"The election brought the Taliban's anger and frustration out," said Capt. Mark Hurlburt. "They've definitely upped the ante."

Hurlburt talked about the battalion's plans for a satellite Honolulu Marathon via satellite phone just hours before he was to depart on an extended mission "to look for bad guys."

A battalion signal officer with the Bobcats, Hurlburt is helping coordinate the run at Firebase Ripley in Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan. He hopes the race will run as close to Dec. 12 as possible.

Registration has been going well, with more than 100 troops and civilians from around the country already committed.

"There are a bunch of guys here who have done the Honolulu Marathon," Hurlburt said. "We just want to be a part of it again. It would make us feel a little bit of home."

However grueling, the marathon will be a welcome distraction for Bobcat troops, who in recent weeks have faced increased hostilities from Taliban forces in the area.

That, Hurlburt said, is all the more reason to look forward to a day of good Hawai'i thoughts.

"I tell the guys who have never been there before that running a marathon, or just being outdoors, over there is the best thing they can do" he said. "It's a terrific feeling."

The remote firebase where the race will be held is about 75 miles from Kandahar.

Registration likely will be capped at 300 for safety reasons.

Several Bobcat troops are Honolulu Marathon veterans, including Hurlburg, who has completed the race four times. Other runners are coming from Kandahar, Bagram, Kabul and other spots around the country.

The marathon association is providing free registration for all the runners, as well as official numbers, finisher's shirts, medals, certificates, banners, volunteer shirts and other support.

Family and friends of the runners will be able to keep track of their progress thanks to microchip timing equipment provided by ChampionChip USA/Burns Computer Services, the official timer of the Honolulu Marathon.

Although the marathon association and other sponsors are taking care of most of the essentials, Hurlburt said he'd happily accept donations of energy gels and bars, and prizes for a raffle.