Road Warriors hit the ground running Published April 22, 2010 By By Senior Airman Wesley Farnsworth 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Five years ago Brian Trout, 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center, began training for a marathon by himself. Bored of training alone, he asked some co-workers from the 618th TACC at Scott Air Force Base to join him in training. Together they trained and ultimately ran in the 2005 O'Fallon Turkey Trot. The group stayed together, and by 2008, with more than 80 participants, the "Road Warriors" were born. "We're here as an outlet for people to exercise and be social at the same time," said Mr. Trout. By the end of 2009, the group had grown to 292 participants and logged more than 8,100 miles. They are on course to shatter that record this year with 5,000 miles already logged by more than 260 participants. "It's amazing how fast this group has grown," said Mr. Trout. "I had no idea that it would grow to this size when I first started the group. We have members in several states including Texas, California, Colorado, and Louisiana; some members are as far away as Germany. "We think of ourselves as a family. We celebrate special events in each other's lives. We value all of our members and are always looking for new members of any age." Club members range in age from 4 to 79 years young. The group's only requirement is that "you have a true desire to maintain and improve your own fitness." The club, which normally meets at the O'Fallon YMCA, gathers to train every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday for distance and speed running. The group also has a weekly e-mail that updates members on new events and there are no membership fees to be a part of the group. The Road Warriors participate in major marathons such as the Boston and Rock-n-Roll marathons. Most recently, 97 Road Warriors ran in the St. Louis Marathon--the largest for the group at any one event to date. "It's pretty cool running at an event and seeing others running with you wearing the purple and black camouflage Road Warriors shirt," said Mr. Trout. "It encourages you to keep going" The shirt was designed by the group's members and has special meaning behind it. The camouflage design stemmed from the group's military background as most of the members have some sort of military affiliation. The purple hue represents the unity of all servicemembers and civilian members of the group. Black represents those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to America in any capacity. Finally, the POW/MIA logo on the back of the shirt serves as a reminder that not everyone is accounted for and "we must never forget." When it comes to getting in shape, Mr. Trout emphasized that the Road Warriors are a "fitness club" rather than a "running club." "We want to help anyone who has any interest in running, swimming, biking, Triathlons, and even Ironmen events," he said. "We have members who have participated in all of these events. If you have an interest in it and want to better yourself we will help you customize a fitness plan to get you to where you want to be." For more information, visit www.runningroadwarriors.org, or email troutbd@yahoo.com.