HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. -- A program manager assigned to the Presidential and Executive Airpower Directorate here recently competed among the nation’s top military athletes at the 2026 Armed Forces Cross Country Championship held in Windcrest, Texas, earlier this year.
1st Lt. Ryan Johnson, program manager and facilities integrated product team lead, has been running competitive cross-country for nearly 13 years.
“My older brother started running when he was in middle school,” said Johnson. “So I, being the younger brother, soon followed in his footsteps and he continued to pave the way.”
The brothers competed on the same cross-country team in high school and later at the U.S. Air Force Academy at the Division 1 collegiate level, where they trained, raced and developed together.
“Being on those teams with him has produced some of my fondest memories of the sport,” he said.
This year’s championship event, hosted by the Department of the Navy, featured high stakes and tough competition across the 10-kilometer race, according to Johnson.
“Our coach, Maj. Riley Coates, prepared us well this year, as did the Department of the Air Force Sports program as a whole,” Johnson said. “They organized and managed the logistics so we could focus on competing.”
The men’s team championship came down to a tie between Air Force and Navy, both with 31 points. Navy won through a tiebreaker.
Johnson, who placed fifth in the individual standings, remains thankful for the opportunity to compete with the team and is determined to return even stronger.
“Last year I finished in second place, and I was hoping to match or beat that position this year,” he said. “Every race is different though, and Navy made impressive adjustments to their approach and brought several new runners who shook up the strategy at the top of the race.”
Johnson said he will not allow this setback to slow him down. He plans to compete again at next year’s championship, as well as several other professional events this year.
Full results and photo highlights from this year’s championship are available on the Armed Forces Sports website.