Air Force marathon set for Sept. 17 Published June 1, 2005 By Steve VanWert Air Force Services Agency Public Affairs SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) -- Air Force Services officials will hold the ninth annual Air Force Marathon at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, on Sept. 17. The marathon will also include a half-marathon, wheelchair race, a four-person relay and a 5k race.The deadline for registration is Sept. 2. The race is open to the public.The course is a certified 26.2-mile run that starts and ends at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force and traverses historical places on Wright-Patterson, including the Air Force Institute of Technology, Air Force Materiel Command headquarters, the Wright-Patterson flightline and the Wright Brothers Memorial Monument.Bill Rogers, a four-time winner of the Boston and New York City marathons and a member of the 1976 U.S. Olympic marathon team, along with Alberto Salazar, who set six U.S. records, a world record and won three consecutive New York marathons, will speak at a dinner at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force on Sept. 16 and participate in the races.Registration fees are: marathon (individual), $45; wheelchair, $45; relay team, $160 per team; half marathon, $30 and the 5k, $15. Tickets for the dinner can be paid for on the registration entry form and are $12 per adult, $6 per child ages 6 to 12, and free for children age 5 or younger.Permissive temporary duty is authorized for this event.The Air Force Marathon has been flying high for eight years, and Air Force Services Agency officials recently approved it as an official Air Force event. The marathon began in 1997 as Wright Patterson’s tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Air Force. A record 3,500 people participated last year, while about 7,000 others volunteered or were spectators.“Becoming the official Air Force Marathon brings credibility to it,” said M. Scott Nunnelly, of the Air Force Services Agency. The Air Force Marathon is already a qualifying race for the Boston Marathon. For more information, people can visit the Air Force Marathon Web site at http://afmarathon.wpafb.af.mil or call (937) 257-4350 or (800) 467-1823.