My Coverage of the Marine Corps Marathon 2009

In Her Father's Footsteps

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Motivational Runner

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Why They Run

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The Post Race Written by The Washington Post Young Journalists Development Program Students

Washington Post Teams Up with Student Journalists:

The People's Marathon by Ash Venkat, Annandale High School (Annandale, Va.)

Tucked away behind the tall, evenly cut bushes of the Arlington This year the Marine Corps Marathon and Cemetery Metro station, over The Washington Post Young Journalists 30,000 people gathered on a sunny, Development Program (YJDP) came cloudless Sunday to participate in the together to give 10 area high school 34th annual Marine Corps Marathon journalists the unique opportunity to on Oct. 24. cover Marine Corps Marathon weekend, The first male runner to complete including the marathon itself, as well as the 26.2-mile race was U.S. Navy Lt. the Healthy Kids Fun Run and the Health Cmdr. John Mentzer, 33, of Kittery, and Fitness Expo. The student journalists Maine, who finished in 2 hours first went through a work-shop organized by 21 minutes 47 seconds. Muliye Washington Post YJDP Coordinator Mario Gurmu, 25, an Ethiopia native, was Iván Oña, where they received reporting the first female to cross the finish tips and resources from Washington Post line in 2:49:48. Mentzer outran the Sports writers Les Carpenter and Steve second and third place finishers by Yanda. The students then went into the field a little more than three minutes; with Oña and did their reporting. Some of Air Force Capt. Jacob Johnson, the students also took photos throughout 32, from Sherwood, Ariz., finished the weekend. Here is their work edited by second in 2:25:02 and Salvador Oña and Carpenter. Enjoy.

Miranda, 38, an Olympian and sergeant in the Mexican military, took third in 2:25:24. Gurmu edged out Air Force Maj. Jaymee Marty, 42,

By David Hookey, from Sacramento by less than 30 Annandale High School (Annandale, Va.) seconds; Marty came in second with and Kamau Kangacha, a time of 2:50:15, followed closely by Paint Branch High School (Burtonsville, Md.) Kyla Barbour, 31, from Atlanta, who finished third in 2:50:47.

On Saturday, Oct. 24, the Marine Corps The Royal Navy and Marines won Marathon held its Healthy Kids Fun Run the annual Challenge Cup—a friendly sponsored by The Washington Post, despite competition between the British the drizzle and wet conditions. The annual and American Marines that spans race, which is divided into four waves that 30 years—with a combined time start an hour apart, takes place the day before the Marine Corps Marathon. Children of 8:01:17. The U.S. Air Force team won the Armed Forces Marathon ages 6 to 13 are encouraged to participate in the one-mile run in the north parking lot of Competition with a team time of 15:40:49. the Pentagon.

The Marine Corps Marathon “[The Fun Run] is not about winning, it’s started when Marine Col. Jim Fowler noticed a decline in the armed force’s popularity and a growing interest in distance running. The first marathon was held on Nov. 7, 1976—three days before the Marine Corps Birthday is celebrated—with 1,175 participants.

Since then, the marathon has continued to grow in scope and popularity. In 2008, it expanded to include a half-marathon in May, Photo by Mario Iván Oña Marines run along side Healthy Kids Fun Run called the Historic Half, and four other short-distance races to constitute the participant Caleb Davy, 8, during the event.

Marine Corps Event Series. Today, Winning continued on A3

Winning Isn't Everything

Photo by Mario Iván Oña

Ash Venkat along with other press corps members interviews female marathon winner Muliye Gurmu in the press tent. the main race is the fifth largest marathon in the United States, and it remains the largest marathon in the world that offers no prize money to its winners. Nicknamed the “People’s Marathon,” it currently attracts approximately 30,000 runners, 150,000 spectators and over 5,600 Marine and civilian volunteers.

As in past years, the massive event required some coordination with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which opened its Metro doors at 5 a.m. on race day and ran additional Blue line trains to the Arlington Cemetery Metro station. The Metro system is the primary means of transportation for runners and spectators since the marathon’s course weaves through downtown D.C. and requires several critical street closures, including parts of Lee Highway, Independence Avenue, Washington Boulevard and Army Navy Drive. Due to marathon’s scenic and picturesque course, which takes runners near the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, the Capitol and several other D.C. landmarks, the race has also been dubbed “Marathon of Monuments.”

This year’s marathon and the

debuting Marine Corps Marathon 10K, which had different starting points but shared the same finish line, had 21,398 and 5,481 finishers, respectively.

Approximately 60 wheelchair and hand cycle participants also competed and they were the first group to begin their race following the first boom of the 105-millimeter Howitzer M2A1 cannon at 7:50 a.m. on Route 110—the same starting line as the marathon. Ten minutes later, the Howitzer blasted again to start off the marathon. The 10K race, which has a starting line on the other side of the Potomac on the National Mall, started only five minutes later at 8:05 a.m.

In the wheelchair race, David Swope, 43, of New Windsor, Md. finished first in 1:53:03, followed

by Chris McDonald, 50, of South Riding, Va. (3:03:36), and Holly Koester, 49, of Cleveland ((3: 51:39). Scot Seiss, 42, of Rocky Ridge, Md. finished first in the hand cycle race in 1:22:47. He was followed by Seth Arseneau, 30, of Albuquerque, N.M. (1:25:42) and Mariusz Gryglas of Szczecin, Poland (1:38:24).

For 20,802 runners of the 28,721 participants in the MARATHON continued on A5

The Post Race

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Motivational Runner

By Hojung Lee, Mount Hebron High School (Ellicott City, Md.)

Jennifer Wheeler, 37, started running marathons in 2006 to relieve stress. But recently, she ran her final marathon for something much more important: her beloved sons Tripp, Wheeler and Tate—all under 7. Her love for her sons is one-of-a-kind. Wheeler, a resident of Evanston, Ill.—a suburb of Chicago—gave up her career as a high school and college teacher in 2002 to raise her children.

Wheeler also happens to be a single mom whose parental duties go far beyond the home. She goes with her sons to their gym classes.

She’s actively involved in their schoolwork. And she attends their 16 daily, after-school therapies, which can run 2 to 3 hours per evening. Wheeler is not just a single mother dedicated to raising her kids; she’s also the mom of three autistic sons.

“They are my everything… they’re warm, funny and affectionate,” Wheeler said following her final race, the 34th annual Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, Oct. 25. “I have been alone with them for many years now, so my world doesn’t work without them in it.” Tripp, Wheeler and Tate go through speech, occupational and social therapies, as well as psychotherapy. They struggle with high anxiety and issues with speech-related behaviors. But Wheeler tries to provide as many resources for them as she can.

“They are such brave little fighters… they do everything that is asked of them,” she said. “I am in awe of their unbreakable spirit and in awe of their resilience…” Little did Wheeler know that on race day she would have to take a page from her own sons and muster up some of her own unbreakable spirit and resilience to complete the 26.2mile course through downtown Washington.

“I never liked to run before,” Wheeler continued. “But then I began doing it after my third child was born because it was immediate, available and the easiest way to reduce stress. Now, I still run to reduce stress, but also to fundraise for OAR [Organization for Autism Research], and to teach my children by example, as

Photo by Joe Tresh

Jennifer Wheeler, 37, on course during the Marine Corps Marathon.

Wheeler ran to raise money for the Organization for Autism Research--a charity close to her heart.

I demonstrate the importance of when 6 miles into the race, her fitness for them.” knee collapsed as she ran through For her fifth and final marathon, Georgetown with her two running she decided to run the Marine partners. “I felt my left knee give Corps Marathon representing Run out,” she said. “I immediately for Autism—a fundraising group panicked since I have never, ever for OAR. “[The marathon] is an sustained an injury while running official OAR event, so I decided before.” She said she was not used it would be appropriate to make to running up and down hills for this my last major race,” Wheeler the first half of the race because said. “Furthermore, my father she was used to the flat courses in is a Marine, so it also seemed Chicago. She limped and sobbed, fitting to compete in this particular as she figured her race was marathon in honor of my dad.” finished.

Not only does Wheeler help “I had worked so hard and OAR raise awareness about trained for six long months, and autism and the need for more I couldn’t believe that my final research by running marathons marathon was over at mile 6,” and triathlons and raising money Wheeler said. “I was crushed through donations, but she also that I might not be able to finish speaks publicly on OAR’s behalf. in honor of my dad and that I The evening before the marathon, would disappoint so many people she spoke at OAR’s Runner’s who donated to my cause.” Her Recognition Dinner. A few days total fundraising for OAR was after her speech, she explained, over $10,000 and she said she “[My speech] illustrated how every didn’t want to let anyone down by aspect of [families’ lives are] dropping out of the race. “I knew I affected by this disorder.” She would feel like a failure if I couldn’t then told the audience, “We are demonstrate how proud I was of my here tonight because we know a three sons, who win brave battles special someone, or in my case, everyday, by crossing the finish line three special, short someones, who during my race,” she said. are not quitters. [Like them,] we For the next ten miles, she was will fight our way to the finish, and on her own. Even though her knee struggle with the soreness, and felt like it was being stabbed by succeed with every step we take, knives, she listened to her iPod and smile jubilantly at the finish.” and thought of all of the reasons Her words would prove ironic, she had to finish. Somehow, she

barreled forward. “I felt like such a hypocrite after giving a speech about not quitting the night before,” she said. About mile 17, two of her friends appeared on the sidelines to cheer her on. “This really helped lift my spirits and keep me going,” she said.

“After mile 20, things got worse when my knee locked up altogether,” Wheeler said. But her quest to finish the race did not end there. She slowed down her pace, and during the next few miles, her friends and family bombarded her with text messages of encouragement. “The Marines and other spectators along the course, who noticed I was crying, told me to ‘dig deep’ and persevere,” she said.

So she continued to run. She wanted to give her Marine Corps Marathon medal to her dad on his birthday. “The last three miles were especially difficult for me,” Wheeler said. “My knee was all over the place. But I knew [my father] would be so proud of me, and I knew that I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t complete my last race.” Soon, she spotted one last source of motivation: the finish line. Sporting bib number 3316, running for her three autistic sons and her proud Marine dad, Wheeler crossed the finish line in 6 hours 17 minutes and 59 seconds in a race that she almost shouldn’t have finished.

“I know people have rougher race stories than mine, and I know that other competitors have overcome more massive odds than I did in order to compete and finish,” Wheeler said. “But, I am still proud of myself and I am still sure that someday, my sons will be proud of me, too.”

Wheeler will continue to fight for autism, even as she ends her five years of participating in marathons.

She plans to take the LSAT in December and enter law school in 2010 to help families with autistic children meet their needs in the legal system. “The law doesn’t adequately represent those with disabilities and disorders, such as autism,” she said. “Hopefully one day, I can be a lawyer for the underrepresented autistic community.” ■

The Post Race

Kids Win by Participating WINNING continued from A1

Photo by Mario Iván Oña

Bottalico interviews a Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) charity runner following the 10K. TAPS donates money raised during the race to surviving military family members.

In Her Father's Footsteps

by Brandi Bottalico, Bishop McNamara High School (Forestville, Md.) David Nguyen, Paint Branch High School (Burtonsville, Md.) The Werts’ family vacation sea state made it difficult for the in May 2007 was not a typical boys to swim. Without hesitation, one—far from it. Sure, it had the the Marine father sprinted into the typical father versus rebellious water and swam toward the boys to teenager misunderstanding. But try and save them. then tragedy struck.

With their argument quickly The Werts had come down from behind her, Katrina Wert followed Reed City, Mich. to spend some in her father’s footsteps, as she so family time on the North Carolina often did in life. shore. “It wasn’t swimming water,” “I decided I was going to take recalls Katrina Wert, 17. “Anyone our body board out there,” she who swam had to be crazy. But two says. “When I got out there, I got kids were swimming anyway.” them on the board and then out Earlier in the day, she had to shore. But I noticed that my gotten into a fight with her father, dad wasn’t there with us.” After because he didn’t let her go to bringing the boys to safety and a concert. The awful, but oh-socompleting what her father had common things teenagers say, that set out to do, the boys told Wert they usually end up regretting, were that her father had made it out to said. She gave him an “I don’t want them, but at some point stopped to talk to you again,” followed by helping them and just let go. As a quick “I hate you.” What Katrina she and her family grew desperate Wert didn’t know is just how much and heartbroken over what seemed she would regret those words. inevitable, the paramedics arrived Her dad, Master Sgt. Michael and eventually found him. They Wert, an all-around family guy brought him to shore, but were and active duty Marine, spent unable to revive him. his Sunday mornings watching In 2008, a little less than a hunting and fishing shows with year and a half after her father’s his children. On Friday nights, he death, Wert set out to run her first played board games with them. He marathon. She would run in his was a determined, selfless man memory, because, after all, he got who would do anything for those her into running. he loved and those he didn’t even Notwithstanding the fight, she know. You can say it was part of his and her dad shared a tight-knit Marine training. relationship. They did many things Not long after his argument together. They did woodwork. with his daughter, he heard a They enjoyed fishing and hunting. frantic mother calling out for help And they also ran together. He after she realized that her son encouraged her to join her high and his friend were being carried away in an undertow. The rough Father’s Footsteps continued on A4

just supposed to be fun for all the kids,” said Marine Corps Marathon Sponsorship and Marketing Manager Marc Goldman.

While winning isn’t everything, it’s something. For a few young runners, it was about coming in first or achieving a personal best.

But for one courageous young runner diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth, it was all about finishing.

With a confetti gun in hand, Television-radio personality and former Marine Montel Williams was there to start the first wave of the race at 9:30 a.m. Miss Washington, D.C., Jen Corey, did the honors in a later wave.

“The Miss D.C. organization has been really close with the Marine Corps Marathon,” Corey said. “I sang the National Anthem at the opening ceremonies [on Friday night] and got to come here today.

Photo by Mario Iván Oña

Kids cheer before the start of the Healthy Kids Fun Run. My favorite part of the weekend is definitely the Fun Run because little kids love a girl in a crown.”

Mathew Frame, 10, who was participating in his fourth Fun Run in a row, crossed the finish line first in his race. He said, “I love to run and me winning makes me even more motivated to come back next year.”

For Sheldon Dillman, 13, it was a personal goal to achieve alongside his father, Ray Dillman, who would be running the Marine Corps Marathon the next day. The younger Dillman is a cross-country runner at West Point High School in West Point, Va. He hoped to improve his mile time. He was able to achieve his goal by finishing his mile in 6 minutes and crossing the

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finish line first during his wave.

Sheldon, who was told about the race by his father, said, “I was very proud of my efforts and felt good about this win.” Ray Dillman shared his son’s enthusiasm and said, “He met his goal and did extremely well.”

And then there was Caleb Davy, 8. He didn’t come in first. He actually came in last. But even so, he was among the biggest winners of the Fun Run. Davy was born premature and diagnosed with cerebral palsy and a rare condition called prune belly syndrome in which a patient is born with very weak or no abdominal muscles.

“He’s really a miracle because he was not expected to live,” said Fred Davy, Caleb’s father.

Caleb started the race in the back of the pack. About midway through the race, it was clear that he was struggling. He had to rely almost solely on his arm strength to hold himself up in is walker, as his thin legs gently pushed him forward. But Caleb wasn’t alone.

His dad trailed behind almost like an observer, while a small platoon of Marines trotting alongside Caleb and called out his name in cadence: “Here we go, Caleb, he we go.”

The platoon grew larger and larger with even Miles the Marathon Mascot joining in. The chant became more audible throughout the grounds of the Fun Run, as parents and other young athletes cheered Caleb on. Though he continued to struggle, he looked determined to finish the race. And one short step at a time, he finally pushed himself and glided across the finish line.

After the race, Caleb said, “It felt good [to be surrounded by Marines], but honestly, it was kind of embarrassing. It was really loud and all the attention [was on me].”

The Davys found out about the Fun Run through the Children’s Hospital and through Caleb’s school. This was the second year Caleb competed in the run.

“Last year, I had to push him for part of the race, but this year he did it all himself,” Fred Davy said.

“Despite his handicap, he can still do things other kids do, so my wife and I are always looking for things to challenge and inspire him. He’s my hero.” ■

The Post Race In between first-place finisher Navy Lt. Cmdr. John Mentzer, who finished the Marine Corps Marathon on Oct. 25 in Washington, D.C. with a time of 2 hours 21 minutes 47 seconds, and some of the last few stragglers coming in around the sevenhour mark, were many runners whose goal through the sloping, picturesque course had little to do with time.

Steve Mackel, for example, was representing Southern California Running, and is a certified Chi running instructor, who specializes in marathon preparation through hypnotherapy and visualization. A day before the race, Mackel was a featured speaker during the marathon’s Health and Fitness Exposition Speaker Series at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in downtown D.C. “Chi running is number one about efficiency,” Mackel said to an audience of mostly runners. “You allow energy to flow freely through your body.” He continued to warm up the runners to visualization by having them imagine a square of sky blue weave its way through their bodies and relaxing their muscles. The runners were then told to imagine the perfect race— everything from having great pasta the night before and arriving to the starting gate with all the necessary materials to running a personal record. Mackel walked the runners through other exercises to loosen up their muscles and joints, and to mitigate their performance anxiety before the big race.

Why They Run

By Tristam Osgood, Robinson Secondary School (Fairfax, Va.) Paris Blakes, Eastern High School (Washington, D.C.)

Photo by Brandi Bottalico

Navy Lt. Cmdr John Mentzer prepares to cross the finish line of the 34th Marine Corps Marathon near the Marine Corps War Memorial.

“Scientists have actually found that people’s muscles are firing internally while they are visualizing themselves performing,” he said.

“Tiger Woods visualizes every swing on the golf course. ” He left the runners with one last piece of advice: “Make each step better than your last.” Mackel’s inspirational words seemed to connect running with everyday life, and it seemed to uplift the runners in the room. It apparently worked for Mackel just fine, as he ran the race under 4 hours.

Running her 80th marathon, Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio), 57, finished in 4 hours 6 minutes. She started running marathons in 1990

Running in a Father's Memory FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS continued from A3 school cross-country team like he had when he was her age.

“My dad ran cross in high school and was a state runner,” Wert proudly remembers. “He was a beast and I’m not as beastly.”

So it seemed fitting that she would try to run the Marine Corps Marathon in honor of her dad.

Following the tragedy, she had continued to run cross-country at school in preparation for the longest race she’d ever ran up to that point: a 26.2-mile marathon.

She decided to run with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors or TAPS team. According to the organization’s Web site, it is “the home of America’s front line

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resource for all who are grieving the death of a love one serving our country” and is open to “anyone who has suffered the loss of a military loved one, regardless of the relationship to the deceased or the circumstance of the death.”

Though she crossed the finish line of her first marathon ever in 5 hours 15 minutes 32 seconds—a feat on its own—she fell short of her goal: to run the whole thing under 5 hours. She ran 11 miles without stopping and walked and jogged the remaining 15.2 miles.

On Oct. 25, Wert ran her second Marine Corps Marathon. She was eager to accomplish her goal of running farther without stopping.

when her mother became very ill with cancer. Schmidt ran more and more to cope with the pain and stress of her mother’s illness.

She also spoke at the expo the day before the race.

“Running really gives you a sense of empowerment—an exhilarating feeling when you’re out on the course,” said Schmidt, who looked quite fit—no doubt, a result of all her running. “When I would finish running, I felt an incredible sense of achievement.”

“Being a representative on the Hill is obviously a very stressful job,” she continued. “Running is 80 percent preparation, 20 percent mental, much like my job.”

But this time, she was determined to break 5 hours.

“You can do something other people consider impossible but you need to have the will power and motivation,” Wert says.

Would Wert have what it takes to reach her goals?

With her late father in mind, Wert gave it her all, and, at the very least, she achieved one of her goals by running 17 miles nonstop.

“I didn’t know if I would do it [break 5 hours] because I felt like I walked a lot more this year, but I did run farther, so I didn’t know how it was going to balance out,” she says.

Wert told herself some of the typical phrases runners use to motivate themselves across the finish line: “Just one more mile” and “There’s not much left” and “The finish line is in sight.”

After finishing the Boston Marathon several years ago, Schmidt met Lucy Duffy, who’s also been an inspiration to her. Duffy, who lost her husband Alan Duffy to leukemia in 1986, inspired the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training, which is a charitable sports training program geared towards preparing runners.

Following her husband’s death, Duffy ran the New York Marathon and raised over $20,000 for the cancer society, which led the way to starting the training program.

Since meeting Duffy, Schmidt has participated in Duffy’s program every year.

For Schmidt, the Marine Corps Marathon is a particularly personal and important race because she had a brother who fought in Vietnam. When he returned home, he was told “not to wear his uniform in public,” which in some ways is the very reason that Marine Col. Jim Fowler started the marathon in 1975. According to the race Web site and other promotional materials, Fowler had seen a “decline in popularity in the military services” and saw the marathon as a way to promote the services.

Schmidt concluded, “I love the meaning of the Marines and this marathon, and the people serving overseas. Whenever you are in a tough stretch in the marathon, just think of the young men and woman who are running the same miles over in Afghanistan, except they can’t stop.” ■ But Wert admits, “The last mile lasted forever. It felt like it would never end.”

Since her father’s passing, Wert has thought about her dad frequently. And she certainly used his memory to crush her goal and cross the finish line in 4:40:19—nearly 20 minutes faster than she had hoped and a whopping 35 minutes faster than her previous year. But perhaps equally important is her grown-up realization.

“I guess I was a brat that day,” she says. “I guess you could say, even though your parents will do things that are kind of harsh… don’t tell your parents you hate them.” She concludes, “And don’t take your time for granted. Use all your minutes as if they were your last.” ■

The Post Race

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Recapping MCM Race Day Continued from Marathon A1

marathon, it was their first Marine Corps Marathon experience. The addition of the new 10K race also drew a larger and younger group of runners. To put it in perspective, the youngest participants of the marathon were 14, while the youngest participants of the 10K race were 10.

“I am hoping to join my track team in the spring, so this was good training,” said Katelyn Sheehan, 15, of Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Va. She ran the 10K. “Watching everyone was really motivating, and I think I might run again next year,” she said.

Robert Schneider, 12, a student at Northwood Park Middle School in Jacksonville, N.C., was among the youngest runners in the 10K. He said, “I’m hoping to run for my school next year, so this was a great place to start.”

Some seasoned runners took note of the younger runners. “I’m a triathlon coach in the area, so it was really encouraging to see all the young folks being physically active and exercising,” said Lloyd Henry, 34, of Washington D.C. Several university students also ran the 10K. “My older sister, who goes to Catholic University, runs this marathon every year,” said Sam Devine, 19, a student at Philadelphia University. “So my roommate and I just decided to run the 10K this year.”

While the 10K was a good opportunity for younger runners to get a taste of competitive running, the longer marathon proved to be an invaluable

opportunity for more experienced runners to train or achieve personal goals.

“This is my first Marine Corps Marathon, and I think I will run the Boston one pretty soon,” said Marc Capobianco, 36, of North Riding, Mass.

“The course was pretty awesome, and the terrain was pretty challenging. It was a great run.”

“I was going for a 2:40, but my legs started cramping up, so I lost my pace,” said Aron Kahsay, 33, of Kensington, Md., who came back after ten years to run the marathon for the second time. “I used to be a runner, and someone dared me to run this marathon, so I did. The Marine Corps Marathon got me back in shape, and I think I might run the San Diego one next.”

Members of several nonprofits, charities and other organizations also ran to support various causes. One of the biggest organizations to participate was the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors or TAPS. The organization is a place where family members who have lost a military loved one kind find comfort in being with other people who can share the grief. Members of this organization wore distinct cowbells along with their TAPS-emblazoned shirts. Other organizations that participated were the Alzheimer’s Association, American Cancer Society, College for Every Student, Homes for Our Troops, Jill’s House, Make-A-Wish Foundation and Run 4 Chance.

Photo by Brandi Bottalico

Participants and spectators gather on Route 110 just after dawn in anticipation of the start of the Marine Corps Marathon.

Photo by Ash Venkat

Wheelchair and handcycle participants line up under the start arches before the race.

For other runners, the reason for participating was much more personal.

“My dad died in the Iraq War three years ago, so I ran today with TAPS,” said Brooke Derr, 15, of Cumberland Valley, Penn., who ran the 10K. “It was really comforting for us, especially because all of us got together to do this.

It encouraged everyone, and made us smile.”

While there are water and first aid stations throughout the course, nothing seemed to help the runners get through the race like people simply cheering them on. “The encouragement throughout the course was great,” said Kahsay. Henry said, “The Marines and all the volunteers were amazing. They provided constant support [at] the stations, giving the runners water, snacks and much-needed encouragement.

Hanes Point, near the 14th Street Bridge, is one of the loneliest spots of the entire course, and they even had a few people up there cheering the runners on. It was great!”

John McNavage, 40, from Pittsburgh, who was running his sixth Marine Corps Marathon, found a source of motivation in his fellow participants. He said, “I came down with the flu last week, so I struggled a little. But looking at all these people who have lost an arm or a leg in the war… I was inspired to keep running.”

Whether they high-tailed, hobbled or hand cranked across the finish line, all the finishers of the marathon and 10K received the Eagle, Globe and Anchor marathon medal, which captures the essence of the insignia that all Marines wear on their uniform. Several Marines were on hand to place the medals over the finishers’ necks.

Different people had different reasons for running the “People’s Marathon.” And they came from different places and different walks of life. Some came from England. Others came from Ethiopia. Some were D.C. locals. Others were California natives.

Some were running their first race at the young age of 10. Others—like the famous Groundpounders—were running their 34th Marine Corps Marathon (out of 34) at the young age of 70 or so.

Regardless of the motivation or the age, every runner—for one day—became part of a greater community that for at least one day does not know or care about the boundaries of civilian and military life.

Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon in 1967 and thereby ending the all-male tradition, was a guest speaker at the Marine Corps Marathon. She succinctly summarized the most common reason to participate: “The race [is] the only reward.” ■