Members of the Ohio National Guard will be present at the Belgrade Marathon tomorrow: We are here to support Serbia

Eight members of the Ohio National Guard, including the Director of the Ohio National Guard Partnership Program with Serbia and Hungary, Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Masman, will participate in the Belgrade Marathon on Sunday, aiming to support the Partnership Program and Serbia.

Lieutenant Colonel Masman tells Kosovo Online that he is very excited to run the Belgrade Marathon tomorrow, emphasizing that the physical readiness and strength of soldiers are important for both Serbia and Ohio.

He recalls that the Serbian military team participated in the "Best Warrior" competition in Ohio last year, where they won first place, and highlights that they were very impressed by the team.

"This year, Serbia came home with second place, but last year, they were first. We are proud to be partners with Serbia, and we brought the best from the National Guard who are winners from 50 states in America," he said.

He adds that they brought all three members of the winning team to Serbia to share the success with their partners and to be even stronger together.

Sergeant Jerod Abel told Kosovo Online that last year, they became champions in the competition among all 50 American states, and their team is mixed.

"Our team consists of two men and one woman, and we have the fastest time among all 50 countries. With that time, we brought victory to Ohio for the first time in the last 40 years," he stated.

He emphasizes that the Ohio National Guard is in Belgrade to support the Partnership Program, and they have come to support Serbia.

Captain in the Ohio National Guard, Britani Downs, who won in the women's category at last year's competition in America, says she will support her team in the championship tomorrow.
"I'm here primarily to support the team, meaning I'll be setting the pace for them," says Downs, noting that she has been in the Ohio National Guard marathon team for a year now and won the National Guard marathon, securing Ohio's first place overall.

Sergeant Aaron Edwards says he has the longest tenure in the Ohio National Guard marathon team and that the Belgrade Marathon is his first international marathon.

"For the Ohio National Guard as a whole, our partnership with Serbia and Belgrade means a lot. The culture here is incredible, and it's a wonderful experience to be here," said Edwards.

Lieutenant Colonel in the Ohio Air National Guard, responsible for medical cooperation, Shelley Breckman, tells Kosovo Online that she has been running her whole life and is very happy and excited that the regular members of the marathon team allowed her to participate with them in Belgrade.

She expresses happiness to be back in Belgrade and satisfaction with how they have been received.

"Everyone is welcome here. Everyone takes care of us and shows us where to go, and it's been wonderful. I'm very excited to be able to run and meet more people tomorrow at the marathon," says Breckman.

Sergeant and head of the Ohio National Guard's running team, William Collins, tells Kosovo Online that the marathon program in America has been in place since 1980, and for the first time last year, the Ohio marathon team won first place in the team competition for three runners.

He says that participating in the Belgrade Marathon is an excellent opportunity to support the Partnership Program and to run an international marathon.

"We wanted to bring our best runners here," said Collins.