Second, you are able to see the finish line that doesn’t seem to draw any closer because of the route around the base and psychologically is depressing.  Finally, the wall creates an air block that soaks up the heat and wind which just adds to your fatigue.  For the participants that come through this part later, it becomes a harsh sand blaster as the winds pick up, making it even harder.

Was anything easier than you expected?
The “Sand Pit,” while difficult, is not as bad as it always is made out to be.  For one, it is much shorter than described by many and we train all winter in the snow that over-prepares us for this section.

How did you physically feel early in the event?  Mid-event?  Toward the end? 
It’s all relative to your conditioning, hydration and energy stores.  Our team spends a great deal of time dialing in what works best for each one of us.  We all have our strong and weak points, such as, Tom is great at opening his giant stride during the down hill sections, while Nic excels at the hill climbs.  Alta and Kris have a great pace which never changes regardless of the terrain, making them efficient at all stages of the course.  Ryan has had his difficulties as well as Tom and Lew throughout the events due to dehydrating, but there isn’t one real place when anything feels really good; it’s work!  The beginning is always tough because we always burst into a high-paced run to bank time for when we don’t feel as strong.  The hill is never-ending on hot pavement in black boots; not a lot of fun is ever going to happen in conditions like that!  Toward the end you just try to work through your demons to get to the end within your goal, whether you’re ignoring an excruciating blister (In year one, Kris actually named two heal blisters after Lew, whom he towed using a bungee cord the majority of the course), dealing with a sore knee and joints or feeling lethargic in the heat and realizing you should have drank more.

Did you ever “hit the wall?” What gave you the will to keep going?
None of us have ever hit the wall because we always had each other.  The first year when Lew couldn’t run any further, Kris was towing him, Nic was lifting him from the bottom of his pack and Alta was pushing him, moving as one unit not five individuals.  Another time, Tom had developed severe knee pain and relied on Nic and Kris to pull him along a couple of miles.  We make it a point of continually talking throughout the event so we all stayed in tune with each other and offer advice or in many cases, instruction.  Every one of us has a job whether its motivator, reminder, teacher or mule, each one is equally important.  Something as simple as, being reminded to drink (Alta’s job) can be a Godsend at the end of the run when you are adequately hydrated, instead of dying from when your blood becomes the consistency of pudding moving through your veins when you realized you didn’t listen.

Did you have any issues in keeping the team together along the route?
Not really.  We always had the mentality of starting and ending as a team and you can’t do that if you leave someone behind.  Bathroom breaks consisted of running ahead of the team, with the intent of rejoining the team as they passed when you were done.  Also, we all know our abilities considering in the first year Nic needed medical attention for blister repair.  The team went on ahead into the sand pit, slowing down the pace to allow Nic to catch up within that zone.  Not all that fun for Nic, but he soon rejoined us with the encouragement of a hooting and hollering team when we caught sight of him and picked up our normal pace.

Is there any unusual incident that happen to you on the route, or was there some really interesting person you met along the way?
One of our most favorite stories is about the first year:  We all wore bright-blue, long-sleeve compression shirts made by Under Armor (seems that this is our trademark for the last three years).  This made us highly visible and easily recognized as the team from New York and as Air Force representatives.  As we passed participants on the course, we exhibited extraordinary teamwork, which was noticed by many (Lew was being towed by a much smaller Kris with a bungee cord).  There was a Major from Oklahoma that we befriended, who never had the intention of running the course but stayed with us until the finish.  Then there were two female civilian athletes who we kept running into that actually, in the last stretches of the course, came up and assisted Nic and Alta with helping Lew get through to the end.  At this point our team was pretty beat up with all of us having blisters by this point, tired and having been scarred by the rigorous course.  In a surprising burst from behind, these women came in yelling and excited saying, “We’ve watched you guys get this far and we can’t let you die out now.  Let’s go!”  Finally, we had a group of civilians, who we are friends with to this day, that we met the second year from Arizona.  They became our personal fan club, having made up signs for their backpacks, advertising our team and cheering when we finally passed them before the sand pit.  There were many more acquaintances and of course all of the wonderful survivors and war veterans we have met over the three years doing the event.

How was support along the route (water points and medics)?
Absolutely fantastic.  Everyone was enthusiastic and motivating.  They all had a smile on their face.  The refreshments were fresh, clean, cold and juicy.  The massage therapists were absolute angels.

Did your team have any injuries that had to be treated?
Each year we have learned how to prepare better and better, which has limited out injuries to minor blisters.  Most of us walked away with missing toe nails and bandages the first year, except Tom, who ironically wears cotton socks and Alta who, being female takes exceptional pride in her feet.

Did individuals on your team assume a particular role?  Was there a “spark plug” person on your team -- the person who gave you the encouragement to keep going?
We are all motivators, but Nic and Kris get the title of “Cheerleader”, but specific roles were as follows:  Tom is the pace setter, Kris is the mule and dictates to Tom whether to adjust the pace or not, Alta is to announce the drinking and eating intervals, Nic is the motivator and announced the team statistics of pace, distance and speed, Lew’s sole job was to listen to what his teammates were telling him and therefore became a robot (he did a great job).  Ryan was the only member without a job, however, considering he didn’t get the opportunity to train with us together much, it could be said that he spent the time on the course becoming our teammate.

You say your female team member was really good?  How so?  Did she keep up with the guys? 
Really good is a gross understatement.  What sets her apart from most people is that she will never quit and her strong will, compounded by her athletic prowess gives an extremely competitive advantage over her peers. Alta makes our team stronger, never weaker.  The reality is when training or racing, there are no individuals on the Hudson Valley Haulers; we think of Alta as a teammate rather than a female.   She is the epitome of a team player because she demands nothing and accepts whatever role is needed to better help the team succeed!  

What did your take along the route (power bars, cookies, sunscreen, etc?)  Was there anything you didn’t take that you wish you had?
The first year we packed like we trained, taking every energy source and the kitchen sink too.  We all love to eat, but try choking down a crumbly Fig Newton or Pop Tart when you are gasping for air, which we are chalking up to lessons learned.  We usually fill the Camel Baks with energy drink like the Power Bar Endurance (it doesn’t have to be watered down like Gatorade).  Carbohydrate gels are the food of choice being easy to digest with almost an instant energy kick.  The Power Bar brand even has electrolytes to further prevent cramping.  A pack of dried apricots offer an enormous amount of potassium and good energy boost.  We always put on sunscreen prior to going out on the course, mostly due to Alta being very good at protecting herself from the sun.  We eat a good carbohydrate breakfast of oatmeal in the car ride over to the event.  The only items we wish we would have taken are the items you dream about while you’re out on the course, which is primarily our greasy hamburger and bar fries tradition following the race.

Was there anything you wish you had known before you got here?
We are borderline professional tour directors for this event.  The first year we had six people, the second we had 11 and finally last year we had 19 Stewart personnel join the event, which consisted of two teams and 9 individuals.  We arrive on the Friday preceding the event, spend some good quality friendship time and sightseeing on Saturday, participate in the event on Sunday and travel home on Monday.  We have promoted this event so much that an alarm here at Stewart may go off if you change anything on the web site. (kidding!)

What did you think of the overall event?  Did you attend any of the activities (history seminar, The Great Raid movie?) 
We obviously love the event!  Most of us have read the Ghost Soldiers and last year we had a Team Movie Night and watched the Great Raid together.  This past year we were able to attend the discussions at the community center and were fascinated.  Even more awe-inspiring was our visit to the war memorial in Las Cruces where we met Tony Montoya, a Bataan Survivor who gracefully told us of his personal experiences impromptu under the shadow of the bronze Bataan Death March Memorial.  For 45 minutes we got a first hand view into history that was both inspiring and emotional.

Did you know anything about the history of the Bataan Death March before you came?
Yes, but your information on the web site helped reacclimatize all of us to the actual events.

Did you meet any of the Bataan survivors?  How did that impact you? 
We have met many of the survivors, listened to their stories and above all else got to shake their hands honoring their sacrifices and bravery. Our entire group is part of the military, therefore we can relate to there sense of obligation, true meaning of their service to their country and sympathize with the cost their experience has rendered upon them.

You say this was an enriching and rewarding experience?  Why?
Our team and fellow participants share a bond that continually resurfaces.  We have become closer by the very nature of being a team.  We’ve experienced pain, happiness, laughter and a slew of other emotions together.  Nothing is more tangible than meeting the actual survivors of Bataan.   It is an extreme honor for all of us to be a part of such a phenomenal event that allows us to listen to those amazing stories by true American heroes and understand what they really went through.  For a brief moment we actually felt like we were there.  Crossing the finish line is a great accomplishment; shaking the hands of the men that we honored was Priceless! 

As a military member, do you think there is value in participating in this event?  Did it require any skills that you might call on at some point in your military career?  (teamwork, etc.)
There are hundreds of reasons to participate in this event.  A few of the most prominent and meaningful are teamwork, physical fitness and history.  As a Soldier, team work is of the utmost importance; together you become a machine working towards a common goal.  Participating in the event promotes physical fitness and better health, because you can’t just walk off the street and do this course expecting to perform at a high level.  This country is molded by its history and we should never forget what events and sacrifices made us what we are today.

Do you think you will ever do the Bataan Memorial Death March again?
We’ve done it the past three years, we’re holding a trophy the Army Guard wants desperately to reclaim, the event is just as challenging the last year as it was the first, all members of our team continually get stronger every year and we are looked up to by many of the would be members contemplating participation….I think there’s a good chance you’ll see the Hudson Valley Haulers again.