Marine Corps News (My brother)

Okinawa Marine selected to All-Marine Running Team

Oct. 12, 2007; Submitted on: 10/12/2007 05:14:11 AM ; Story ID#: 2007101251411

By Lance Cpl. Robert C. Frenke, MCB Camp Butler

CAMP KINSER, OKINAWA, Japan - Thomas Kunish, who was recently selected to the All-Marine Running Team, cools off during the 18th Annual Camp Kinser Open Half Marathon Oct. 7. Kunish finished first overall with a time of 1:17:36, averaging less than six minutes per mile.

CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, Japan (Oct. 12, 2007) -- While it’s part of any Marine’s physical training regimen, running takes passion and dedication to continuously improve, and one Okinawa Marine’s exceptional running ability and dedication recently earned him a spot on the All-Marine Running Team.

Cpl. Thomas Kunish, a fiscal technician with III Marine Expeditionary Force Disbursing, was the only Marine from Okinawa chosen for the team.

Kunish is a member of the Free Run Okinawan running team, a group of Japanese and American runners who compete in races all over Okinawa and on mainland Japan.

Kunish’s command and Marine Corps Community Services Semper Fit nominated him for the team, submitting his application to Headquarters Marine Corps Semper Fit. The application highlighted his running accomplishments over the past two years and his last finishing time for a half marathon.

“He’s an outstanding runner,” said Corey Carter, a sports specialist with MCCS Semper Fit here. “He finishes in at least the top 15 in every race he competes in.”

Kunish took home top honors at the Camp Kinser Open Half Marathon, Oct. 7, with the best overall time at 1:17:36. He averaged a pace just under six minutes per mile, running on a hilly, winding course with high winds.

“My command has been really supportive of me,” Kunish said. “It’s an amazing opportunity.”

Kunish, a 27-year-old native of St. Petersburg, Fla., says he was inspired to become a runner by his older brother, who ran cross country in high school.

“Like most little brothers, I wanted to be like my older brother,” Kunish said. “So, I started running.”

Kunish began running in middle school in 1993 and has continued on that track ever since. He received an academic and athletic scholarship to Florida State University, where he was a member of the varsity track & field and cross country teams. He was also a member of the 2002 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Team.

Kunish graduated from Florida State in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs with a minor in geography. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2006.

“I needed a change in my life,” Kunish said. “The Marine Corps offered me the ability to do something different with my life.”

Kunish has committed a lot of time on Okinawa to improving himself as a runner. He said he runs an average of 80 to 100 miles per week.

“Running is an addiction,” he said. “If I don’t run in the morning, all I can think about throughout the day is that I have to run 14 miles tonight.”

While Kunish is training, he focuses on positive visualization — a technique of creating a clear image of what he wants combined with a strong, positive emotion.

“I put a goal in my mind — like coming in first place — and focus on that,” he said. “I try to only focus on good things.... I seem to move a lot faster.”

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The Green

The Greenriver race was today 11-3-07 what a day. Started with a 3 mile hike into the heart of the green the narrows to watch the best of the best kayakers around even the world. Ready for next year?see ya there...........................................View the race pictures in the gallery.....

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Marine Corps News (My brother)

Okinawa Marine selected to All-Marine Running Team

The Green