Military personnel take on Boston Marathon

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. C. Michaela Judge
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AFB, Mass. --  With partly sunny skies, and highs reaching nearly 60 degrees April 21, this year's Boston Marathon presented a welcoming contrast compared to the winter-like conditions that runners experienced during last year's race. 

The nation's oldest marathon, now in its 112th year, is held on the Massachusetts holiday, Patriot's Day, which commemorates the beginning of the Revolutionary War.
This year 21,963 runners from around the world completed the race, according to the Boston Athletic Association. 

Twenty-eight of those runners boarded a bus from Hanscom's Fitness and Sports Center at 6:15 a.m. the morning of the race. 

Military members from the various branches of service, Air Force Academy cadets and civilians made up the montage of individuals who boarded the bus that morning. And while this would be the first marathon for some, others were adding to the list of numerous marathons that they've completed in the past. 

Chief Master Sgt. Troy Engholm, command chief at Eglin Air Force Base, Fl., completed his sixth Boston Marathon, running it in 3:15:40. Though it wasn't his best time, he said overall he couldn't complain.

"The weather was perfect, I ran well and I didn't hit any walls along the way," the chief said.

Despite the 26.2 mile trek, the chief said he was walking comfortably, and felt great even after finishing.

Col. Bill Cooley, 950th Electronic Systems Group, said that during the final 2 to 3 miles of the race, it was tough to keep going, but in the end he ran a personal best with a time of 3:59:35, beating his previous time of 4:13. Though he was running his 10th marathon, this was his first Boston Marathon.

Lt. Col. Dale VanDusen, 630th Electronic Systems Squadron commander, who finished the race in 4:37:45, said his most memorable moment of the race was the Wellesley College crowd. "[They were] the loudest, most intense [crowd] I've ever heard."

Though the race was a challenge at times, many runners had reasons to keep them going.

"An intense desire to finish kept me going through the leg cramps. The race is historic and likely once in a lifetime for me," Colonel VanDusen said.