KIRKUK REGIONAL AIR BASE, Iraq - When they arrived here in early September, they hit the ground running ... literally.

Maj. David Walter, 506th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron commander, and Master Sgt. Jon Conway, 506th ECES first sergeant, have run more than 560 miles together since arriving here and plan to run a total of 700 miles by the time they return home next month.

Their running partnership is a byproduct of their Air Force partnership, which began at JBLM-McChord Field, where both serve in the reserves as commander and first sergeant for the 446th CES.

There they teamed up to implement a running program into their physical training during their drill weekends.

"One of the first things I did when I got to McChord was to help individuals realize their importance," Conway said. "Being physically fit is not only a military prerogative; it's also a prerogative for each of us so we can live longer. I wanted to make sure we instilled that in our people at McChord."

Walter, 51, and Conway, 48, started running to motivate their squadron.

"My squadron had a bunch of people who weren't getting with the program so when we ran as a squadron, I'd wear a gold hat because I wanted the troops to see me in the formation and think, ‘there is the old man and the first sergeant. We're going to have to catch to them.' Or I didn't care if they could turn around and say, ‘those old farts are not going to catch me.' Either one worked just fine for me," said Walter.

The duo's spirit to motivate did not diminish when they deployed. One of the first things they did was establish a Running Club T-wall on base. Members use the wall to record their running achievements while deployed. The wall includes columns for more than 250 miles, more than 500, the half and full marathon. People can put their total miles, their marathon time or both.

Conway said it has also had a positive effect on people's morale to see him and the commander out running together.

"I think it's had a pretty broad impact," Conway said. "I think more people are starting to get out and get involved. They feel it's a little safer to venture out on their runs, and I think it helps people realize there is a benefit to being here."

The men said they try to run at least an hour a day. The first day, they run six miles; the second day, five miles; the third day, four miles; and the fourth day, they take a break before repeating the process the following day. They also run 5Ks and other races the base sponsors periodically.

Initially, they both set their goal to exceed the best mileage listed on the wall, but now that they're within 110 miles of their original goal, they have increased that goal to 700 miles.

However, their goal is not merely about a fitness achievement; it has become much more.

"One of the things first sergeants and commanders complain about is they don't have enough time to sit down and talk," Walter said. "This is the relationship that sets the tone for the squadron. So at a very minimum, it gives me an hour a day with my first sergeant. We can run and talk about things in the squadron. We can talk about the game. We can talk about phone calls home. We can talk about the kids and the fact that they're going to pay for their own college if they don't wise up."

Another benefit is both men have lost more than 30 pounds on average, and although they will soon be returning home, they're not ready to slow up quite yet. They are pushing their way to finish their goal.

"It's going to be tough to eat this last 140 miles," the major said. "We know it's going to be painful, but we're ready."

"We know we're going to have to turn the gas on," Conway added. Both men say they will continue running after they return home and plan to run together in the upcoming Portland Marathon.