News>Feature - Airmen warriors conquer 198.5-mile race with teamwork
Story at a Glance
• AFTAC members participated in 199-mile relay race through the Florida Keys.
Photos
Myron Larrick, left, a member of the Air Force Technical Applications Center at Patrick AFB, Fla., passes the baton – or in this case, a slap bracelet – to fellow Ragnar Relay Race teammate Erica Reich at Homestead International Raceway Jan. 7, 2012. Larrick had just completed a 9-mile leg with his final lap around the speedway, while Reich was about to begin her 6-mile leg toward the Florida Everglades. The nationally-acclaimed, 198.5-mile race tests the physical and mental limits of its participants. (Courtesy photo)
Ragnar Relay race participant Nick Howorth, left, transfers his slap bracelet to teammate Troy Main at Leg 31 during the Ragnar Relay Race Jan. 7, 2012. The 12-person team from the Air Force Technical Applications Center at Patrick AFB, Fla., completed the grueling race in 29 hours, 25 minutes and 25 seconds, which ran from Key Biscayne to Key West. (Courtesy photo)
Twelve members from the Air Force Technical Applications Center at Patrick AFB, Fla., participated in the Ragnar Relay Race Jan. 7, 2012, that stretched from Key Biscayne to Key West, Fla. Pictured here are (front row, left to right) Rich Reich, Justin Atkinson, Ellen Vargo, Pat Bertrand, Kim Melton, and (back row, left to right) Erica Reich, Nick Howorth, Myron Larrick, Chris Barbour, Dave Melton, Miguel Castro, Troy Main. (Courtesy photo)
1/23/2012 - PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Hemingway look-alike contests. Humphrey Bogart movies. Seven-mile bridges. The Conch Republic.
These are images one may conjure up when thinking about the picturesque Florida Keys. But recently, a group of 12 from the Air Force Technical Applications Center here turned the archipelago into their own personal battleground for a challenging 198.5-mile relay race.
Participating in the Ragnar Relay Series, the team made the drive just past midnight Jan. 6 from Melbourne, Fla., to Key Biscayne, where the first leg of the race began. Ragnar is a nationally-recognized event that conducts overnight relay races throughout the United States. The races are aimed to test the physical and mental limits of its participants, coupled with a bit of zaniness.
Chief Master Sgt. David Melton, an AFTAC superintendent, was one of the dozen runners from AFTAC who participated in the race. He served as the team's captain and coach, ensuring the members had all the necessary tools to complete the run, as well as the encouragement to reach the finish line.
"Every team member has a critical role to play," said Melton. "We all must rely on teamwork to make the race a success. Since it's a relay race, each person is given a certain distance to run, and that person needs to complete it for the next leg to start. Without us working together as a team, we can't complete the race."
Often called a slumber party without sleep, Ragnar was created in 2004 by two college friends who named the race after a 9th century Norse Viking. According to legend, Ragnar was an adventure-seeking, kingdom-conquering warrior who, to this day, enjoys hero status in his native Scandinavia.
Staff Sgt. Justin Atkinson, an engineering systems technician, was one of the 12 who participated in the run.
"This was my first Ragnar event, and I was really excited to be a part of it," said Atkinson. "It was an opportunity for me to visit a place I'd never been before, plus it was a fun weekend running with co-workers and friends."
Over the past several years, the Air Force has shifted its focus on the overall physical fitness of its Airmen, demanding more stringent standards of all those in uniform. Airman must achieve a minimum composite score of 75 to pass the fitness test, which includes body composition (waist measurement), muscular strength (push-ups and sit ups) and cardiovascular respiratory fitness (1.5-mile run).
Many Airmen have sought ways to keep fit year-round and not just by going to the gym each day.
"I definitely feel that participating in events like Ragnar better prepares me for the Air Force Physical Fitness Test, not because of running it one time, but because of all the training that goes into it," said Atkinson.
Runners on the AFTAC team were Melton, Atkinson, Chris Barbour, Pat Bertrand, Miguel Castro, Nick Howorth, Troy Main, Kim Melton, Erica Reich, Rich Reich, Myron Larrick and Ellen Vargo.
The runners, who invest their own money to participate, began their journey at the starting line in Key Biscayne at 5 a.m. From there, they made their way to Miami, through the Everglades, down to Key Largo, across Islamorada, and plowing through each 36-mile leg of the race until they reached the coveted final destination: Key West.
"The camaraderie and the bonding that draws and retains individuals in the military is alive and well in these relay events," said Melton. "The same feeling of accomplishment you get when you deploy and join a team attempting to achieve a military objective is very similar to what's felt when finishing a day-and-night relay like this one. No member wants to let the rest of the team down, so they push themselves beyond their personal limits, which can be extremely rewarding."
The team completed the grueling race in 29 hours, 25 minutes and 25 seconds, which averaged out to less than 9 minutes per mile per runner -- a feat for a group who came together with one goal in mind: teamwork.
Comments
1/25/2012 10:10:27 AM ET Great effort from all participants. You all came together as an effective team and achieved a monumental goal.
Ed Lindsay, Patrick AFB
1/25/2012 8:43:49 AM ET The Alumni Assn congratulate this group some Assn Members and others 'pre-Sage' in this effort.
