Tinker runners to participate in Boston Marathon Published April 16, 2009 By John E. Banks Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla., -- On Monday, two Tinker runners will run in the 113th Boston Marathon. "This is my first time qualifying for the marathon," said Bruce Layne. "I am really excited." Layne and Danny Ponder are integral members of the Tinker Running Club and have run in events all year to prepare for the grueling 26.2-mile course in Boston. The Boston Marathon, the oldest annual marathon, has distinguished itself by the way the entrants get accepted to participate. Runners must make the qualification mark to get an invitation. The standard for qualifying is 3:20:00. The Tinker duo both hit the mark at the 2008 United States Air Force Marathon. Ponder qualified with a time of 3:05:20 and Layne's qualifying time was 3:18:58. "This is my third time running the event," said Ponder. "I ran it 1993 and 1994 and look forward to enjoying the run and looking at all the fans along the race route." Ponders' best time in the event is 2:47:16. The outlay of the course makes it a very challenging for the runners, but hosts a great crowd along the race route. "I have read up on the event and have been told it is a very difficult course and I should focus on having a good time and enjoy the experience," said Layne. Both Tinker runners have put in a lot of work to get prepared for this event. They have participated in an 18-week training program, which consists of running six days a week. That equals 750 miles during the training cycle. It is a mixture of speed runs, interval training, hill work, long runs, tempo runs and rest in between training days.