HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – Two members of the Enterprise IT and Cyber Infrastructure Division here recently completed the 130th Boston Marathon, demonstrating the same self-discipline and long-term focus they apply in their roles supporting Air Force acquisition and cyber capabilities.
Noah Byington and 2nd Lt. Kaitlyn Elliott crossed the finish line with times within one minute of each other after months of preparation.
“Kaitlyn and Noah demonstrated the same resilience, discipline and commitment we rely on every day across our division to deliver critical capabilities to the warfighter,” said Col. Fred Garcia, senior materiel leader for the Enterprise IT and Cyber Infrastructure Division. “Their accomplishment reflects the perseverance required both on the marathon course and in support of the Air Force mission.”
Byington, a cost estimator and branch lead supporting the division, finished the race in 3 hours and 13 minutes. Elliott, a cost estimator assigned to the Cloud One program, completed the course in 3 hours and 14 minutes.
The race carried personal significance for Byington. Growing up in an Air Force family and spending part of his childhood at Hanscom AFB, he first experienced the Boston Marathon as a spectator in 2016.
“Boston is the most iconic marathon in the world, and I really just wanted to complete this and have fun,” he said.
Elliott, originally from Midlothian, Virginia, began long-distance running in middle school and qualified for Boston during her first marathon at the Richmond Marathon. She said marathon training reinforced lessons about persistence and long-term growth.
“It’s definitely a lesson in not being short-sighted, realizing that things take time, and when you set a goal, it might not be accomplished tomorrow,” Elliott said. “Every step that you take right now will eventually get you to that finish line.”
Both runners said the race tested them physically and mentally, particularly on the course’s hills.
“When the race plan goes out the window, you can either let it kind of crush you and defeat you or you can pivot to what success means on the given day, and also make sure that you have fun with it, too,” Byington said.
Elliott recalled a moment during the race when encouragement from another runner helped her continue pushing forward.
“There was one of those hills where I had slowed down and was kind of power walking, and another runner came up behind me and gave me a pat on the back and said, ‘It’s okay. You’re doing good,’” she said.
The pair also credited the spectators lining the course to help sustain them through difficult stretches of the marathon.
“There wasn’t an inch along the course where there wasn’t someone spectating or cheering, so just having that constant energy was pretty surreal,” Byington said.
Elliott echoed that sentiment, describing the atmosphere as “nothing but support and excitement from the crowd.”
In addition to marathon training, both support acquisition and resource management efforts critical to the Air Force mission through the Enterprise IT and Cyber Networks Division.
“As a cost estimator, we validate multi-year cost requirements for programs, estimate future costs three, five or 10 years out, and do a lot of data analysis to make sure we’re buying things at the right price,” Byington said.
Elliott said her role on the Cloud One program focuses on building future cost forecasts using data from engineers and program managers.
“In my role currently, I’m on the Cloud One program, and I mostly do cost estimates,” she said. “We get numbers from program managers and engineers and create forecasts several years out, basically estimating costs for the future.”
Both runners said the preparation required for the Boston Marathon mirrored the consistency needed to support complex Air Force programs and mission partners every day.