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Air Force Marathon: Master Sergeant makes AETC team

  • Published
  • By Airman Adawn Kelsey
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Master Sgt. Robert L. Anderson, 364th Training Squadron assistant flight chief from Sheppard, will compete with three other Air Education and Training Command team members in the Air Force Marathon Sept. 19 at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
The marathon will have several running races including full and half marathons, 10 and 5k races. Sergeant Anderson plans to compete in the 10k race.

During the qualifying race at Sheppard, Sergeant Anderson ran the 10K in 36:06, submitting that time to the fitness center, which was then submitted to AETC. From there the teams were selected.

"My goal is to run the 10K team competition in under 36 minutes," Sergeant Anderson said.

In the past, he ran in several marathons including previous Air Force marathons.

"I competed in the Air Force Marathon Relay for Sheppard in 2007 and the team won the men's overall division. I ran the 2005 Baltimore Half Marathon and won the armed forces division in 1:18. In the 2008 Oklahoma City Marathon, I finished 13th overall in 2:55 and I ran the 2009 Oklahoma City Half Marathon and finished 12th overall in 1:22,"Sergeant Anderson said.

Throughout high school, Sergeant Anderson said he had been consistently running. That changed when he entered the Air Force.

"When I joined the Air Force, I stopped running all together during the 'bike test era' and gained weight," Sergeant Anderson said. "When the Air Force went back to the 1.5 mile run, I set a goal to score 100 percent on my physical training test."

Sergeant Anderson said he continued running and lost 45 pounds. He said when it comes to running consistency is the key.

Now the sergeant runs about 40 miles during the week with distance training, hill work and faster-paced tempo runs. He also works with the Rider High School Cross Country team over the summer.

During the weekends Sergeant Anderson and Capt. Clifford Scruggs, 373rd Training Squadron operations director, go running at Lucy Park in Wichita Falls.

"I look up to him as a runner," Captain Scruggs said. "One word to describe him is 'intense,' to say the least. He is dedicated. He will literally push for that extra mile."

This year's race will follow a designated track around the base. The last mile of the race will pass the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force's Presidential Hangar. It will finish among several historic aircraft static displays