SIGNATURE THE
SIGONELLA, SICILY
Vol. 30. No. 11
March 22, 2013
cnic.navy.mil/sigonella
Sigonellans hit the streets for annual B2B run
Volunteers from the Fil-Am Association cheer on Base 2 Base (B2B) runners and walkers, March 16. The Fil-Am volunteers also supplied cups of water and energy drinks to the B2B participants. (Photo by LS1 Michael Lee)
bY mC3 CAMERON BRAMHAM NAS Sigonella Public Affairs
T
he rain held off March 16, as hundreds of Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella service and community members took to the pavement on a gorgeous Saturday for the annual Base 2 Base (B2B) Run/Walk, hosted by Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR). “When our registration ended [March 12], we had a tally of 353 runners,” Jill Lynch, director of MWR Fitness said. “This year having that many people sign-up to run and walk is phenomenal.” In keeping with the tradition of other endurance events, MWR offered NAS Sigonella runners and community members the opportunity to “carb-load” with a spaghetti dinner on March 15 in the Compass Room on NAS I. “We did the spaghetti dinner because I thought it would help build base morale and get everybody
together,” Lynch said. “It also gave them a little taste of the United States because a lot of times they do different types of dinners before big runs, so I thought it would be fun to add that little taste of America.” With this being Lynch’s first time coordinating the B2B, she wanted to incorporate some new and challenging aspects for the runners. “In previous years we’ve done the 7.6 miles straight from the Flightline Fitness Center on NAS II to NAS I in the Commons area,” Lynch said. “Before I came here I was lucky enough to experience an MWR half marathon in GITMO [Guantanamo Bay, Cuba], which was a phenomenal success and I thought it would be nice for people to be able to run a bit further here.” That experience gave Lynch the idea to extend the B2B run at Sigonella, adding a half marathon to the event.
“The extension we included took runners around the flightline which added an extra five and a half miles on NAS II before they leave the base,” Lynch said. “As they entered NAS I, they went around the full circle and back into the Commons area, which added the extra mile or so needed to create the half.” Being the biggest fitness event of the year for MWR, a lot of planning and coordination went into preparations leading up to the run. Along with the planning process and new extension to the course, MWR also incorporated the use of timing chips to accurately track times for the runners. This is the first year the chip has been used. They were tested in prior running events leading up to the B2B. “We started planning about four months ago,” Lynch said. “We were able to use money from last year B2B continued on Page 8
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the starting of a fire." - William Butler Yeats
NMCRS Active Duty Fund Drive
Good Friday Festival
Base 2 Base Final Run/Walk
How you can help.
Pietraperzia holds Good Friday religious festival.
Photos from the Base 2 Base.
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