Tinker runners finish Air Force Marathon in stride Published Sept. 24, 2010 By John Stuart Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE. Okla. -- The 14th race felt as good as any of the previous 13 for Danny Ponder. As he and fellow Tinker employee Nick Morrison ran alongside more than 10,000 people in the Sept. 18 Air Force Marathon, conditions couldn't have been better, Ponder said. "It was a perfect weather day to run as we didn't have any of the humidity we had in any of the past years," Ponder said, of the race held at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. It was also the first year since establishment that the marathon sold out. Running in the Air Force Marathon since its 1997 inception, Ponder was pleased to make a showing at the 14th annual event, which coincided with the Air Force's 63rd birthday. He is one of the few people remaining who have participated in each Air Force Marathon since it started, he said. Though he reached a personal best time of 2:48 at the marathon in 2000, Ponder, now 50 years old, was pleased with his 3:28:52 run time this year. He's especially content considering he'd competed in the Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon only five days prior. Morrison, running in the 45-49 age bracket, logged a 4:54:49 on Saturday's race. While Ponder has more than 25 marathons and numerous ultra-distance events up to 100 kilometers under his sneakers, he ensures there's still more running to do. "I plan on keeping my string of (Air Force Marathon) finishes up for as long as possible," he said.