HANSCOM AFB, Mass. -- With her family and a hometown crowd watching, 2nd Lt. Miriam Coleman, 46th Test Squadron, Detachment 1 test manager, became the top finishing female participant, with a time of 22:06, in the 2007 U.S. Air Force Marathon 5K race, held Sept. 15 at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. 

Lieutenant Coleman, who entered the race because she loves to run and wanted to participate in the marathon events, was surprised by her placement. 

"I run road races, and I wanted to see what the U.S. Air Force Marathon events were all about. I started out with the mentality that I was just going to run to run. If I was feeling good, I'd just end up running faster and seeing what I could do -- and that's what happened," she said. "I just went to participate, and so my family could go. I thought it would be nice for my parents to attend and be part of the ceremony." 

Running with her family watching reminded the lieutenant of old times. She ran cross country in high school and participated in an ROTC Military Excellence 10K competition team in college. Though she competes less frequently now, Lieutenant Coleman still runs at least three to four miles, six times per week, for exercise. "I try to do other exercise that is less harsh on my body, but with running, all you need is a pair of shoes and yourself, and you're out the door. In thirty minutes, you have a really good workout -- it's one of the hardest things, cardiovascular-wise, you can do," she said. 

Realizing she is still competitive was one of the most rewarding experiences of the event for Lieutenant Coleman. "I didn't really go there to race; that I still had it in me to run a little harder and finish pretty well was really nice. It's always good when you feel good running," she said. 

Lieutenant Coleman hopes to compete again at the marathon events next year, and appreciates the variety of marathon events offered, because, "Not everyone wants to run an entire marathon. People of all ages were walking or running [in the 5K race]. A lot of families even got involved, which was great," she said. "'Don't worry about going fast; just go.' That's my new motto."