Inaugural Half Marathon, Relay Race Raises Funds for Local Charity

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jamie L. Coggan
  • 355th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  With the help of 25 volunteers, the base held its first organized half-marathon and relay race Nov. 7 for 118 runners and raised more than $1,350 for a local charity.

The 13.1-mile course started at the Benko Fitness center and guided runners toward the firing range before culminating at the outdoor track.

In addition to individual runners from D-M and Fort Huachuca, there were also teams from the U.S. Army, University of Arizona Army and Air Force ROTC, and Raytheon. Volunteers helped with registration, water stations, traffic control, first aid, and safety.

The idea for the marathon began with Lt. Col. Francis McDonough, 355th Fighter Wing chief of inspections, plans and programs. At the beginning of the year, he started a weekly Saturday morning running group, with the goal of preparing the runners for September's Air Force Marathon at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

Additionally, Colonel McDonough wanted to start a race here on base. When he deployed this fall, a team of Airmen, consisting of Maj. Sean "Olé" Baerman, 355th Operations Group, 2nd Lt. Rebecca Anderson, 612th Air Communications Squadron, Tech. Sgt. Michael Senigo, 305th Rescue Squadron, and Nerissa Atkisson, Health and Wellness Center, continued with the planning.

"I wanted to help because I have experience running marathons and triathlons, and I thought it would be a great way to get D-M personnel to compete in a race," said Major Baerman.

The 612th Air Communications Squadron had the highest unit participation, with 18 runners and volunteers, while the 612th Air Operation Center and 355th Comptroller Squadron were close with 16 each.

The overall fastest relay team was a University of Arizona Army ROTC team that called itself "I wish I had a muffin right now," finishing in 1:22:22. The fasted male was Peter Tomcyzk, finishing in 1:28:05, and the fastest female was Kelly Axt, who finished in 1:33:20. Kelly's husband, Capt. Erik "ORK" Axt, 357th Fighter Squadron, was a key volunteer in the race.

The group charged an entrance fee to cover costs for t-shirts, awards, and incidentals. Proceeds were donated to Casa de los Niños, a Tucson charity.

Local businesses, such as Jim Click, Viscount Suites, 4400 Hair, Fleet Feet, the Sports Authority and the Massage Chair at the BX, supported the race by offering prizes and gift certificates to the overall winners and winners in each age group.

"In my opinion, the race was a complete success," said Major Baerman. "Everybody enjoyed the race, as much as you can enjoy running 13.1 miles, and we didn't have any problems. We're looking forward to hosting this event again next year."