Credit Union FREEDOM
Ten Mile Run

THE EVENT

Sister runs supporting our troops and federal employees overseas are an important element of the Credit Union Miracle Day Family of Races. Service members as well as other U.S. citizens stationed faraway appreciate the opportunity to participate in these races and feel connected to their homeland. For the past three years‚ sister runs have taken place in:

2009 — Baghdad, Iraq
2010 — Kabul‚ Afghanistan
2011 — Camp Arifjan‚ Kuwait

The Defense Credit Union Council is a Credit Union Miracle Day sponsor and strong advocate for the sister runs. In 2011‚ 16 defense-related credit unions donated approximately $113‚000 to Credit Union Miracle Day through their sponsorships‚ benefiting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

2011 Camp Arifjan Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run

Over 470 runners and 70 volunteers participated in the 2011 Camp Arifjan ten mile run‚ held at 6 am Kuwait-time on Sunday‚ April 3. Camp Arifjan is an Army installation‚ which also houses 9,000 military personnel from other branches of service including Air Force‚ Navy‚ Marine Corps and US Coast Guard.

The temperature at the start of the race was 72 degrees! The runners enjoyed some special goodies including Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run tee-shirts and commemorative challenge coins donated by Andrews Federal Credit Union. “We are extremely proud to be a part of an event that supports our troops and serves as a morale booster for those stationed in harm’s way‚” said Chris McDonald‚ President/CEO of Andrews FCU.

One of the finishers‚ MAJ David Fink expressed his appreciation stating that he was “ecstatic with the event” and that it was a “great event for all.”

2012 — Credit Union Freedom Ten Mile Run

With these successes‚ there is growing interest in sister runs for our troops and other U.S. citizens stationed on foreign soil. This year‚ we decided to name these sister races “Credit Union Freedom Runs” in keeping with the fact that these individuals are serving their country throughout the world‚ sometimes even in harm’s way.

Credit Union Miracle Day wholeheartedly embraces the Freedom Runs that enhance the morale of our country’s military service members and public servants.

We are excited to announce that there will be three Freedom Runs in 2012:

Camp Arifjan‚ Kuwait — April 1 — For the second year in a row‚ we are proud to have Camp Arifjan service members participating in the race.

U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden‚ Germany — March 31 (9 a.m.) — We would like to welcome the runners at the Wiesbaden Army Garrison as Freedom Race participants this year. The base has a population of about 16‚500 service members and their families. On race day‚ there will be a ten mile run‚ a 5K run and a ½ mile children’s run. Learn More

A special thanks to Andrews Federal Credit Union‚ State Department Federal Credit Union and the Defense Credit Union Council for their support of the Freedom Runs.