Don't count yourself out

  • Published
  • By Kevin Chandler
  • 97 AMW/PA
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  1st Lt. Sabrina Dupre, 2nd Lt. Elise Jones, 1st Lt. Jessica Lesher, and 2nd Lt. Laura Nichols have been selected to represent AETC in the marathon relay competition at the 12th Annual United States Air Force Marathon. The event is scheduled for Sep. 20, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
 
The marathon relay event consists of each team running a 10K race, which is a quarter of a marathon, and then combining their times to equal that of a marathon. Initially, the Altus group felt they had little chance of being selected to represent AETC, assuming several teams were interested. "I guess you could say it wasn't really formalized," said Lieutenant Dupre, "it was like 'hey, let's see what we can do." 

Once chosen, the team welcomed the challenge and began training for the competition. Lieutenant Nichols recently completed a marathon, and everyone on the team has run an assortment of races, so they know how to prepare for September. Every teammate does various cardio and strength training individually during the week, and then they all get together for a long group run on the weekend. They have also encouraged those who are interested in participating in the marathon to do so. "I put it out there to my flight, and I had a couple of people that were going to do it, but one is deployed and the other got injured," said Lieutenant Jones. 

When asked about goals for the relay, the team agreed they would like to beat the time set by last year's Altus AETC squad, who finished second. The squad provided some recognition for Altus, a small base which is often overlooked. They also enjoy serving as an example of the Air Force's recent focus on physical fitness as a component of combat readiness and overall well-being. Most importantly, they want to show those who feel they have no shot at accomplishing their goals that all things are possible. "If there are people out there that think 'I'll never be able to do it,' you could" stated Lieutenant Nichols. Or as another teammate said, "Don't count yourself out." 

For those interested in joining the Altus team in Ohio, visit www.usafmarathon.com for more information.