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More than 9,000 runners from all 50 states registered for the 2026 Air Force Marathon, which unfolded Sept. 18–19 across Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the grounds of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force and Wright State University in Ohio.
U.S. Space Force 1st Lt. Nicholas McKenzie, of Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., won the men’s marathon in 2:34:31. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base employee Kayla Rice took the women’s title in 2:56:39.
“I’m ecstatic – it’s a great day with super energy out on the course and beautiful weather. This is my second time running the Air Force Marathon, and I’m super grateful for all the volunteers, the support, and all the other runners out here getting it done today,” McKenzie said.
“Around mile 21, it definitely starts to get hard. 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.”
Rice, who trains on base, said the win capped years of steady progress. “I feel incredible. This has been a goal I’ve been working toward for the past few years, and it’s great to finally achieve it,” Rice said. “This is my fourth time running it, so every year it’s been my goal to just get a little bit faster and eventually get where I am today. 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.”
In the half marathon, civilian runner Simon Heys won in 1:05:45, and 2nd Lt. Allyson Peterson of Ramstein Air Base took the women’s race in 1:19:10.
“It was special,” Heys said. “I really wanted to come here and just run as hard as I could. I wanted to put the grind out there, like the men and women who fight for this country do every day.”
“I’ve been looking forward to this race,” Peterson said. “I had a great group of guys to chase coming down for the last like six miles. So, I was just focusing on closing that gap.”
Department of the Air Force leadership linked the event’s spirit of discipline and community to force readiness. “If I have one message for you today, thank you for showing up to do hard things,” said Matthew L. Lohmeier, 29th Under Secretary of the Air Force. “Thank you for working together as a community, both to support the 30th Air Force Marathon and to make the Department of the Air Force and the entire joint force a better place to work, a more lethal, ready force. And thank you for taking care of yourselves to be a part of our ready force.”
Top finishers (unofficial times via RacePenguin):
– Men’s marathon: 1) Nicholas McKenzie — 2:34:31; 2) Hunter Boyer — 2:40:01; 3) Jack Walker — 2:41:24
– Women’s marathon: 1) Kayla Rice — 2:56:39; 2) Lindsay Babish — 3:09:12; 3) Kristen Petrosky — 3:14:06
– Men’s half marathon: 1) Simon Heys — 1:05:45; 2) Peter Allegre — 1:11:01; 3) Patrick Konecny — 1:11:13
– Women’s half marathon: 1) Allyson Peterson — 1:19:10; 2) Kelsi Harris — 1:24:52; 3) Corinne Yorkman — 1:26:26
Full results, including 10K, 5K and wheelchair divisions, are available at www.usafmarathon.com. Event imagery will be posted at https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/88ABW.
