Vermont National Guard Soldier Realizes Dream to Run the Boston Marathon

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Jason Alvarez | U.S. Army Maj. Dan Davis, Counterdrug Coordinator for the Vermont National Guard, and a UH-72 Lakota helicopter pilot, competed in the Boston Marathon on April 17th. Davis can count himself among the runners who have completed the Boston Marathon and he did so with a time of 3 hours, 24 minutes, and 27 seconds while maintaining a pace of 7:48 per mile. (Courtesy photo)  

COLCHESTER, VERMONT, UNITED STATES

04.17.2023

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Jason Alvarez 

Joint Force Headquarters - Vermont National Guard Public Affairs

Completing a marathon is a significant accomplishment for any runner and completing the Boston Marathon, which is one of the U.S.'s oldest annual marathons, can be a top highlight of a runner’s career.
U.S. Army Maj. Dan Davis, counterdrug coordinator for the Vermont Army National Guard and a UH-72 Lakota helicopter pilot, ran the Boston Marathon on April 17th.
“I ran a marathon once to say that I did,” said Davis. “Fifteen years later, I ran another, and one of my buddies got this idea of trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Once that idea was in my head I hunted that for a while.”
“My plan was to use the Wilmington Marathon in North Carolina as training after my last deployment to get myself back into running shape,” said Davis. “I went out in Wilmington and the day was perfect. I started out slow, and progressively sped up until about half-a-mile from the finish when one of the race volunteers said, ‘You see those guys up there ahead of you? Those are the 3 hour and 15 minute pacers.’ I thought holy cow! My Boston qualifying cutoff was 3 hours and 20 minutes, if I beat my cutoff time by five minutes, I’m pretty much guaranteed to qualify for Boston."
Davis determined beating them was his new goal.
Davis said that running alongside a horde of people and being surrounded by cheering crowds in Boston is an exhilarating experience. Each Marathon brings its own set of challenges and surprises, and the thrill of the unknown is part of what makes the experience special.
“The Boston Marathon was awesome! It was totally different than any other marathon I’ve run before, a sea of people in every direction for the duration of the race.” Davis went on, “It was my eighth marathon, then I ran the National Guard Marathon in Lincoln, Nebraska three weeks later to make nine total marathons I’ve run.”
Many runners set the goal of running a marathon to challenge themselves physically and mentally, pushing their limits and proving their ability. For Davis, the biggest thrill is the unknown.
“Not knowing how the day is going to go, or how my body is going to react. I’ve had some amazing races where it all comes together and I blew away my expectations of what I was capable of, those are ‘magic runs’. I’ve had other races that were very difficult, dark even, and I limped away dejected. Most people who race have had each experience and they are chasing those magic days.”
Racers preparing to run a marathon face many challenges, one of the most important being avoiding injuries. Davis has also faced struggles when training.
“Fitting in training with a full time job, weekend National Guard Duty, and family life is certainly difficult. Even the weather is a constricting limitation when trying to plan training. Since I’m almost 50, I also have to pay strict attention to my rest to ensure I don’t get setback by injuries.”
Davis has learned a lot about taking care of his complete physical, mental, and social well-being in order to get the most from his training.
“I am getting older, and I have to worry about injuries more than younger Soldiers. I started focusing on my sleep more, keeping track of my sleep scores on my watch. I realized the impact one drink of alcohol had on my sleep quality is significant. I actually greatly reduced my alcohol intake, and now my overall health is so much better. I’ve also cut back on caffeine. I found that caffeine intensifies the knots I sometimes get in my back. Overall the training has given me some great lessons in taking care of myself both personally and as a Soldier.”
The Boston Marathon takes place annually on Patriots Day, which is the third Monday in April, and attracts thousands of runners from around the globe, including both elite athletes and amateur runners. The course is known for its challenging terrain and iconic landmarks like “Heartbreak Hill.”
Davis can count himself among the runners who have completed the Boston Marathon and he did so with a time of 3 hours, 24 minutes, and 27 seconds while maintaining a pace of 7:48 per mile.

• Date Taken: 04.17.2023
• Date Posted: 07.05.2023 14:52
• Story ID: 448176
• Location: COLCHESTER, VERMONT, US