NCO receives invite to Air Force Marathon

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Martha Whipple
  • 301st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  A 44th Fighter Group Reservist will make her marathon debut in September at the 16th Annual Air Force Marathon at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

Senior Master Sgt. Erin Buchanan, 44th Operations Support Squadron Aircrew Flight Equipment superintendent, received an invitation to compete in the 26.2-mile race after finishing with the best military female time at the Holloman Air Force Base St. Patrick's Day half marathon.

Buchanan said she talked herself into the half marathon when four of her friends had committed to the race, one of which was six months pregnant.

"I didn't know if I could even finish a 13.1-mile race," she said, "but, surely I could keep up with a woman who was six months pregnant."

Not only did she finish, but she finished with the fastest military female time - 2:04:51. Buchanan, who loves to run, has now participated in two half marathons and is preparing for the full marathon this fall. She runs every day, anywhere from 2.5 miles to 8 miles, and is eating a clean diet.

Buchanan said running the Air Force marathon is a huge goal for her, but she also appreciates the health benefits of eating right and exercising. The 5-foot-3-inch ball of energy hasn't always loved running, though.

Ten years ago, she hated to run. When the Air Force implemented the new physical fitness test, she began running in preparation for the new standards. She is a person who leads by example and has an all-in attitude in everything she does. The new fitness standard motivated her to start running; it was then, she developed a love for it.

"Running is a stress reliever," she said. "It is probably the only time of the day I don't think about anything. When I miss a day of running, I miss out on that 'me' time."

Buchanan enjoys her "me" time, but is one of the most selfless people in the unit, according to Staff Sgt. Andrew Stewart, who has worked with her for two years.

"She is all about her people and will stop at nothing to motivate her Airmen," he said. "She is dedicated to her unit and her work ethic proves it. She is often the first one here and the last to leave."

Stewart said she never runs out of energy ... ever.

"There are people who are born to be leaders," he said, "and she is one of them. She pushes her Airmen to get healthy, stay active, and leads them by example. She truly cares about her Air Force family."

She scored a 98.5 on her recent fitness test and hopes this example motivates her Airmen to do their best. She claims if her 42-year-old body can achieve an "excellent" PT score, then the 20-somethings and 30-somthings can too. Her unit maintains the highest percentage of "excellent" scores in the 44th FG and she is proud of their commitment.

"She doesn't meet the standard, she IS the standard," said Staff Sgt. Irvin Williams who joined Buchanan's unit last year. Williams scored a 95 on his fitness test and vows to beat Buchanan's score next round.

Buchanan has a "bring it on" attitude and when the going gets tough, she gets tougher. The mother of two, married to Lt. Col. Robert Buchanan 301st Fighter Squadron commander, will join about 15,000 other runners in September for the marathon. In the meantime, she plans to train daily to build endurance to meet her personal goal of running the marathon in under four hours.