Team Edwards opens registration for inaugural 'Run with History' marathon

  • Published
  • By Jet Fabara
  • 412th Test Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Approximately 900 runners will have the opportunity to come out and run where history is made every day in the upcoming 2014 Edwards Inaugural "Run with History" Half Marathon, 10K and 5K run May 17.

With open registration already underway, Team Edwards is getting the word out to runners of all ages about the historic run that will take place on the Edwards flightline, the Rogers Dry Lakebed and on the Edwards runway.

"We wanted to create a signature event for Edwards. Originally, it started out as a base-wide only event, but senior leaders wanted to open it up and invite the entire running community so they could get an opportunity to see the history of Edwards then and now," said Pete Smith, 412th Force Support Squadron Edwards Fitness and Sports Center director and race director for the half marathon.

With the 412th FSS and 412th Test Wing sponsoring the event, access to the registration link has been placed on the 412th FSS website, www.edwardsfss.com/wordpress/.

"We've hired a company to oversee the registration process. The one thing I can definitely recommend is that runners register early. The longer they wait, the further the price goes up," Smith said.

As for the route, Smith mentioned that they are having the course certified so it becomes a nationally-recognized race.

"Having the course certified is a big draw to serious runners, but the interesting feature to this race will be the layout of each route. The 5K route will take runners along the Edwards flightline to the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center and back. The 10K route will take runners through the Edwards flightline, around the historic Edwards compass rose and the half marathon will take runners through the flightline, around the Edwards compass rose and down the Edwards runway," said Smith. "Runners will be able to experience and see where the space shuttle landed, run around the world's largest compass rose, run on the Rogers Dry Lakebed and on the Edwards runway where the future of aviation technology is tested today."

In addition to the landscape, Smith added that event coordinators will also be placing Edwards aircraft from the past, present and future on display within walking distance.
"We'll also have water and lavatory stations at the beginning, end, 3-mile, 5-mile, 7-mile and 10-mile mark. We're going to try to accommodate our runners the best we can," Smith said. "There is no age limit but there is however a four-hour time limit, which means if runners do not finish within the scheduled time they won't be allowed to finish the race."

According to Smith, each person who registers will receive a souvenir collector's item t-shirt and a participation medal. Smith emphasized that runners should register early so they can receive their appropriate-sized shirt on time.

"We've included a lot of historical content to the shirt that pertains to testing at Edwards and celebrates the proud heritage of Edwards. Each t-shirt will have a white and Edwards-orange color, which is a color that is associated with testing here and Edwards instrumentation," added Smith. "We also have our base's aircraft letter designator, ED, on one side of the shirt which ties in the aviation features our aircraft have here, to include a tail number which is listed as 4214 below the letter designator, ED. The number 42 represents the year the base was established and the number 14 represents the year the first marathon here was held. We will also be giving medals for the quickest times in each of the age groups."

For those not interested in running, Smith mentioned that they are accepting volunteers who would like to help out with the event.

"As we start putting this event together, we're finding that we need more volunteers who currently have an active duty, Reserve, retired, dependent military or DOD-approved ID and if they have flightline access, that's even better," said Smith. "Depending on the success of this inaugural run, which we're hoping it will be a phenomenal success, we hope we can make this an annual event runners can mark in their calendar."

Races will begin at 8 a.m. and the base gate will open for participants at 4 a.m. Half Marathon, 10K and 5K run routes will be published as soon as course is certified and approved. 

For more information about registration pricing, look to the "Run with History" ad.

For more information about the event or to volunteer, contact the Base Fitness Center at (661) 275-GYM1 (4961).