Email   Print   Share By Daniel Cernero, Sentinel Sports Editor

Facebook Digg Delicious June 7, 2012 | Sports

Soldiers run on the newly opened West Fort Hood PT Track on the morning of May 30 following the track’s ribbon-cutting. Daniel Cernero, Sentinel Sports Editor

Col. Mark Freitag (middle), Fort Hood garrison commander, and others participate in the ribbon-cutting of the West Fort Hood PT Track on the morning of May 30. Daniel Cernero, Sentinel Sports Editor

Spc. Patrick Kinnamon and Sgt. 1st Class Stephen Dix, both with 504th BfSB, complete the newly opened West Fort Hood PT Track May 30. After the run, the Soldiers spoke of the track’s smooth surface and challenging hilly terrain. Daniel Cernero, Sentinel Sports Editor

Soldiers on West Fort Hood now have a safe place to run thanks to the new West Fort Hood Physical Training Track, which opened May 30 with a ribbon-cutting.

The track, the result of a joint effort with Fort Hood’s Directorate of Public Works and the training division of the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security, is roughly three miles of hilly terrain located next to the Russell L. Collier Health Clinic.

Col. Mark Freitag, the Fort Hood garrison commander, recognized the team effort involved in bringing something to West Fort Hood that’s been long awaited.

“It’s a place where Soldiers can run and do PT without fear of having to cross Clarke Road or run along roads (with traffic),” he said. “And more importantly, we have folks who are running inside the ASP (Ammo Supply Point). One of the things we learned is that technically, by Army regulation, you can’t run inside the ASP because you’re inside an SDZ (surface danger zone), if you will, for an explosive safety arc for all of the munitions that are kept inside the ASP.”

Freitag added, “This was just the right thing to do for Soldier safety and for Soldier welfare.”

Tom Craig, with the DPTMS training division, said the project to build the track that would help eliminate the safety problem began in November of last year.

“Besides the cantonment area around the barracks, this is going to be the only authorized running area, because of safety,” he said. “This is going to be the only authorized long-distance running.”

Spc. Patrick Kinnamon, 504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, was among the first Soldiers to try out the track on the morning of May 30, and he vouched for the track’s impact on improving safety.

“Being a medic, going through there, I think there will be a lot less sprained ankles and things like that. It’s a lot more even,” he said referring to the paved track. “It’s a lot smoother.”

Kinnamon added, “It’s nice not having to worry about on-coming traffic.”

To the Soldiers and Airmen present at the ribbon-cutting, Freitag said, “This was for you. We just want to celebrate with you that we now have a workable, runable PT track here on West Fort Hood.”