Georgia man defends title in wheelchair race
By Brett Turner
Skywrighter Staff, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
September 17, 2004
Patrick Doak was disappointed despite winning his first Air Force Marathon wheelchair competition in 2002. A rematch on the course in 2003 more than made up for it.
Doak, of Cumming, Ga., not only defended his title but obliterated the course record in the process, finishing in an unofficial time of one hour 50 minutes and 48 seconds. Scott Musser set the previous mark at 1:59:09 in 1998.
Finishing in 1:59:47 in 2002 gave Doak wheelchair race champion status. He said it didn't bring home peace of mind, however.
"I felt like I didn't push as hard as I could have, and at the half way point it was just like I gave up," Doak said of last year's effort. "And to know I was 40 some seconds off the course record it was a long ride home. If I had stuck with it I could have had it."
Instead of brooding, Doak put that memory of 2002 into his training. He mixed swimming and other training into his regime as well.
Some problems on the course due to weather conditions didn't help Doak last year. It was foggy but not as moist as it had been the year before, which cut down on sliding through, giving him a better bearing.
It's a little cold that I'm coming in from the south," he said jokingly.
His 2003 win made Doak the third two-time winner of the Air Force Marathon. Should he return this year, he could be the first three-time victor.
Doak, who does about 10 races a year, said he wouldn't mind trying for a third title here next year. But because of the status he's built it won't automatically give him that title.
"On any day any one of these guys can win, it's that sort of thing," he said. "It's a lot of fun here."
A record nine competitors participated in the wheelchair race this season. Holly Koester of Cleveland continued her reign as the undisputed female champion with a 3:12:49 finish. This was also the first year hand-cranked wheelchairs were allowed to compete.
Second in the overall competition was Grant Berthiaume of Tucson , Ariz. , in 2:07:56 and Gerardo Maldonado of Macungie , Pa. in 2:12:08.