NEW CUMBERLAND, Pa. –
Army Lt. Col. Sonia I. Huertas, commander of Defense Logistics Agency Distribution Red River, Texas, ran the 38th Army Ten-Miler race Oct. 9 in Washington, D.C. She ran alongside her son, Army Capt. Jose J. Huertas, civil affairs officer with the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade, Airborne, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and her daughter, Army Capt. Ivette M. Huertas, with the 742nd Military Intelligence Battalion at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.
“It was a fantastic experience,” Lt. Col. Huertas said. “I realized that I wanted to show other female logisticians that you can have it all if you create a goal and work to make it happen.”
Running the Army Ten-Miler was a chance for Lt. Col. Huertas to keep a promise to herself, by achieving a goal she set to help inspire other young women in the military.
One of the women Huertas inspired was fellow Army logistician, Army Capt. Nikole Hairston.
“Nikole is a hardworking single mother who trained with me virtually and ran with me in person. She is currently attending the Captain's Career Course at Fort Lee, Virginia, with a follow on assignment to Fort Bragg, North Carolina,” Lt. Col. Huertas said.
“I also ran into a few old teammates from my commissioning,” she said. “There were also wounded warriors, including amputees, a 91-year-old woman and a group of West Point graduates in their 60’s and 70’s wearing t-shirts that read, ‘Never Quit.’”
To prepare for the race, Lt. Col. Huertas trained for four months at the Red River Army Depot Fitness Center.with CrossFit trainer Siera Nelson, who also prepared her for the Army combat fitness test.
“I wanted to run a 12-minute mile, but I beat that goal, running a 10.5-minute mile average, finishing the race in 1 hour, 53 minutes,” Lt. Col. Huertas said.
The race wasn’t the first Army 10-miler Lt. Col. Huertas ran, but it was the first time she ran the race while in command and with her children, which made it even more special. Capt. Ivette Huertas also ran the race before, but it was the first time Capt. Jose Huertas ran ten miles. The family of Army officers finished the race together.