Academy graduates train for 2016 Olympics

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Rachel Hammes
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  Every year, thousands of athletes across the world push their physical and emotional limits, nursing themselves through injuries and moments of doubt. The goal? Making it to the Olympics.

Five of those athletes are Academy graduates, living and working here at 7,258 foot elevation through the Air Force World Class Athlete Program, a two-year program that gives active duty, Guard and Reserve Airmen the opportunity to train and compete in the hopes of making the U.S. Olympic team.

The team - made up of Maj. Ben Payne, Capt. Katherine Ward, 1st Lt. Jeremy Drenckhahn, 1st Lt. Morgan Mosby and 2nd Lt. Annette Melcher, all Academy graduates - allows them to focus solely on their running, rather than simply training as time allows between their duties.

The team, coached by Julianne Benson, former head coach of the Academy's cross country team, has named itself the Pikes Peak Elite Track Club. While they live and train at the Academy and in Colorado Springs, they are technically based out of Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, through Air Force Sports and Air Force Services. However, the 7,258 feet elevation the Academy offers is hard to beat.

"This is broadening who I am as a person," said Ward. "I am growing in many other ways - having my body and mind pushed to its limits. Being in the World Class Athlete Program is a 24/7 job, and it's very challenging!"

While each member of the team has their own specific goal, they work together to provide support for each other.

The team trains together on a near-daily basis, keeping focused on the next step in their journey to the 2016 Olympics - the trials. Several members of the team will compete in the U.S. Marathon Olympic Trails in February 2016 in Los Angeles, while the others are preparing for the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials in July 2016 in Eugene, Oregon.

"Each of us has our own distance specialties, ranging from the 800 meter to marathon distances," said Payne. "We all have individual workout schedules and routines, but we are all training with one goal in mind."

Benson said the experience is invaluable for a military officer.

"Athletes in any training group must learn to work together to push boundaries and reach high levels," she said. "I've had numerous Air Force officers express to me how much of what they learned as an athlete on a team carried over to their career field while serving our country. To explore the question of 'How good can I be?' or 'How fast can I run?' requires a tremendous amount of discipline, dedication, physical suffering and mental excellence."