Dyess Airmen run in AF Marathon, Team Dyess hosts its own

  • Published
  • By By Senior Airman Kedesha Pennant
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Three Dyess Airmen participated in the 20th Anniversary Air Force Marathon Sept. 17, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

Capt. Mark Traeger, 7th Bomb Wing chaplain, Capt. Matthew McWhirter, 7th Force Support Squadron operations officer, and 1st Lt. Alexandra Trobe, 7th Bomb Wing chief of public affairs, were part of the Air Force Global Strike Command team along with six Airmen from Minot AFB and Grand Forks AFB, N.D. Last year, Dyess competed in the Major Command challenge under Air Combat Command and won.

The Air Force Marathon consists of four races: the full marathon, half marathon, 10K and 5K. Anyone could participate in either race. This year, more than 17,000 participants and volunteers were represented by all 50 states.

In order to be in the MAJCOM challenge, Airmen had to register and submit their times from previous AF marathons, or if it’s their first one, they could submit times from other races they’d recently done. Ten runners are originally chosen from each MAJCOM to compete with fours in the full marathon and six in the half marathon. The goal is to have the least amount of time added amongst the ten competitors to win the MAJCOM Challenge Trophy and bragging rights.

Traeger participated in two previous Air Force marathons in 2011 and was a part of the winning ACC team in 2015. For him, the opportunity to continue to compete makes it a rewarding experience.

“I enjoy meeting new people, being able to run with friends and compete against other bases in the MAJCOM challenge,” Traeger said.

Every AF Marathon, a different aircraft performs a flyover, and in 2011, a B-1B Lancer brought the sound of freedom.

“I had never seen a B-1 before prior to my first AF Marathon,” Traeger said. “What every AF Marathon has to offer is a pretty cool tribute to the Air Force’s birthday.”

The marathon also reflects the pillars of Comprehensive Airmen Fitness.

“Knowing that I had this race coming up got me out of bed every morning,” Traeger said. “You can’t really cheat on a marathon, so you have to do the work. It takes physical and spiritual discipline to train. For me it includes long runs and interval training on the weekends.”

The Dyess Fitness Center hosted their own Mini Air Force Marathon, on the same day as the AF Marathon, to celebrate the Air Force’s 69th birthday. More than 50 people across Abilene participated in the half marathon, 10K and 5K.

“The Dyess Mini Marathon brings everything closer to home, if someone wasn’t able to make it to Wright-Patterson,” said Senior Airman Crystal Wright, 7th FSS fitness specialist. “It serves as a morale booster especially for avid runners on the base. We try to have consistency in the events offered by the fitness center for Team Dyess.”

Tech. Sgt. Alexander Ortiz, 28th Aircraft Maintenance Unit flight chief, and his son, Xander, competed in the 5K together. He hopes to run in the Air Force Marathon next year.

“I started doing these races a few years ago, and my son would always say, ‘I wanna go!’ ” Ortiz said. “So whenever there is a 5K, we try to make it. It’s a great time for me to push him and for him to push me. We just enjoy our quality time while trying to keep fit.”

Mica Jones, personal trainer and fitness instructor, competed in the 10K.

“I loved the turnout for the mini marathon, and I hope to see more events like it in the future,” Jones said. “I knew about half of the people who participated, and even the ones I didn’t know I was able to motivate and in turn, they were able to motivate me.”

Each race had a male and female winner, and every other participant received a consolation medal.

Marine Staff Sgt. Jason Garcia, Combat Logistics Battalion 453 Detachment 1 small arms repair technician, was the first to finish the half marathon at 1:29:08. Heather Buchanan, Rotan fitness director, placed first out of all the female participants in the half marathon with the time 1:53:11.