The USAFA Marathon Club Falcon Funder project has a goal of raising up to $5,000 to help cover travel costs for the next inter-service academy competition at the 2023 Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C. The club will race to defend its title against Army and Navy while attempting to qualify more cadets for the 2024 Boston Marathon.
Impact
The USAFA Marathon Club is one of the Air Force Academy’s fastest growing and most successful clubs, but it needs help raising money to represent USAFA nationally. The club budget only covers the expenses for a small portion of the team to compete at a single travel race per year. Primarily, cadets pay for all their own race registrations, equipment, and incidentals at an estimated individual cost of $500 per year.
Background
The USAFA Marathon Club is a cadet-led and cadet-coached team of dedicated long-distance runners training to qualify and compete in national competitions and to maintain USAFA's status as the fastest service academy. The club welcomes runners of all paces and distances and trains together six days a week. Above all, they cultivate a truly unique family environment on campus, supportive of any cadet who shares a love for the sport and wants to push their limits competitively.
The USAFA Marathon Club races several local and national events each year from the Colorado Marathon, the Air Force Marathon, and the Marine Corps Marathon. Wherever the club goes, they bring the lightning… Last year, one team member finished first at the Colorado Marathon. Each year several members compete at the famed and qualification-only Boston Marathon. Most recently, the USAFA Marathon Club won the inaugural Interservice Academy Half Marathon in King George, VA, beating out the respective marathon clubs of West Point and Annapolis.