AF marathon runs past milestone Published July 5, 2006 By James Baker 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Officials at the U.S. Air Force Marathon office just celebrated a milestone as they passed 1,000 runners who have signed up to participate in the 2006 U.S. Air Force Marathon. The official count of the Sept. 16 race, as of June 28, is 1,011 and rises daily. By comparison, only 444 had registered by the end of June last year. Molly Louden, U.S. Air Force Marathon director, said she attributes the spike in registration to the tremendous word of mouth of past runners and the respect the marathon receives around the region. She also said they’ve stepped up their advertising campaign and have great partnerships with their sponsors. “Many runners are thrilled to see an Air Force base for the first time and experience the hospitality Dayton and Wright-Patterson has to offer,” said Ms. Louden. To date, 515 individuals have signed up for the full/individual 26.2 mile race, 301 for the half marathon, 49 for the 5k, 132 have registered for the relay and four have signed up for the wheelchair race. Anyone interested in registering for the 2006 U.S. Air Force Marathon can sign up at http://www.usafmarathon.com.