With Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) being rich in American air and space history, it’s the ideal location to permanently host the T-Minus 10-Miler. The geographical location is ideal to have a warm, winter race in December. The length of this race is perfect for someone looking to PR on somewhat flat terrain with very little inclines, and this event can be used as a training run for longer events. The timing of the T-Minus 10-Miler coincides with the USSF’s birthday, and there is no better celebration than running around CCSFS and admiring history from up close and afar!
The 10 mile course at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is built for speed, just like a rocket! Beginning near Whites Point, the course veers left where you meander over the first of two causeways. Take in the sights, and you will be overwhelmed with the beauty you are seeing. Once you have crossed the causeway, you are now on a manmade portion of the course! You will stay on this for a small period of time, but you will then proceed onto the second and final causeway of the course.
After crossing the second causeway, the real fun begins! You will turn right onto Cape Road, but will shortly thereafter turn left to go toward PATROL Road. Once on PATROL Road, you will turn right to start your journey through history at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The first piece of history you encounter is Launch Complex 34 (LC-34), which is the location of the Apollo 1 Memorial. LC-34 also served as the launch site for Apollo 7 to put Americans back into space. After passing LC-34, you will continue on Freedom Road, but you will make a left onto ICBM Road, where you get to continue past important space history!
History
Located in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) has a rich, deep history which dates back to the late 1940s. The station was first used as a Naval Air Station, and was originally named the Banana River Naval Air Station. After the land was appointed to the Air Force, the installation went under numerous name changes such as Cape Canaveral to Cape Kennedy, and then resorting back to Cape Canaveral in the 1970s. The final name change came in 2020 with its current name, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Through all of the name changes over the years, there have been multiple historical endeavors at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. CCSFS was home to the Air Force Missile Test Center from 1951 to 1964. This is where tests were conducted for the SM-65 Atlas, HGM-25A, and PGM-17 Thor missiles. Many of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launches occurred here in the 1950s and 1960s, as well. This includes all launches for Project Mercury, Project Gemini launches, and two Project Apollo missions (Apollo 1 and 7). All Project Mercury launches occurred on Launch Complex (LC) LC-5 and LC-14, and Project Gemini’s launches were on LC-19. Of the two Apollo missions, the Apollo 1 crew of Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger B. Chaffee all perished in a launch rehearsal on January 27, 1967 on LC-34. On October 11, 1968, Apollo 7 successfully launched on October 11, 1968 from LC-34, marking the last time the launch pad was used.
The 45th Space Wing has a long history, starting with the United States Air Force (USAF) tracing its roots back to the 1940s, originally being called the 45th Bombardment Group (Light). However, its modern status can be traced back to the early 1990s, getting its name as the 45th Space Wing at this time. From the 1990s until 2021, the 45th Space Wing played an integral part of launching satellites into orbit. This includes the first launch of the Global Positioning System replenishment satellite in 1996 from CCSFS. In 2012, the 45th Space Wing assisted SpaceX with the launch of the first Falcon 9 rocket to resupply the International Space Station for NASA’s mission. After the formation of the United States Space Force on December 20, 2019, the installations under the 45th Space Wing, CCSFS and Patrick Space Force Base, were both named the first bases of the USSF on December 9, 2020. On May 11, 2021, the 45th Space Wing transitioned into Space Launch Delta 45 (SLD 45). With this new transition, SLD 45 is the foremost launch location for the USSF, and will continue to do so in the coming years and decades assisting other government entities in the process.
LESS
Good for a one-time experience
Production is by the same team that does the Air Force Marathon so logistics were very similar. The good thing is Cape Canaveral is a much nicer place than Dayton, … MORE
Production is by the same team that does the Air Force Marathon so logistics were very similar. The good thing is Cape Canaveral is a much nicer place than Dayton, OH. Weather was weird. Super windy and humid. Got dumped on (rain) in the second mile. Very flat – my course difficulty rating was higher than 1 “shoe” due to the strong crosswinds and headwinds. The t-shirt was sub-average if you ask me. Not to mention the fact that the graphic on the front was screen printed off-center. I liked the medal. The post race festival/area was really nice. You get to tour a bunch of old NASA vessels in the hangar. I also got the Armed Forces Series Medal after this event which made the moment significantly better than it would’ve been otherwise. I probably wouldn’t run this race again, but it was enjoyable for the one-time experience. I stayed at a hotel just north of the airport and drove a rental out to Cape Canaveral for the expo and race. A bit of a drive but not annoying. My performance was not very good, but I was recovering from pneumonia and was used to running in 30-40º weather, not 70º. With unseasonable cool weather (50’s) and no wind, this is a PR-worthy course.
Well put together
Packet pick up was quick and easy. The spaghetti dinner was excellent and fun. Driving to the race was cool with one of the launch pads lit up. Security and … MORE
Packet pick up was quick and easy. The spaghetti dinner was excellent and fun. Driving to the race was cool with one of the launch pads lit up. Security and bus to start and from finish were seamless. Shirt and medal were super nice. I had read some previous years’ reviews here and on Facebook. The race organizers definitely corrected past problems! I would recommend the 10 miler!
Ran Virtually
Ran virtually. I still wish that there was an option to print off a virtual race bib to wear when we run virtually instead of waiting for our swag bag … MORE
Ran virtually. I still wish that there was an option to print off a virtual race bib to wear when we run virtually instead of waiting for our swag bag to be delivered well after the race with a bib that says virtual.
USSF
As the second annual event, I expected better logistical support but it was a hassle getting to the start point (on base cape Canaveral space force station). Had to get … MORE
As the second annual event, I expected better logistical support but it was a hassle getting to the start point (on base cape Canaveral space force station). Had to get bused from parking area to staging area, then walked/ran approximately half a mile to the actual start area.
Worst Produced Race in Over 30 years
Space Force Team really needs to takes ques from the Marine Corps marathon. They know how to produce a race. I heard the biggest complaint the first year was logistics … MORE
Space Force Team really needs to takes ques from the Marine Corps marathon. They know how to produce a race. I heard the biggest complaint the first year was logistics and transportation issues. Here again in 2023 at the second event, logistics and transportation was yet again terrible. Myself and another active military member signed up for the race. We get to the race location and park on the skid strip. So far so good. We get parked and have to walk east where there is a line forming to catch one bus (let me repeat that, “one bus”. You get on this bus to be driven maybe a 1/4 mile t get off the bus and then go through I believe it was four metal detectors where there was a total of six or more buses waiting to pick you up and then drive you to the start line. After waiting in line for four bus rotations we decided to leave as this was a huge waste of time and the fact that a lot of people hydrating the weeks and days before had no place to use the restroom was embarrassing. People had to get out of line and go to the grassy south side of the skid strip to use the bathroom. As we were driving to the exit I’m almost certain everyone did not have time to get on a bus to get off a bus to get on a buss and to get off a bus again. I can’t imagine the walk or bus ride back to the skid strip after the race was completed. Never in 30 years of running and racing have I ever seen a more disorganized event. We got a race bib, a patch, and a cheap race shirt. I seriously hope they work the kinks out because our guys that work on the Cape will not be running that race until we know there have been significant changes. I’ll give them the benegfit of the doubt considering this is the second race. However, there are organizations like the Marine Corps that have been doing races for close to 50 years now. Also, Florida being a big racing community, there are plenty of resources to tap into regarding how to effectively move people for a race and provide proper restroom facilities.
Another poorly organized run by USSF
Hard to believe they could screw up worse than last year, but hats off to USSF. Once again, parking was the problem. This time, the volunteers sent everyone to the … MORE
Hard to believe they could screw up worse than last year, but hats off to USSF. Once again, parking was the problem. This time, the volunteers sent everyone to the wrong end of the 1.5 mile long skid strip! Race had to be delayed as they tried to get more busses to shuttle folks to the other end. Otherwise it went fine, although much smaller in this its second year.