Thousand-mile club: Members support personal fitness

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Natasha Eickhoff
  • 919th Special Operations Wing
Feet hit the pavement, hearts pound in rhythm, and sweat pours as the finish line is in view. What look like images from athletic footwear commercials are actually wing members running for their 1,000-mile goal. They are part of the Duke Field thousand-mile club.

The thousand-mile club is a program that encourages its members to walk or run 1,000 miles, giving recognition for the 250, 500, 750, and 1,000-mile markers, said Chief Master Sgt. Rocky Hart, 919th Special Operations Wing command chief.

Civilians, Air Force Reservists - anyone can participate, he said. It differs from most physical fitness programs, because it is 100 percent volunteer.

Completing the 1,000-mile challenge improves not only good health and physical fitness, but Air Force Reserve physical fitness scores also.

"Some people start out walking, and within a few weeks time, they have gone from a walk to a jog and from a jog to a run," said Chief Hart. "I've seen this transition take minutes off of a person's timed run."

The miles can be intimidating, but once you get started it is hard not to finish, he said. Some people start out thinking, "this is going to be hard," but once they finish they're always glad they did it.

Club members can run or walk the miles on their time, but use the honor system to track them, said Major Beena Maharaj, mission support flight commander and club member.

"We're hitting the trails as a group this month," she said. "We hope to start a morale run at 7:15 every Friday morning at the pine tree lounge area."

The thousand-mile club also caters to those who dread treadmills and long dirt roads.

"We've incorporated weight training and cardio to the program to build stamina, as well as, endurance for the miles ahead," said Maj. Maharaj. "All you have to do is show up and be willing to push yourself. We'll be there to support you."

In the end, the effort put into the program pays off.

"It's a great feeling to accomplish the thousand miles," said Chief Hart. "It gets more addictive with every mile you complete."

"Just get your foot out of the door," he said. "Taking time to get out and exercise is good for you mentally, physically, and emotionally."

Members interested in joining may contact Chief Hart by e-mail at rocky.hart@eglin.af.mil.