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The Army and Navy take great pride in everything they do, but this week, their mutual respect is also an opportunity for competition.
The Army-Navy Game provides one of the most striking and patriotic scenes in all of sports, but before the entire student body of cadets and midshipmen march on the field, and the AAC teams meet Saturday inside Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, there’s a game ball to deliver. That’s where the Army Marathon Team and the Naval Academy’s 13th Company step in. A tradition that began 43 years ago, the Game Ball Run’s mission is simple: run footballs from the Naval Academy and U.S. Military Academy to the site of that year’s game.
For the Navy, it’s a 63-mile trek from Annapolis. For the Army Marathon Team, it’s roughly 300 miles from West Point, perhaps the longest run in the academy’s history. Sixteen members of the marathon team and roughly five officers will participate in the event. The Army will take three vans along the route, with seven to eight people in each. Each van is responsible for two 50-mile legs of the run, resulting in about a 15-mile responsibility for each participant.
The Army’s team is comprised of marathon runners. The Navy’s group is its entire 13th Company of roughly 127 midshipmen, minus 19 football players and members in the band.
“That’s what makes our 13th Company Ball Run special,” said Midshipman First Class Will McCrate, the 13th Company Ball Run Commander. “You’re pulling people from all different walks of life at the academy. They’re coming together as a unit and we all get the job done.”
Again, that’s where the competitive nature of the Ball Run bears out. The Army’s 300-yard trek began Wednesday. Both game balls will arrive Friday evening, the night before kickoff,…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/before-army-navy-theres-the-game-ball-run-how-the-two-sides-will-combine-to-run-over-350-miles-in-2024/
Author : Brandon Marcello
Publish date : 2024-12-13 20:28:00
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