Dover Airmen run marathon in AOR

  • Published
  • By Capt. Zane Holscher
  • 3rd Airlift Squadron
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Three Dover Team members joined a group of 45 runners who completed a marathon here Sunday.

Capt. Jake Scherrer, 9th Airlift Squadron, Capt Zane Holscher 3rd Airlift Squadron and 1st Lt. Anthonelli White, whose wife 1st Lt. Katie Hill is stationed at Dover, all ran a half marathon.

Captain Holscher organized the marathon, which attracted runners from many of the armed services and several countries who currently call the area of responsibility home.

Runners began logging their race-day miles near the center of the Coalition Compound at 7 a.m. Lieutenant White kept pace with the leaders while the other Dover runners melted into the long line that spread out along the desert road.

Capt. Jason Willey, 9th AS, who was helping man one of the aid stations along the course, sped to the far reaches of the base to set up a station at the halfway point.

Lieutenant White continued to press the leaders and finished in fourth place, with Captains Holscher and Scherrer finishing 17th and 22nd respectively.

"Up until this event, six miles was the farthest I'd ever run, so I was a little nervous about being able to complete the run," said Captain Scherrer. "I completed the run just two minutes over my expectations. It was great having a goal to work towards over the past months."

The winners of the various races represented the broad spectrum of people stationed here. Navy Capt. Andrew Lewis won the men's full marathon. Capt. Jeff Krulick took home the honors in the male half marathon. Geri Buttke, a civilian from Seattle took home the honors in the female full marathon, while Capt. Rebecca Williamson won the female half marathon.

When asked why all these people would run in the freezing cold with no prizes or awards awaiting them at the finish, Captain Lewis summed it up best.

"For some, it was an opportunity to end 2006 on a positive note," he said. "For some of the folks nearing the end of their rotation, this race was the culmination of a fitness goal. As for me, I ran it as a tribute. Doing the race here was a great experience. It is always tough being deployed over the holidays, and running helps me not to fret. I ran the race as a tribute to all of the Soldiers, Marines, Airmen, and Sailors who could not run Sunday. Maybe they had to work their shift here at the Combined Air Operations Center, were on sentry duty in Iraq, flying supplies into Afghanistan or boarding a ship in the Persian Gulf. Sadly, many of our compatriots have sacrificed to such an extent that they never will be able to run again. When I think of them while I am running into the wind and my legs are burning, it does not hurt any more."