JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
Fitness, Teamwork and community came together this weekend as the Air Force hosted its 14th annual marathon Sept. 17 and 18.
Members of the Air Force District of Washington marathon team traveled to Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton Ohio to participate in all four of the events: the 5K, 10K, half-marathon and full marathon.
The team joined the record setting attendance of 12,000 runners over the course of the four events, with 1,800 runners in the 5K Friday evening, and the rest on the course Saturday for the other three events.
Fitness meshed well with the 63rd Birthday of the Air Force on Saturday, according to Col. Ken Rizer, Joint Base Andrews/316th Wing commander. "I think it's important that we come out here this weekend and both pay tribute to the Air Force's Birthday, as well as emphasize the importance of fitness."
Getting together a field of runners from AFDW, Joint Base Andrews and Bolling Air Force Base wasn't easy, but definitely worth it according to 1st Lt. Thomas Hanson, 316th Civil Engineer Squadron operations supporter, and coordinator for the Andrews-Bolling team.
"It took some time, getting interest in people coming down to be part of the team. It also took a bit of work to get coordination on both bases," he said. "But we had a lot of help and got the mission accomplished. It was very refreshing to come down here and see everyone in our blue uniforms and to have that support," Lieutenant Hanson said.
Support was a key factor over the course of the weekend as well as in training for the event, as team members acted as Wingmen for one another, providing motivation to achieve more during each of the races.
"The best thing for me is to have a running partner, and mine was Mr. Allen. Without him, I probably couldn't have accomplished this," said Tech. Sgt. Amanda Gravely, AFDW A8 accounting operations.
"It's nice to have somebody there to keep you honest as you train, as some days you might not feel like going out and training, but if you have that partner, they keep you on your schedule," said Col. (ret.) Mark Allen, AFDW director of security forces, and Sergeant Gravely's training partner. "I've certainly enjoyed it, but I can definitely say it feels much better when it's over."
While fitness and teamwork were important aspects of the weekend for the AFDW team, bringing the two installations together was a huge bonus according to Colonel Rizer.
"I think that this presented us a fantastic opportunity to get the two bases, Andrews and Bolling, truly together as a team like this as we prepare for our mission move on Oct. 1."
One message was made clear throughout the entire weekend, and particularly during the awards presentations. Every person who participated this weekend, military or civilian, came away a winner.