The annual Air Force Marathon held four races, with thousands of participants.
The marathon was founded in 1997 as an event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Air Force. It has always involved the Air Force Museum, and the race occurs between Wright Patterson Air Force Base and the surrounding Fairborn area.
The first race was the 5k on Friday, Sept. 15, held between the Nutter Center and Wright state’s main campus.
Runners started out at the Nutter Center and traveled around it to University Blvd. From there, runners made their way onto WSU’s main campus. They then passed by numerous buildings and ran back onto Colonel Glenn Highway, finishing back at the Nutter Center where they started.
The 5k is always held the night before the other three events of the marathon, and it is the only event to have the starting line away from the Air Force Museum.
The marathon, half marathon and 10k all started at the Air Force Museum, with over 13,000 people participated from all over the country.
The winner of the marathon was Bryan Kelly from California, who finished in two hours and 40 minutes. The first woman to finish was local Bellbrook native, Ann Alyanak, who finished with a time of two hours and 56 minutes.
The Air Force Marathon is a qualifying race for other marathons, such as the Boston Marathon.
The race always has a substantial economic impact on the Dayton area. Back in 2014, over 15 million dollars was brought to the Dayton area as a result of this race.
