A Wright-Patterson Air Force Base employee won the Air Force women’s marathon held there this weekend.
Kayla Rice, a Wright-Patt worker, won the women’s competition with a time of 2:56:39. It’s her fourth time running the marathon. She said in a statement that it’s been a goal of hers to win it for a few years.
"I feel incredible," she said in a news release. "This has been a goal I’ve been working toward for the past few years, and it’s great to finally achieve it ... It was a big personal record for me, and getting to see all my friends, family, coworkers and teammates out on the course was amazing.”
U.S. Space Force 1st Lt. Nicholas McKenzie won the men’s race with a time of 2:34:31. He’s stationed at Vandenburg Space Force Base in California.
"Around mile 21, it definitely starts to get hard," he said. "But running and seeing the tributes to our fallen service members was emotional and heartwarming. It really helped me stay motivated to get to the end. Seeing that helps you realize the ultimate sacrifice they gave, and it motivated me to dig a little deeper.”
The half-marathon champions were Simon Heys, a civilian runner, with a time of 1:05:45 and 2nd Lt. Allyson Peterson of Ramstein Air Base in Germany with a time of 1:19:10.
More than 9,000 people from all 50 states registered for the 2026 Air Force Marathon, the race's 30th anniversary.
The course winds through the base, the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force and Wright State’s campus.