B-52 pilot completes Boston Marathon Published June 15, 2006 By By: 1st Lt Torri White 917th Wing Public Affairs Barksdale AFB, La -- Chase- a fun game for kids. Not something the average adult would want to play for 2 hours and 58 minutes or for 26.2 miles, unless of course you are Capt. Heath White, 93rd Bomb Squadron B-52 aircraft commander. Heath competed in the Boston Marathon Monday, April 17, and placed 942 out of 22, 373 runners. “I treat races like a big game of chase,” he said. “If there’s someone in front of me, I try to catch them. If I see someone coming up behind me, I try not to let them catch me.” Before the Race Heath’s game of chase started long before he arrived in Boston. At first he said he questioned why anyone would ever want to run a marathon. Then, while stationed in Diego Garcia in 2001, he began running because “there was nothing else to do.” “Before that, I thought you had to be crazy to run that far,” he said. “After a while, it became fun,” he laughed. “But that was after a long while!” The five-time marathon runner prepared much like he had before. He ran every day, cross trained, dieted and lifted weights. Four days before the event he rested and loaded up on carbohydrates like pizza and pasta. Race Day Heath boarded a bus at 8:45 a.m., which took the runners 45 minutes away to Hopkinton, Mass. Along the way, he consumed “his” breakfast of champions. “People all around me on the bus were eating protein bars and drinking energy shakes,” he said. “I had left over pizza from the night before, a Dr. Pepper and a king-sized Snickers.” He was in starting position 2,790, which was determined by his qualifying time. With a few thousand people at his heels, the race began. He had some energy gel and water around mile eight and then a restroom break around mile 13. Two hours later, around mile 18, he downed some shot blocks (energy food) and grabbed some popsicle sticks coated with Vaseline (to prevent rubbing under the arms). Mile 21 started his downhill stretch, and that’s when he picked up speed to finish with an impressive 6 minute 49 second per mile pace. When asked what he was thinking when he crossed the finish line, he said, “All I was thinking was I had to hurry up and make it to my flight so I could be back in training (upgrade training at the 11th Bomb Squadron) on Tuesday.” After the Race Heath said his body seemed fine the first couple of days after the race. Then on day three, he could hardly walk. “My quadriceps were extremely sore, because I was not use to running downhill so much.” The married, father of one said he may run in the Boston Marathon next year if his sister qualifies, but now, he said, it’s lake weather. “Forget running,” he said, “I’m going wake boarding.” For Heath the game of chase continues, only hopefully this summer his wake board never catches the boat.