Photo By Airman Jordaan Kvale | Washington Air National Guard Airman 1st Class Bret Greene, 262nd Cyberspace...... read more read more
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CAMP MURRAY, WASH. -- An Airman from the 194th Wing placed third overall for the half marathon in the Air Force Marathon at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Sept. 16, 2023. 26-year-old Airman 1st Class Bret Greene, a cyberspace operator for the 262 Cyber Operations Squadron, ran the 13.1-mile race in 1:10:16, according to the Air Force Marathon website.
Greene started running in high school where he ran track and cross country, he said. Following high school, he ran track for Western Washington University. That wasn’t enough, apparently. Greene said he doesn’t plan to stop running anytime soon.
The Air Force Marathon officially launched in 1997 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Air Force according to the Air Force Marathon website. The marathon is open civilians and all branches of the military. Greene first learned about the event while training in Mississippi.
“One of my tech school instructors had seen that I did quite a bit of running in my downtime,” said Greene. “He had mentioned it to me saying that it was something I should look into.”
Master Sgt. Michael Kearns, a flight chief at the 262 COS, also mentioned the marathon to Greene.
“He told me about it, too, after it was already on my radar,” said Greene. “So I figured, ‘Okay well I'm going to apply for this, seems like it’d be fun.”
Greene applied in July, he said. The application process consisted of his basic information as well as a resume of his running experience and previous race times. Shortly after applying, he received an email saying that he was selected.
“I thought it’d be cool to run a race, flown out there, put in a hotel and all expenses paid,” said Greene. “Running and competing is something I’m passionate about, and I figured, ‘Hey, well if I’m going to basically get paid to do this, then seems like a pretty good deal.’”
Greene competed under the Department of the Air Force Sports, so he was officially representing the Air Force, he said. He was flown out to Ohio the day before his race.
“I was excited,” said Greene. “I wasn’t setting myself up for big expectations going into it. I’m going to run it and embrace the experience.”
When the race began, Greene was just trying to keep up with the front pack, he said. For the first five miles, there were around seven people in the pack. By mile eight, there were only three.
“I was just trying to hang on,” said Greene. “It was more painful than I thought.”
Greene embraced the suck and held on until the very end. He finished the race third out of 2299 contestants with the time of 1:10:16 and a 5:22 pace according to the Air Force Marathon website.
“I finished third,” said Greene. “That was fun. Now where do I get water and electrolytes?”
As far as his future goals, Greene has no plans to quit running. For now, he will keep competing and keep lowering his times, he said. Long term, he plans to qualify for the 2028 Olympic trials in the marathon.
His advice to others?
“Stay consistent in whatever you decide to pursue,” said Greene. “Make realistic goals for yourself and commit to finishing those goals.”
| Date Taken: | 12.04.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 12.05.2023 18:17 |
| Story ID: | 459003 |
| Location: | CAMP MURRAY, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 123 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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