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387th AEG Airman tackles treadmill marathon

  • Published
  • By Capt. Larry van der Oord
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) --  For most people, the thought of running a marathon is not overly appealing. That thought quickly becomes even less appealing when you consider running in-place for every single one of those 26.2 miles.

However, that is exactly what Staff Sgt. Jason Blair, a 387th Air Expeditionary Group emergency management craftsman, did Oct. 13 when he ran a personal best 2-hour, 56-minute marathon on a treadmill at the base fitness center at this air base in Southwest Asia.

An avid runner, Sergeant Blair is no stranger to logging some serious miles. He previously completed the Air Force Marathon as well as a marathon held in Okinawa, Japan, with times of 3:11 and 3:35 respectively. He's also notched first place finishes in three 5K and two 10K races held here on base.

But 26 miles on a treadmill was something even he wasn't sure about.

"The treadmill marathon idea started off as kind of a joke with some of the guys," said Sergeant Blair, deployed from Andrews Air Force Base, Md. "I had talked about trying it, but I didn't get serious until a few weeks ago."

One initial problem was the fact that the fitness centers treadmills are programmed to automatically stop after one hour of continuous run time. Sergeant Blair went online and researched the treadmill manual where he was able to find a bypass to the automatic shut-off with a few simple program keys.

With the technical issues solved, Sergeant Blair decided to try a 20-mile treadmill run before going for the full marathon. But, his plans changed as he neared the end of his intended distance.

"Around the 16-mile mark I was feeling really good, and I decided then I would go for the full 26.2," he said.

The change in distance plans posed a new problem. Sergeant Blair knew he would need more than the three packets of power gel he originally brought with him. Master Sgt. Michael Haynes, the 387th AEG fire chief, headed to the base exchange to pick up two more packets of the gel Sergeant Blair uses to fuel himself during long runs.

"There's no way I would have been able to finish the full marathon distance if I didn't get those last couple packets of gel," said Sergeant Blair. "I depend on the energy it provides when I'm going on any run longer than an hour."

After he had been running for 99 minutes and 59 seconds, the treadmill timer reset to all zeros and began counting all over again. Sergeant Blair said it was a little disheartening to see the time display go back to zero, but constant checks of the clock did help him stay focused.

"During my first two marathons I think I got caught up in the moment and let the excitement of the crowds get to me," he said. "I think it caused me to start out too fast. But this time I was able to focus on the treadmill's time and distance displays and it really helped me keep the pace I wanted."

Sergeant Blair said treadmill running is great in the deployed environment because it allows you to avoid the heat and dust storms common to desert regions, but he definitely plans to hit the trails again when he returns home.

So what's next for the newly minted treadmill-marathoner? Sergeant Blair says he plans to run a 50K, or 31 miles, on the treadmill before he finishes his deployment here in December.