Picture-Perfect Weather for Army Ten-Miler

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The front-runners anxiously await the cannon to signal the start of the Army Ten-Miler in D.C. There was perfect running weather Sunday morning for the 30,000 runners in race.

I ran my first Army Ten-Miler road race over 20 years ago; I think the year was 1986. The race was relatively small then (almost 2,000 runners) and I remember easy parking at the Pentagon, with no security worries and simple race logistics. At the time, I could run a 5:30 pace and I placed fairly high.

How times have changed.

The Army's Golden Knights parachute team glides through the sky over the starting line of the Army Ten-Miler, moments before the start of the race.

This year, there were 30,000 runners in the race and it took me over 20 minutes to locate a parking spot, well outside of the Pentagon. It took 30 minutes for all of the runners just to cross the starting line. The parking lot for the Pentagon was not for cars, it resembled a street fair, full of tents, booths, food and vendors. I was sidelined this year with a running-related injury and I was content to photograph the event. There was perfect weather for the race, cool in the morning and comfortable by noon. It was a great race! Hopefully, I can run next year and wont be stuck shooting photos from the sidelines.

A member of the Army's Golden Knights scores a perfect landing in front of the starting line of the Army Ten-Miler.

The Nation Anthem ceremony before the start of the race.

The cannon sounds and the 25th running of the Army Ten-Miler begins. It took over 30 minutes for all 30,000 runners to cross the starting line.

The first-place winner approaches the finish line. Alene Reta broke the race record set by Major Dan Browne in 2004 with an impressive time of 46:59. Samia Akbar broke the female record set by Susan Molloy, by posting a time of 55:25.

After the race, runners file past the finish line.

By Kevin Ambrose |  October 8, 2009; 10:45 AM ET Photography
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