Kirtland Airmen head to Ohio for Air Force Marathon

  • Published
  • By Kendahl Johnson
  • 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  When the starting gun sounds Saturday at the Air Force Marathon, there will be several participants from Kirtland among the thousands of racers.

Maj. Jon Phillips, IT enterprise support specialist for the Air Force Inspection Agency, will be running in his fifth Air Force marathon. He said the quality of the event keeps bringing him back.

"It's a really fun event," he said. "It's really well organized and it's gaining in popularity."

The event -- which includes a 5K, a 10K, a half marathon and full marathon -- has become so popular that it sells out earlier and earlier each year. This year, all races were sold out in July.

The marathon is in its 18th year and is held the third weekend in September in Dayton, Ohio, on the grounds of Wright State University and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The race starts and finishes at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, and participants run through a corridor of historic aircraft to the finish line.

Senior Airman Annie Price, a munitions technician from the 898th Munitions Squadron, will be competing in the half marathon and considers the Air Force marathon to be one of her favorite running events.

"It's so much fun," she said. "You get so much support, as so many people come out and cheer the racers. You get to run amond the planes, which is really neat. It's just a great event."

Price has completed five full marathons, but prefers half marathons because the training isn't as rigorous and they are not as impactful on the body.

Phillips took a different approach to training this year. He changed from running road miles to all trail running. He said New Mexico is a great place for off-road training because of its thousands of miles of accessible trails.

"There is an excellent trail running community out here," he said. "I've really been enjoying the forest."

Phillips said the Air Force marathon would be a good starting race for those who have always wanted to run a marathon but haven't taken that first step. He said marathons are much more enjoyable after you've got that first one under your belt.

"Once you get through your first marathon, there's a lot less stress the next time," he said. "You can run with more confidence and really enjoy it."

For those interested in competition running, Albuquerque Road Runners maintains a website with information on local running events at www.abqroadrunners.com/race-calendar.html.