Hill AFB, Utah -- A Hill Air Force Base officer has been running about 80 miles a week in preparation for the upcoming Air Force Marathon.
1st Lt. Brendan Jones, a mechanical engineer at the base, is a member of the Air Force Materiel Command marathon team. He said he wants to represent the command well and hopes all his hard work pays off Sept. 16 in Dayton, Ohio, when he will compete in the half marathon event.
“I have been training very hard this year with some really big workouts,” Jones said. “My goal is to run the half marathon in 1:12:00, which would be my all-time best for the half.”
Jones said he is stepping back to run a shorter distance this year, as he has ran three marathons in the last year. He is coming off his best time of 2:42:00 at his most recent marathon in Philadelphia last fall.
His love for running began about 10 years ago when he was in high school. He competed in cross country and track and field, and would go on and compete at the college level for the University of Delaware. He now has about 10 marathons under his belt.
“I’ve gotten pretty decent at it, and it’s been very rewarding,” he said. “I’m an engineer and the numbers and data with the training aspect of running is right up my alley.”
Jones said he always looks forward to the Air Force Marathon and is excited to compete again this year.
“I think it’s awesome that the Air Force has these events and they encourage people to apply,” he said. “It’s a really cool way to stay fit while doing something cool and meeting others in the Air Force community with similar interests.”
For more information about the marathon, visit https://www.usafmarathon.com/air-force-marathon/.