Maj. Miguel Perez, Medical Detachment; Chief Warrant Officer 5 Jesse Espinoza, Joint Forces Headquarters; Staff Sgt. Bryan Haworth, Recruiting and Retention Battalion; and Spc. Daniel Soliz, Detachment 2, 218th Field Artillery (attached to 1st Battalion, 200th Infantry), represented the state this year. Perez, Espinoza and Soliz qualified for the national All Guard Team and all four New Mexicans received age group awards. Espinoza said that race conditions were difficult with the temperature rising to 76 degrees by the end of the event. Perez, who left active duty and joined the Guard in February said that he has wanted to represent the military in marathons his entire career. He added that he is amazed at the “opportunity and support” he has found in the National Guard. Because of that support, Soliz decided to extend his service for another six years instead of separating next March. Espinoza and Haworth have represented the state before. Espinoza said that the Recruiting and Retention Battalion provided the team with professional-grade gear and uniforms to represent New Mexico. The New Mexico team had an average time of three hours, three minutes, and 35 seconds. Perez completed the 26.2-mile course in 2:50:15. He finished in fifth place overall and in the men’s category. Soliz, the youngest member of the team at 22, finished in 2:59:24. That earned him a twelfth-place finish overall and in the men’s category. Espinoza, a 51-year-old marathon veteran, turned in a time of 3:21:06. He finished in 36th place overall and in the men’s category. Haworth finished at 3:27:39. That netted him a 45th place finish overall and in the men’s category. More than 160 runners from 27 teams finished this year’s marathon.]]>
