AMCOM safety leader completes Armed Forces running challenge

At mile 24 of the Marine Corps Marathon, Laurence H. Mutuel had the finish line — and a medal — on her mind.
“I joke that I do all of this for the hardware,” said Mutuel, acting director of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command Safety Office.

The Oct. 25 marathon in Washington completed Mutuel’s first Armed Forces Series Challenge (AFSC), a five-race program that brought her to service-affiliated events from North Carolina to Florida. She began the challenge after running the 2024 Army Ten-Miler.

Mutuel had finished half marathons as part of half-Ironman triathlons and wondered whether she could go farther. The AFSC’s military connection also appealed to her as an Army civilian employee.

“I was always told swimmers can’t run,” she said. “Finishing not one but three marathons in my fifties meant I picked up the gauntlet and won the challenge.”

Her events included the Coast Guard Marathon in Elizabeth City, North Carolina; the Air Force Marathon in Dayton, Ohio; the Army Ten-Miler in Washington; the Space Force T-Minus 10-Miler in Cape Canaveral, Florida; and the Marine Corps Marathon.

The races did not all come easily. During the Air Force Marathon, a heat wave forced Mutuel to push through the final cutoff. The Army Ten-Miler brought soaking rain. The Marine Corps Marathon, by comparison, offered favorable weather and a course she knew from previous Army Ten-Miler races.

Mutuel said her safety work and training have similar demands: discipline, preparation and consistency. She trains early, before the workday becomes unpredictable, and deliberately protects time for recovery after races.
“Persistence and consistency bring results,” she said.

She has already registered for the Navy 10-Miler in Chula Vista, California, scheduled for February 2027, and signed up for a second Armed Forces Series Challenge. For Mutuel, the events offer more than medals: They bring challenging courses, strong volunteer support and a shared sense of military community.

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