U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program runners Maj. Dan Browne (bib No. 1) and Spc. Robert Cheseret (bib No. 11) flank the front line of fast starters in the 26th running of the Army Ten-Miler on Oct. 24 at the Pentagon. Cheseret finished third with a time of 48 minutes, 28 seconds. Brown was fourth in 48:22. U.S. Army photo by Tim Hipps, FMWRC Public Affairs

Browne to wear bib No. 1 for one last hurrah in Army Ten-Miler

By Tim Hipps IMCOM Public Affairs

U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program distance runner Maj. Dan Browne will wear bib No. 1 for one last hurrah in the Army Ten-Miler.

Browne, a three-time winner and two-time record-holder of America’s largest 10-mile road race, is one of eight WCAP runners who will attempt to keep the International Army Cup on American soil Oct. 9 at the Pentagon.

At age 36, Browne is on a mission to make his second U.S. Olympic Team in the marathon or 10,000 meters. After completing his quest to run in the 2012 London Games, Browne plans to coach distance runners in the Army’s World Class Athlete Program.

Last year, the Oregon National Guard Soldier helped elite U.S. Army runners defeat a squad from the Brazilian Army, which had a two-year stranglehold on the trophy.

Spc. Robert Cheseret, Pfc. Joseph Chirlee, Capt. Kenneth Foster, 1st Lt. John Mickowski and Spc. Augustus Maiyo also will represent the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program on Team USA, along with 2nd Lt. Bryce Livingston of Fort Lee, Va., and Army Reservist Charles Ware of Wheeling, Ill.

Cheseret, a five-time Pac-10 Conference Athlete of the Year in track and field and cross country while attending the University of Arizona, finished third in the 2010 Army Ten-Miler in 48 minutes, 20 seconds. He also won the 2011 Armed Forces Cross Country Championships 8-kilometer race in 36:37.

WCAP runners Capt. Kelly Calway, of Fort Carson, Colo., and 2009 Army Female Athlete of the Year Maj. Emily Potter of Fort Bragg, N.C., will race as the women’s squad.

Lt. Col. Liam Collins of the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., coaches the elite runners. Collins finished among the top 10 in his age group six times at the Army Ten-Miler.

The run around Washington is the first of a few important races remaining in Browne’s career. He owns five national championships at various distances on the roads, track, and in cross country.

“Ultimately, for me, I’ve got the Army Ten-Miler, and I’ve got the Olympic Trials in the marathon,” Browne said July 20 after running the 10,000 meters in 31:07.16 at the 5th CISM Military World Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. “The way this sport works is everyone remembers the big events. “I’m fully committed to doing my best along the way.”

At the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, Greece, Browne became the first American runner since Frank Shorter in 1972 to double in the Olympic 10,000 meters (28:14.53) and marathon (2 hours, 27 minutes, 17 seconds).

His current goal is to make Team USA for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The U.S. Olympic Trials for Men’s Marathon is set for Jan. 14 in Houston.

After a four-year hiatus from the Army Ten-Miler, Browne returned last year to the Pentagon parking lot, where he felt “right at home,” and finished fourth with a time of 48:22.

“When I’m out there racing, I’m not going to rest on my laurels,” Browne said. “I’m going to give it everything I’ve got. Ultimately, with the eye on the Olympic Trials, I can keep it going in the right direction.

“I’ve got another good year in me. I started to realize over time that it’s those highlight events, like the Olympic Trials, that you put all your resources into.