WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Two of the 445th Airlift Wing’s own Airmen completed the full Air Force Marathon on Sep. 17. Master Sgt. Terry Reisinger and Senior Airman Corey Mowen are both traditional reservists in the 445th Airlift Wing Chaplain Corps.
“It didn’t even feel like I ran the first half. Those 13 miles just went by in the blink of an eye,” said Reisinger, a 22 year veteran.
Prior to the race, Reisinger said he was most looking forward to socializing with the small groups of competitors that naturally form along the course.
“It's the camaraderie of runners,” he said. “It's one thing to train by yourself, but when you're on that track with all those runners around you and someone is passing you, or you're passing someone, there's that adrenaline, there's that high you get that you can't find anywhere else.
When you get that rush, it really taps into your emotions and brings up your morale to keep going, push harder, and not get distracted or slow down. I think people underestimate that.”
Reisinger encouraged Mowen to run the race.
“Master Sgt. Reisinger and I were talking one morning and he told me he was running the full marathon. I told him I would love to but I couldn’t see myself at that time paying that much to sign up to run it. So he volunteered to pay the fee and signed me up.”
In July, Resienger began training for the marathon. Aiming to run 7-10 miles three times per week, Reisinger averaged 25-30 miles each week for nearly three months, and also incorporated strength training into his routine.
Mowen did not train for the run as much as he would have liked due to a hip strain. His running was limited to 8 miles each time, but he biked and swam laps.
Mowen became interested in participating when he arrived at the base in 2007.
“Since I was stationed at Wright-Patt in 2007 I have always been interested in running the AF marathon. Everyone always talked about how great it was and how much fun they had running it. I just never had the chance to run because of me coaching. I have run half marathons but never a full. This is my first full marathon. I hope to complete it in 4 hours, said Airman Mowen.
"For some people, they are surprised what happens to their body when they 'hit the wall,' as it's called,” he said. “I've already been there, and I've met that feeling again in training, so I'm prepared for that."
This was not Reisinger’s first marathon. He ran in the Cincinnati Flying Pig in 2008 and finished in 4:58. This time, he finished the 26.2 miles in 5:24.
“As you get older, things change,” the 39-year-old said. “It's still fun, though. I enjoy the runner's high.”
After finishing the race, Reisinger shared that his favorite part of the experience was meeting new people on the course.
“I met a lot of different people and had a lot of different conversations. I ran into a 61-year-old guy who was running/walking his first marathon, and his son and teenaged granddaughter were with him. We talked for quite a while,” Reisinger said. “There was a woman from Japan who is active duty, and a young guy who was battling cramps like I was.”
During the 18th mile, the sergeant said, he began experiencing severe cramps, despite eating three bananas and drinking water and Gatorade before the race.
“I looked around and there were 200 of us, all doing the same thing. We were all shouting out, ‘Come on, keep going! Don’t walk more than you need to. You can do it!,’” he said. “We were all just egging each other on.”
Next time, he plans to put more time into experimenting with hydration, and won’t stop at every hydration station on the course again.
“You really do have to practice all the hydration stuff,” he explained. “There’s truly an art to knowing when to drink more and when to stop. You have to learn and discipline yourself to do that.”
Reisinger is already planning his next run: a half marathon before the end of the year.
“I want to round off the year before the winter hits,” he said, mentioning he is considering registering for the Columbus Half Marathon because the terrain is much flatter than that of the Air Force Marathon.
Reisinger initially hoped to finish the run in a much faster time than he achieved, but said that he thinks he did well for the amount of training he put in.
“It takes a lot of time to go out and just run 10 miles, and that’s a lot of hours out of my life. I’ve got two jobs; I own a house; there’s family, friends, and a girlfriend to spend time with. Life happens.”
Mowen, a first-time full marathon runner, finished the race in 4:39, and the average time for males was 4:20.
“I knew I wanted to run the last mile,” Reisinger said. “I didn’t care if I cramped. I was going to push through it, and I did. Then I saw Colonel Willis and Chief Felton waiting to meet me at the finish line and I thought that was really nice of them to stay out there all day. You always want to finish strong.”