Lt. Col. Mark Cucuzzella, an Air Force Reserve medical officer in Shepherdstown, W.V., won the 2011 Air Force marathon, held Saturday in Dayton, Ohio, with a time of two hours, 38 minutes, and 48 seconds. Capt. Sarah Thomas of Fairview Heights, Ill., was the top female finisher, clocking in at 2:58:51. Overall, more than 13,000 athletes participated in the full marathon, half marathon, 10K race, and 5K run. That number eclipsed last year’s record of 12,000, according to marathon officials. Another 3,100 athletes participated at eight deployed locations. The 5K run took place on Sept. 16; the three other races occurred on the following day. Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz finished the 10K race in 1:03:59. (Wright-Patterson report by Capt. Lauren Wright) (For complete race results, visit the Air Force marathon website.)
Raytheon, a division of defense giant RTX, recently announced a multiyear deal with the Pentagon to increase annual production of the Air Force’s primary dogfighting missile by more than 50 percent from two years ago.
