SFS spouse runs original marathon

  • Published
  • 423rd Security Forces Squadron
RAF ALCONBURY, United Kingdom --  If you've been around the RAF Alconbury area early in the morning you've probably seen her out on the roads putting in her daily run of six to ten miles.

All her training paid off on Oct. 31, when Rachelle, wife of Lt. Col. Lenny Rose, 423rd Security Forces Squadron commander, completed the grueling Athens Classic Marathon. Mrs. Rose finished with a time of 4 hours 20 minutes.

This was Mrs. Rose's third marathon in addition to numerous half marathons. She had previously completed the San Diego Marathon in 2007 and took a third place in category at the Las Cruces, New Mexico Marathon in 2008. For Athens her time was a bit slower than usual as her goal is to break the 4 hour mark, however, the Athens Classic in not your traditional race and is why the marathon is called the marathon.

The course starts in Marathon, Greece and travels 26 miles to Athens and finishes in the original Modern Olympic Stadium built in 1896. While most modern marathon courses are designed for speed, the Marathon to Athens course was originally set out 2,500 years ago by a lone soldier. The Greek soldier, Philippides, was sent to Athens to inform the city of the Greek victory over the Persians at the Battle of Marathon and to warn Athens of another possible attack on the city of Athens itself. Philippides ran the 26 miles, passed on the message, and is fabled to then have died on the spot.

The current Athens Classic Marathon course follows the same route taken by Philippides with approximately half of the 26 miles being uphill. To put it in perspective, Mrs. Rose described the stretch of the course from approximately mile 10 to mile 20 as being equivalent to the "Ermine Street Hill outside the RAF Alconbury Gate". Mrs. Rose enjoyed the run and recovered quickly enough to walk around the city and tour the Athens museums that same evening and the next day. She was also intrigued by the international flavor of the participants. Being the 2,500th anniversary of the original marathon run drew a large and diverse group of participants from the entire planet.
 
"I had only run marathons in the states previous to this and it was great to meet and run with people from all over the world," she said.

Following a few days of rest Rachelle plans to resume her daily training in preparation for her next marathon Cork, Ireland or Paris, France next spring.