Local Air Force captain flies to Marine Corps Marathon win

Dick Benoit

Thursday, Nov. 7, 2002 | 8:56 a.m.

The residents on Air Force Capt. Christopher Juarez's North Las Vegas street may be interested to know that their neighbor is more than just a serious jogger who heads out on a run about 7 every evening.

The Nellis captain won the 27th annual Marine Corps Marathon in Arlington, Va., Oct. 27 with a time of 2 hours 25 minutes and 1 second. Juarez was running as part of the Air Force Team, which was competing for the annual Armed Forces Marathon Championship.

The 32-year-old Juarez, running in the event for the third time, finished 22nd in 1998 and 14th in 1999.

"This year I thought I had a chance to win, but it didn't hit me until mile 24. Those last two miles, I was really falling apart," he said. "But when I made that final turn, I took a quick peek and realized I had it."

The win was not a surprise for Juarez. The day before the race, after a get-together, he told a friend that he had something to do. He went to the awards display to take one more look at the first-place trophy he hoped to win. Juarez then left for the airport to pick up his support team: his wife, Capt. Billeye Juarez, an all-Air Force and all-Armed Forces volleyball player.

Sheriff awarded

The Nevada Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve recognized Sheriff Jerry Keller with a presentation of its Nevada Chair's award in a special ceremony last week.

"The Nevada Chair's Award is given in very limited numbers and recognizes those employers who have gone above and beyond the legal requirements for granting leave for military duty," the committee's awards chairwoman, Maria Zaldivar-Vaught, said.

The committee also honored Metro Police with a State Chair's award. Other Las Vegas organizations recognized with the award during recent ceremonies in Reno included the city of Henderson, Pulte Homes, International Game Technology, Cox Communications, Monte Carlo, KVVU Channel 5, Gordon Biersch Brewing Co. and Goldsmith & Guymon.

In brief

Faber, the son of Dale and Linda Faber of Las Vegas, earned the award while serving as a company commander for the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Irwin, Calif.

Benoit, son of Anne and Ronald Benoit of Henderson, is one of more than 10,000 Atlantic Fleet sailors and Marines aboard the ships of the USS George Washington Carrier Battle Group and USS Nassau Amphibious Ready Group ready to participate in Operation Enduring Freedom.

During the five-week course, Means learned about theory, construction, and operation of nuclear-powered submarines and shipboard organization and damage control. He participated in hands-on training with reality simulators and practiced escaping from a simulated sinking submarine.