4 CES Airman dares you to keep up

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Marissa Tucker
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  Taking a look at Airman 1st Class Marcus Toney, an untrained eye might disregard him as the little guy, but make no mistake about it; Toney is a beast on the track.

He always knew he would be running in some form, because it just came natural to him, and he's not too shy to admit just how good he is. Toney plans to take his talents to the U.S. Air Force track team and eventually to the World Class Athletes program, which is designed to give Airmen who exhibit outstanding athletic talent an opportunity to train for the Olympics.

"I started running in high school," said Toney. "I was pretty good at it, but it took a lot of practice."

At a young age, Toney began playing various sports until he found his niche in track and field. Being driven by his will to win at everything he does, he excelled and began to place in track meets around Texas. In high school, his coach encouraged him to try long distance running, something he had no intentions of doing, but grew to like.

"I really did not like the thought of cross country running, but the more I worked at it, the better I got at it," he said. "When I know I'm good at something, it drives me to keep working at it."

Although he was offered a scholarship to college, he decided the Air Force would be a better fit.

"I always knew I'd come to the Air Force, my aunt is a retired chief and I like the lifestyle," he said. "I could have gone to college, but I knew the Air Force was for me."
As an operations manager with the 4th Civil Engineer Squadron, Toney is responsible for scheduling and documenting work projects for all sections of the squadron, allocating funds for projects to be completed and knowing the ins-and-outs of every section.

His work ethic did not go unnoticed by his peers.

After noticing Toney's ability to perform [run] at such a high level without any proper training, Tech Sgt. Lynn Stewart, 4th CES customer service NCOIC, asked if he would be interested in competing at the Air Force level.

"Toney is a very hard worker. He has an unmatched drive and determination that I think will help him excel in any endeavor he so chooses to pursue in life," said Stewart, who previously took part in the world class athletes program. "The no-quit attitude displayed by him is probably his finest quality. His belief that he can accomplish anything he puts his mind to is what sets him apart from the rest."

The grueling workouts in conjunction with the infamous 4 CES physical training program have not phased the track star, as he continues to drop seconds from his recorded run times. Once he realized that running is a science, he set his sights on what he wants to accomplish and will not stop until he makes it, he said.

Toney plans to submit his application to apply for the team in April 2012, but must place highly in several track meets across North Carolina to qualify. In the meantime, you can catch him on the track, if you can.