Airman prepares for mountain marathon in dusty desert

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. R. Michael Longoria
  • 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force - Iraq Public Affairs
MOSUL, IRAQ --  From the extremely hot and dusty climate of Northern Iraq, a Plattsburg, Mo., native prepares himself to participate in a 13.1 mile race in Missoula, Mont.

Staff Sgt. Joseph Ritter, 22nd Expeditionary Weather Squadron Detachment 3, uses any spare time he has during his deployment at Forward Operating Base Diamondback to train for the Missoula Half-Marathon on July 10.

"Without training I would be putting myself at risk for injury and would not do well," said Sergeant Ritter, who is deployed from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. " I follow the same training plan as my wife which she got from the Missoula Marathon running class she signed up for."

The training plan is geared toward beginners running in their first half-marathon.

"I don't think I have ever run more than five miles at once," he said. "I might have started training a little late so it will be close. My goal is not time based but just finishing will be fantastic."

For this first-timer, the training has come with its fair share of difficulties.

"I usually run on a treadmill and do sprints in the gym because the weather is either dusty or just plain hot," Sergeant Ritter said. "Training for this long run does take lots of time, so time management between my duties, school work and anything else I want to do is a challenge."

Sergeant Ritter added that his workout routine has had only minor setbacks.

"Injuries occur from time to time, but nothing serious yet," he said. "I think I'm getting sympathy pains as my wife's hip has been hurting and then mine started to hurt a little."

After a long and lonely six months, Sergeant Ritter is running the marathon to spend time with his wife.

"I just want to be there and support my wife's goal of running this half marathon" he said. "I know it will mean a lot to her for me to run by her side. With me running next to her, nothing should stop both of us from finishing."