LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- Being one of the Air Force’s new cadre of F-35 Instructor Pilots and pulling multiple G-forces daily puts a toll on one’s body, however, that’s nothing compared to running a 100-mile race through rugged terrain.
Major Peter Cossette, a F-35 Instructor Pilot with the 944th Fighter Wing, ran the Zion 100 Mile Ultra Marathon along the outskirts of Zion National Park in Utah in just over 25 hours April 8-9.
“A year and a half ago I did not enjoy running,” said Cossette. “I did it every once in a while when I thought I needed to get back in shape but I had no real desire to run a marathon let alone a 100-miles in the mountains. A friend recommended I read ‘Born to Run’ by Christopher McDougall. It taught me that what I thought I knew about running was all wrong and inspired me to figure out how to do it right.”
Cossette signed up for the race in September and spent the next six months working on endurance training.
“These ultra-marathons usually take place in some pretty rugged terrain and often have upwards of 15,000 feet of climbing,” explained Cossette. “I was really anxious about that so I practiced a lot. I’d get up around 4 a.m., go for a couple hour run and be back in time to help get the kids ready for school and out the door to work. Saturday mornings I’d try and get a long climb in, so often times I’d throw on my headlamp and run up to the towers in the White Tanks…being sure to make it back in time for a donut run with the kids of course.”
Most of the run was spent alone on the trail. Cossette only stopped to refill his water bottles, change socks and shoes and fuel the body with calories.
“The secret to running these ultra-long distances is to stay in the present,” said Cossette. “Keep calories and water going in, and just keep putting one foot in front of the other. They say ultra-marathons are 90 percent mental, and the other 10 percent is mental too. You can’t let your mind wander and think about the two thousand foot climb coming up at mile forty-two. When I wasn’t thinking about pain I usually had one of my kid’s children’s songs stuck in my head.”
After mile 60 Cossette’s wife, Sarah, joined him for miles 71-78.
“I was excited for the company but by the time I met up with her I was exhausted and in a lot of pain,” said Cossette. “She was really motivational and got me through a tough point in the race when all I wanted to do was lay down on the trail and sleep.”
Finishing the race was a huge accomplishment but Cossette isn’t done running yet. When asked what he was going to do next he instantly responded, “The Boston Marathon in 2018.”