AFRC commander presents Air Force Marathon trophy

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ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFNS) --  The commander of Air Force Reserve Command officially presented the 2010 Air Force Marathon Major Command Challenge trophy to AFRC members Dec. 9.

Lt. Gen. Charles E. Stenner Jr. put the 2-foot tall trophy on display during the headquarters commander's call at the Robins AFB Museum of Aviation.

"I accepted this on behalf of the nearly 72,000 members of Air Force Reserve Command," General Stenner said. "We had members from across the globe participate in the annual Air Force Marathon. They brought home 61 points with three category wins, including one full-marathon winner and two half-marathon winners.

"I think this is pretty fantastic," he said. "This just goes to show the kind of things happening at the wing level emphasizing fit to fight, emphasizing long-distance running and highlighting all the good that comes from that."

General Stenner received the trophy from Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz during CORONA Fall at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.

"I am proud to tell you that AFRC is now on this particular trophy," General Stenner said. "I think we have the enthusiasm from wing commanders and that we have a good shot at (the trophy) next year."

The 14th annual Air Force Marathon was the fourth time the traveling trophy was presented to the commander of one of the Air Force's 11 major commands, and the first time AFRC has won the honor. The MAJCOM Challenge serves as a service-wide competition that challenges each major command to encourage its Airmen to stay fit to fight. The challenge is open to active-duty Air Force members and activated guard and reserve service members.

The competition is based on a point system. It factors in both participation and performance in both the full- and half-marathon events and determines which major command in the Air Force has the best long-distance runners.

"This is just another fun way that we can help all our Airmen stay healthy," said Molly Louden, the Air Force Marathon director. "It also gives the winning MAJCOM something to brag about for an entire year."

The yearly 26.2 mile run traverses aviation's history at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. It includes the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, the Air Force Institute of Technology, Headquarters Air Force Material Command, the base flight line, Huffman Prairie Flying Field and the Wright Brothers Memorial.

"Our race field is growing every year, so each year the MAJCOM challenge becomes just that much more prestigious," Mrs. Louden said.

The 15th annual Air Force Marathon is scheduled for Sept. 17, 2011. More information about the Air Force Marathon and related events is available online at www.usafmarathon.com.