Capt. Caitlin Oviatt, a master's student at AFIT, and first American female to finish the full marathon at the 2016 Cleveland Marathon, will compete in the U.S. Air Force Marathon Sept. 17.
Some of her accomplishments include placing second in her gender/age group and third overall among women at the Cleveland event, in less than ideal weather which included rain, hail and 40 mph winds. The top two female runners in the race were professionals from Kenya and Ethiopia.
With a huge smile on her face, Oviatt described the race as absolutely brutal.
"These were probably the most brutal conditions I have ever been in, let alone run in. It was a battle, fighting through that weather from the very first mile," Oviatt said. "My body was wet, cold and shaking. It felt like it was shutting down. At that point, it was less about meeting my time goal and all about getting to the finish line. When I finished the race, my husband, Will, jumped the fence and grabbed me and carried me into the medical tent. It was as heroic and romantic as it gets with snot streaming down my face!" She continued, saying "Will, a civilian structural engineer and a tri-athlete, is that voice for me that says, 'yes, you can! If you believe in yourself, you can make it happen.'"
This was Oviatt's third road marathon. She hadn't raced in three years. Last year she decided to take her running more seriously and while stationed in Alaska, did mountain runs and shifted her focus to increasing her speed.
"It was a very tough training cycle, but it showed me a lot about myself and how tough I can be," said Oviatt.
Her training included detailed schedules for track workouts, tempo and long runs, weight training, nutrition and sleep.
Oviatt is a student in the Operational Sciences department at AFIT. Originally from Colorado, she comes from a military background and played soccer at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
"The military is like a big family with a powerful purpose - to be a part of it is phenomenal. AFIT is tough, but I have the most amazing classmates. They are my number one supporters. I have worked with my classmates to develop individualized training programs. That is the stuff that I love. What really makes me happy is being able to help others achieve their dreams and goals," said Oviatt.
In the 2016 Air Force Marathon, Oviatt will compete on the Air Education and Training Command half marathon team as part of the major command challenge.
"You set a goal, prove to yourself that you can do it, and then keep going. That's the only way you grow as a human being," she said. "It's all about the attitude. You have to enjoy what you are doing because the amount of work and discipline that goes into accomplishing a huge goal like this can be overwhelming."
Captain Caitlin Oviatt, a current AFIT master's student, came in first among the American females who ran the full marathon during the 2016 Cleveland Marathon held on 14 May.
