2008 Air Force Marathon scheduled for Sept. 20 Published June 19, 2008 WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- The twelfth annual United States Air Force Marathon will take place on Sept. 20 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. Events include the marathon, wheelchair marathon, half marathon, individual 10K, and team 10K. In addition, a 5K race will take place on Sept. 19 at Wright State University. USAFE members are authorized permissive TDY to participate in this event and runners are encouraged to create unit or base teams. The first official marathon was held on September 20, 1997, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Air Force, and is held in September each year in celebration of the U.S. Air Force birthday. To commemorate our rich history in flight, each year one aircraft is chosen to be highlighted during the marathon and on the unique finisher's medal presented to each race participant. The race has grown over the years to more than 5,000 participants in 2007. The course is a 26.2-mile run that traverses historical places on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, including the National Museum of the United States Air Force, the Air Force Institute of Technology, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command, the Wright-Patterson AFB flight line, Huffman Prairie Flying Field, and the Wright Brothers Memorial Monument. All levels of runners participate from around the world, including marathon, wheelchair, relay (four-person teams), half-marathon, and five-kilometer runners. The USAF Marathon is certified by the USA Track and Field Association with the course containing a large number of hills. In 2007, more than 6,300 runners participated in all marathon-related events, including an affiliated 5K road race held Friday in partnership with Wright State University on their campus. There were 1,639 runners in the full marathon. For more information or to register for the marathon, visit www.usafmarathon.com. Air Force Fitness "In Training" Program Air Force Fitness "In Training" Program Helps Runners Achieve Goals: The Services Agency, in partnership with FitLinxx, Precor USA, and the Cooper Institute, is dedicated to growing runners in the Air Force community. The training regiment is designed to help a person train for the upcoming Air Force Marathon on Sept. 20, regardless of their current skill-level. However, if the Air Force Marathon isn't in an Airman' s plans for 2008, the same training tips and regimen can be applied to local runs or marathons. A person who has never run before will learn how easy it is to get started, and all runners will benefit from the tips, training schedule and easy to use tracking system on a dedicated tracking site. Go to http://www.usafservue.com/se.ashx?s=3D6717A321B86F55 to register.