Army member overcomes pain for victory
By Brett Turner
Skywrighter Staff, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
September 24, 2004
It had all the hallmarks of an athlete's dream finish - overcoming a painful feeling coming down the home stretch to beat the defending champion by seconds and win the race.
It became real for James Bresette at Saturday's Air Force Marathon. Bresette, an Army National Guard member from Clinton , Ark . ., outsprinted 2003 overall champion Hendrik Van Loon of Belgium to take the 26.2-mile race in two hours, 40 minutes, 55 seconds - four seconds ahead of Van Loon.
"It was kind of strange when I came across the finish line and that banner was up there and I thought 'Holy smoke, I'm fixing to come across that,'" said Bresette.
Bresette said he went out a little too fast. But it got him far enough in front that he had a comfortable lead - at least until mile 22.
At that point, his hamstrings made his legs cramp and he lost some time, resulting in a few minutes lost. Van Loon and eventual third-place finisher Chuck Engle passed him going downhill.
"I thought my legs were shot, but coming down that hill gave me new energy and I started to pick up the pace again," said Bresette. "I keyed off (Van Loon) at that point.
In the back of his mind, Bresette said he suspected Van Loon was plotting to outsprint him at the end. To compensate, he went with him and held on to win.
"I thought, 'I led this far this long, I can't let it end here,'" said Bresette. "I always try to finish strong, but he made me finish strong. He pushed me."
Bresette, who is a mechanic with the 224 th Maintenance Company at Camp Robinson , Ark. , began running while serving in Operation Desert Storm. It became a habit and he ran his first marathon in 1993.
He's run in several since then, finishing in the top seven, but nowhere as well as he did there. Being part of an Army National Guard team, he had a choice of which race he wanted to compete in and he chose the Air Force Marathon.
Bresette said ht thought he may have a chance at winning, but didn't think about it really seriously. He thought he may be able to finish in 2:30
He said the hills didn't deter him. Bresette said he even enjoyed going up the hill as he can gain time on the hill when he is in good shape.
"A lot can happen in 26.2 miles," he said. "I love to run, it's a great experience and helps in all aspects of life and that's what I like about it."
He also credited his faith in getting him through. Bresette said there were a lot of prayers on the course.
Van Loon said he was disappointed in not being able to win two overall 26.2-mile races. But he gave credit to Bresette.
"I let you go and there goes my victory," said Van Loon. "I gave everything to catch him the last four miles and I think I was too fast in the beginning. At that pace you lose time."
Bresette said the magnitude of winning the Air Force Marathon hadn't sunk in. But he already considered defending his title, something that hasn't been done since Andy Herr won the first two marathons in 1997 and 1998.
"I liked it," he said. "(Winning) was a new experience for me. There was a patriotic feeling here and I appreciate it when I see it. We live in a great country to start with, and to represent it is really amazing."