Eddie Clements: Athlete Spotlight - National Guard
Name: Eddie Clements
Age: 41
Military Rank: 1SG
Hometown: Salem, NH
Current Town: Salem, NH
Favorite Race: Lincoln Marathon
Race PR's: 5K - 18:25 10K - 38:31 10M - 1:07:59 Half Marathon - 1:21:37 Marathon - 2:51:34
Full Time Occupation: Drug Testing Coordinator for the NHARNG
National Guard MOS: 91Z Maintenance Supervisor
Favorite Movie: I like watching a good super hero movie with my kids, so really anything in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Running Shoe of choice:
Nike Vaporfly Next % when it comes to running a marathon on the roads. Nike Pegasus 37 is my current workhorse that I do almost all of my mileage in. When it comes to running trails I prefer the Hoka One One Torrent.
Tell us about yourself?:
My junior year in high school my parents sat my sister and I down and told us they couldn't help both of us with college. They could only afford to help one of us. My sister was always on the honor roll in high school. I told my parents to help her, that I would find my own way. That being said at the time I did not like school, I hated sitting in classes at a desk all day long.
I remember taking the ASVAB because it got me out of going to a class. Which in turn must have given my info to a recruiter. My best friend and I decided to join, we signed up for Active Duty Army and my sign up bonus was $33,000 for the Army College Fund (which I never used even though I intended to). In 1998 I graduated high school and two weeks later I started boot camp. I did three years at Fort Hood, TX as part of the 4th FSB, we supported the 167th Armor Battalion. While I was at FT Hood I played roller hockey three days a week. I skated there, played for about three hours and then skated back to the barracks. I really didn't like being so far away from family, so in May of 2001 I left active duty and joined the New Hampshire Army National Guard.
I started working for Sears Auto Center, and while working on September 11th 2001 I watched the second plane hit the World Trade Center. One of my co-workers said "you're going to war." Well I spent about the next eight months at Manchester Airport with an M16 on my back. Then in 2004 I deployed to Iraq, I was the night shift maintenance supervisor for C Co 3-172nd INF (MTN). I reenlisted while I was deployed for a tax free bonus. I came back from that deployment and missed wearing the uniform every day. I had to wait to try and get a full time job with the Guard though because I didn't want to have to pay back my bonus. In January of 2007 I started working with the Counterdrug Task Force. The title has changed a few times and the position has been placed under different directorates.
I still have a traditional assignment in a unit but my Monday through Friday job is the Drug Testing Coordinator for the New Hampshire Army National Guard. For a few years I was also overseeing the NH Air National Guard's drug testing program. I was also responsible for the substance abuse prevention program for about 10 years. I deployed to Kuwait in 2010 with D Co 3-197th and to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2015 as a part of the 744th Forward Support Company. In March 2012 my wife and I got together, we got married in October 2014. In our infinite wisdom we decided to start trying to having a child before I deployed. My daughter Claire was born while I was deployed to UAE, I got to watch over FaceTime. My wife and I decided it would be best for me to take paternity leave after my deployment to give me some extra time off to spend with her. So my amazing wife spent the first four months as a single mother. My son Riley was born about 18 months after my daughter. He was born a week after my first Boston Marathon. I am currently serving as the First Sergeant for the 195th Regional Training Institute. I have a passion for leadership and mentoring Non-Commissioned Officers. I have been selected to attend the Sergeant's Major Academy starting in August 2021.
Tell us your running story! How did you get started? What do you love about running?
I guess I have been a runner all my life. I remember running home from elementary school which was about a mile from my house. I would race the bus, to see if I could get to there before it got to my stop. I broke my right tibia twice in the matter of six months when I was in junior high. So I never really got into track or cross country in high school.
Then during a deployment to Kuwait in 2010 they had a 5K every Wednesday morning. I would race every Wednesday morning but could never break 20:00. When I got home from that deployment I started to run local 5K's. I joined the Greater Derry Track Club (GDTC) because my brother-in-law was a part of the club and I wanted to get faster.
There was a group of faster runners that ran together on Sunday mornings. They were kind enough to let me join them each week when I wasn't at drill. In 2015 I deployed to the UAE, and decided that I wanted to run a marathon. Inspired by my friend Rhonda who ran the Boston Marathon in April of that year, I was able to follow her progress with an app on my phone. I started planning to run the marathon while I was deployed, I even recruited about 11 other Soldiers to run with me. I set the date for the race as Veterans Day November 11th 2015. The feeling when I finished was overwhelming. I finished with a time of 4:28:35. I knew at that point I wanted to run the Boston Marathon.
Thanksgiving Day 2015 I started a streak where I would run at least a mile a day and it had to be outside no matter what the weather was. When I got home from that deployment I got a bib for Boston, as part of a returning deployers program. I knew I had a lot of work to do if I was going to get my BQ (Boston Qualifier). I thought I was doing a good job until I ran Boston in 2017 and ran 3:45:20. I needed 3:10:00 in order to qualify and I wasn't sure that was going to be possible for me. My buddy Nick from GDTC bought a BQ Marathon Training plan online for like $10, and he shared it with me. The plan turned out to be a very robust training plan that called for more weekly miles than I was used to. I made sure to follow the minimum mileages to a T. In October 2017 I ran the Baystate Marathon and improved dramatically, I ran a 3:03:51 GOT MY BQ!! I found out shortly after that about National Guard Marathon Team, and found out I qualified to go to the Team Trials in May 2018. This time I took the plan and didn't just hit the minimum mileages. The Lincoln Marathon in 2018 was a hot day, and I was ready for it.
I ran 3:01:11 and was the 13th National Guard Runner and made my 1st National Guard Marathon Team. I met some really great people at that race, they have become lifelong friends. Over the past few years the runners on the National Guard Marathon Team have inspired me to be better and faster year after year. I have gone to quite a few races with the team. A few that really stand out for me are Marine Corps 2018, where I broke 3 hours for the first time. Louisiana Half Marathon 2019 where I was able to run with Boston Marathon Champion Desi Linden even if it was for a very short period of time. Maah Daah Hey Trail Run 50 Miler which to this day is one of the toughest races and one of my proudest accomplishments. Central Florida Legends Skunk Ape Marathon in November 2019 where I got my very first podium finish in a marathon. The Standhope Ultra Challenge 60K during the height of the COVID 19 pandemic.
Omaha Marathon 2020 where I set my marathon PR of 2:51:47. Daufuskie Island Triple Half Marathon (40.0 miles because of a missed turn) was a great race. The winner and I finished side by side and his chip time had him as one second faster than me. Lincoln Marathon 2021 where the New Hampshire National Guard Team ran in honor of SPC Carter Schade, whom we lost unexpectedly in January 2021. My running streak is still in tact and as of May 31st 2021 the streak is at 2,014 days straight. They haven't all been easy, as a matter of fact I once told my brother-in-law that I could drag my leg a mile if I had to. On more than one occasion I had to test that theory. Most of all though, I really love to challenge myself. I have learned quite a lot from the streak. First and foremost that I need to listen to my body, but also that I am capable of much more than I think. The streak has inspired other runners to start a streak of their own. I'm always in awe that others are inspired by something I'm doing and/or did.
Tell us about your hobbies outside of running?
As far as hobbies outside of running, I used to play an Irish sport called hurling with the team formerly known as the Barley House Wolves. They are now known as the New Hampshire Wolves. It's a stick and ball game, and in 2012 we won the Junior C Championship and got invited to play in an international tournament in Ireland. The team was started after my 2004 deployment to Iraq as a way for the guys to kind of keep tabs on each other. You know just to make sure if anyone needed help reacclimating to being back from a warzone. Running has really taken over though, because it allows me flexibility. I can run after my kids go to sleep at night so I'm not always sacrificing family time.
Who is your biggest inspiration? Why?
My biggest inspiration I would have to say is my wife. She has always pushed me to be my best, and challenged me to do better. I know it's cliché to say but she really is the smartest, most driven, and most accomplished person I know. She is an incredible mother to our children and the best role model I could ask for for my daughter. When it comes to running I have a few inspirations. My buddy Jack is an incredible ultra runner and probably the person I shared the most miles with. Jack has finished top 10 at the Vermont 100 and continues to push himself to be better all the time. We have done the David Goggins challenge together, the Pemi Loop (a 30 mile loop through the White Mountains in NH), and we have both run every street in Salem, NH (95% of them together). The Greater Derry Track Club as a whole inspires me, such a great group of runners. Nick G, Mike D, Amy C, Charlie B, Justin M, Kirsten K, John M and Tivhan C have all shared a lot of miles training for various races and I'm grateful for our running adventures. I'm sure I missed a few and if you are part of the crew you know who you are. The same goes for the National Guard Marathon Team, every single one of you inspire me.
What do you love most about the National Guard Endurance Sports Program?
I love getting to race with the best Soldiers in the National Guard. There are so many great runners who are even better friends. I was injured leading up to Lincoln this year and I had teammates from all over the country reach out to make sure I was doing ok and offering advice to get through training. Bill Collins is always a champion for his teammates. He is always raising other people up and I love that. We are all here to help keep one another accountable.
As a running and triathlon coach, I have my athletes focus really hard on race day nutrition. Do you feel that is an important part of your success as a runner? Tell us a little about your approach on Nutrtion? Whats your daily nutrition like? How do you approach race day fueling?
Nutrition is an area that I need to be better. I eat like crap all the time, if I have one donut I'm probably having three. I eat Reese's like it's my job. I also love craft beer. Responsibly of course, but a nice hazy IPA or DIPA is good for recovery. My wife has really helped to keep my unhealthy eating habits to a minimum because she is a wonderful cook. Portion control could help me out a lot. As far as race day nutrition I think I'm pretty dialed in. I use Maurten gels and alternate between water and Gatorade. I usually carry about 5-6 gels on me for a marathon. I very much appreciate what the Lincoln Marathon does for water and Gatorade. It's a medium size cup with a cap and a straw. When I drink during a race and don't have a straw I feel like I end up waterboarding myself.
Tell us a little about your training? How do you approach your training? What does your weekly mileage look like?
I have been religiously following the training plan the my buddy Nick bought back in 2017. Early in my training cycle it has me around 40 miles per week. At the peak it brings me up to 85 miles per week I believe. The most beneficial part of the training cycle though comes from workouts within the long runs. There is usually a minimum of one speedwork session per week, though some weeks it can have as many as three significant efforts. I have also learned that I can shuffle the workouts within the week. That has been really helpful when I have a lot to do on a drill weekend.
What is one piece of advice you could give a new runner?
One piece of advice for new runners would be to have fun but listen to your body. I have been really lucky that I have been able to run even through minor injuries and keep my streak in tact. There were many days that I only ran one mile. Part of that is listening to my body and part of that is keeping myself accountable. I vividly remember a day we got about 3 feet of snow, I spent so much of my day snow blowing and the snow just kept falling. It was about 11:30pm and I hadn't run so I did one mile in work boots and jeans. A couple times during an annual training in Canada I ran late at night in full ACU's just to keep the streak going. On the drive from NH to Canada our entire battalion spent the night in a small armory where I had to run in full uniform and only got a baby wipe shower afterwards. So make due with what you've got and stop making excuses.
Where can people learn more about you? Social media?
On IG and Twitter I'm not very active but you can find me @eclements5 On FB I"m Eddie Clements and I don't post a lot but I enjoy following what my friends are up to. I'm most active on Strava and I'm Eddie Clements and I usually post my runs every day.
