Runner celebrates Air Force birthday

  • Published
  • By Army Maj. Carol McClelland
  • 1st Theater Sustainment Command Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) --  An Airman finished third in a joint-service 5K fun run celebrating the Air Force's 61st birthday Sept. 18 at a Southwest Asia base. 

The race reflected the camp's joint make up with an Army winner, followed by a Navy sailor with Capt. Dan Pearson taking bronze and first for his age group at 19 minutes, 4 seconds.

But the 3.1 miles Captain Pearson ran 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. The captain is on a si- 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."

Captain Pearson's time 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 base Oct. 5.

"I think I'm a little bit better at the longer distances," said Captain 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.

The captain assigned to Andrews Air Force Base, Md., has been running since high school, and 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 said.

The U.S. 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. 

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