Runner Celebrates Air Force Birthday

Photo By Lt. Col. Carol McClelland | Runners start the race at the Air Force 5K birthday fun run at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait.  

CAMP ARIFJAN, KUWAIT

09.18.2008

Story by Maj. Carol McClelland 

1st Theater Sustainment Command

By Army Maj. Carol McClelland
1st Theater Sustainment Command

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait – For the past five years, Capt. Dan Pearson has celebrated each Air Force birthday at mess dress balls filled with dancing, dining and decorations. This year he spent it in the dry, hot desert but doing the thing he loves most - running.

Pearson was the first Airman to finish today's 5K fun run that marked the services 61st year since its separation from the Army. Open to all services, the race reflected the camp's joint make up with an Army winner, followed by a Navy Sailor. Pearson finished third overall and first for his age group at 19 minutes, four seconds.

But the 3.1 miles he ran today was only a blip in his log book. It bumped up his total miles since he deployed here in late April to 645. That's the equivalent of running from Washington D.C. to Atlanta, Ga. Pearson is in Kuwait for a six month tour of duty as a communication liaison to the Army's Central Command.

"I like logging in the miles," the Massachusetts native said. "You can see over long periods of time if you're getting better and it's surprising to see how far you've gone."

Pearson has improved. He ran a 5K race only a couple of weeks after arriving and finished in the middle of the pack. A month later he ran another and finished third. And now he's looking forward to running in the Army Ten-Miler at a nearby camp, Oct. 5, 2008.

"I think I'm a little bit better at the longer distances," said Pearson who averages seven to 10 miles daily. Preferring to run outdoors rather than on a treadmill, the most he's run in one week is 51 miles, typically taking a break on Sundays.

And what does he think of during these lengthy distances? "Running faster," the soft spoken officer responded.

The Andrews Air Force Base, Md. Airman whose been running since high school, has had to adapt his obsession to the deployed environment. He begins his daily run about 5:45 a.m. to dodge triple-digit temperatures, and he learned how to run on dirt, through dust storms and high humidity days. He's also found it wise to stock up on running shoes, having gone through four pairs already.

"The other ones I threw out were dirty and dust colored with some of the material starting to rip and the treads pretty worn down. They were almost destroyed," he admitted.

Pearson, an Air Force Academy graduate, is used to having goals. He expects to run more than 800 miles by the time he finishes this deployment but also wants to run a marathon or triathlon some day. But for now, he's happy to celebrate the Air Force's birthday with a run and maybe even a piece of birthday cake.

• Date Taken: 09.18.2008
• Date Posted: 09.18.2008 12:38
• Story ID: 23820
• Location: CAMP ARIFJAN, KW