Air Force marathon draws record opening-day registration

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WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFNS) --  The Air Force Marathon filled a third of its 15,000 runner slots on the first day of registration, breaking last year's registration opening record.

More than 5,100 runners registered for the 2013 event on Jan. 1, taking advantage of special New Year's resolution discounts that were available only on that day. Last year, only 4,178 runners registered on Jan. 1.

"It's phenomenal," said race director Rob Aguiar. "It's great to see that our event is so popular with runners."

The next schedule price hike is April 2, but Aguiar warns that the race could sell out before that date.

"We're not increasing the number of runners this year and expect to sell out even faster than 2012," Aguiar said. The 2012 Air Force Marathon sold out in May -- two months earlier than expected.

The featured aircraft for 2013 is the C-130J Super Hercules, a military transport plane used in military, civilian and humanitarian aid operations. The Hercules family is the longest continuous production run of any military aircraft in history.

Capt. Brian Dumm, an English instructor at the Air Force Academy, won the 2012 Air Force marathon with a time of 2:28:58. He also won the 2010 Air Force Marathon, finishing in 2:27:49.

Registration prices through April 1 are $90 for the full marathon, $75 for the half-marathon, $40 for the 10k race and $30 for the 5k. Look for more information about the prices and registration at www.usafmarathon.com.