Although the event was no longer in person, Brandon Hough, Air Force Marathon director, wanted to give the runners a taste of the marathon experience and held live streams on Facebook during the morning of Sept. 19, which would have been the actual day of the marathon.
“We know this is not what we wanted but I truly thank all of our runners, past and present,” said Hough. “I am blown away by the people who joined us this year; it had kept me going and kept me from throwing in the towel. With the support we have received, it has been incredibly humbling. We have such a loyal fan base and we are so thankful.”
During the streaming, a group of Airmen made up of the recipients of “Gift an Airman” registration and members of the 88th Security Forces had the opportunity to run their selected races.
“We caught wind that some of our junior airmen were getting together to run so we invited them to come out and do it here and when leadership found out, they decided to show their support and run alongside them,” said Hough.
He added because they are normally working the marathon and do not get the change to participate, the group of runners also included some members of the 88th Security Forces.
Personal race stories, the history of the marathon were some of the topics of discussion during the streaming and next year’s aircraft was revealed with a surprise of selecting not just one but four aircraft.
The B-2 Spirit, F-35 Lightning, C-17 GlobeMaster III and A-10 Thunderbolt II will all be featured at the 25th anniversary celebration of the Air Force Marathon in 2021.
“Congrats if you have already ran your race,” said Hough. “If you’ve yet to run, pick a day when it is nice out to run and have fun.”
Runners have through Sept. 30 to run their selected race. Results of the 2020 Air Force marathon virtual race will be available at www. airforcemarathon.com. Race packets which include their shirts, medals and patches will be mailed out beginning in October.
The Air Force Marathon’s virtual Health and Fitness Expo is also open through Sept. 30. Viewers can search for specific companies or browse the virtual booths to see what each vendor has to offer. Go to https://www.usafmarathon.com/virtual-expo/ to access the expo.
The 2021 Air Force Marathon is scheduled for Sept. 18 and will mark the 25th anniversary of the marathon. Registration will open on Jan. 1, 2021.
For the latest on the Air Force Marathon, go to https://www.usafmarathon.com/ or follow the Air Force Marathon Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AirForceMarathon/.
About the Author