Incirlik runners go the distance in Istanbul

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Benjamin Wilson
  • 39th Air Base Wing, Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  Legend has it the messenger Pheidippides ran the first marathon in 490 B.C. from Marathon to Athens, Greece, to proclaim the Greek victory over the Persians before collapsing and dying.

The spirit of Pheidippides' run lives on today in the marathon races held around the world every year.

Several members from Incirlik Air Base recently attended the 30th Intercontinental Istanbul Eurasia Marathon, the only intercontinental marathon in the world.

The 26.2 mile race was completed by Lt. Col. Pete York, 39th Air Base Wing inspector general, Lt. Col. Stephen Platt, 39th Operations Squadron commander, Catherine Platt, wife of Colonel Platt, Senior Master Sgt. Carl Thompson, 39th Communications Squadron, Master Sgt. Jennifer Allphin, 39 CS, Master Sgt. Terry Allphin, Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency and Tech. Sgt. Kenneth Paul, 39th Logistics Readiness Squadron along with more than 600 other participants.

Eloise McDaniel, wife of Colonel Phil McDaniel, 39 ABW commander, ran the nine-mile race.

Sergeant Jennifer Allphin trained to run this marathon with her husband, who took leave from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio to meet her in Istanbul.

"I've never even thought of running a marathon before," she said. "Prior to being stationed at Incirlik, the farthest I've ever run was two miles. Anybody can get out there and do this if they set their mind to it."

Other participants have been distance running for a long time and have completed previous marathons.

For example, Sergeant Paul ran the Detroit Marathon in 2006, which treks into Canada and back.

There are always challenges to face when you run such extreme distances.

"The weather in Istanbul was terrible," said Sergeant Paul. "It rained 25 of the 26.2 miles. There were also two significant hills and I didn't have a whole lot of hill training."

Even without the hills and obstacles presented by the weather, preparing to run a marathon can be difficult.

"Getting up in the morning and training was the hardest part," said Sergeant Jennifer Allphin. "However, knowing I spent all those mornings getting out of bed is what kept me going the day of the race."

Even when an individual is done training, the race itself offers certain challenges.

"The biggest hurtle was when I reached 21 miles," said Sergeant Paul. "I had a good consistent pace until I arrived at the 21-mile mark but then I slowed down. I didn't have enough 21-mile runs in and I think it hindered my performance once I reached that distance."

The camaraderie between runners and the overall achievement felt after finishing the race through two continents was the most gratifying part, said Sergeant Paul.

The feeling these participants have after finishing a marathon must outweigh the hardships of training because they both have already decided to run another full marathon.

"We actually already picked out the next one we're going to run," said Sergeant Jennifer Allphin. "It is the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati."

Sergeant Paul said he would definitely run a marathon again, though he wants to wait until he is in the United States.

The most rewarding part is knowing I can do anything I put my mind to, said Sergeant Jennifer Allphin.