MARINE CORPS MARATHON Since Lenore’s open-heart triple by-pass surgery on July 10, 2007, her return to the marathon circuit has been guarded. Her Yakima cardiologist authorized and encouraged her to accompany me to my late summer and fall marathons. The Skagit Flats, Lake Chelan, Royal Victoria and Leavenworth marathons were overnight trips in September and October that we drove to in Washington state and British Columbia. All went well as we stayed with family or friends in the Washington events. Lenore wasn’t able to volunteer as she had done in the past, but she was at the finish line at each marathon for several hours and presented me with my finisher’s medal at these four races. The trip to the East Coast from Washington State to Washington, DC, for the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) on Sunday, October 28, 2007, was then followed by a flight and drive to Huntington, West Virginia for the Marshall University Marathon on November 4, 2007, the following weekend. This was a real test to see how well she could handle long distance air travel to two marathons. In retrospect, although she tired at times, things went smoothly. On Wednesday, October 24th, we arrived at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport late at night and, as we had in past years, then checked in at Red Roof Inn just south of Alexandria, Virginia, on US Highway 1. On Thursday we drove to the D.C. Armory for the opening of the Health and Fitness Expo. After I picked up my packet, commemorative timing chip and classic T-shirt, we spent time visiting the many booths and sampling products. Our attendance at race directors’ workshops at the Portland, Boston and Marine Corps Marathons has given us the opportunity to become acquainted with the speakers at many races, race directors from the U.S. and Canada, and authors of many books about running. We’ve met and become friends with the suppliers of finishers medals and awards, MCM T-shirts, heat sheets, race timing, announcers, on-line registration etc. The two-day Race Directors’ Boot Camp on Friday and Saturday at the headquarters Hyatt Regency Hotel on Capitol Hill was another great learning and sharing experience. Added perks to our participation in the Boot Camp were invitations to the Friday night Hall of Fame Dinner at Maggiano’s Restaurant in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and reserved seating for the second “Carbo Dining” on Saturday night at the Hyatt Regency. Ken Berger from Virginia Beach, Virginia, was someone we had met at our first MCM Race Directors’ event in October of 2000. He’s known as the “Voice of the Marine Corps Marathon” as he emcees events and announces at the finish line. At the dinner he introduced MCM Race Director Rick Nealis to the audience and then he surprised Lenore and me by having us stand as he introduced us. That introduction made the remainder of the evening extra special for us in many ways. Seated to our right was the “Army Marathon Team” and two of the runners immediately joined us for a visit. One of them was Geraldo Avila who was stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington, in 2003 when he was the winner of our third Yakima River Canyon Marathon (YRCM). Geraldo finished this year’s MCM in 11th place overall with a time of 2:30:50. Stopping by next was Matthew Hendra who had traveled from Isawa, Japan, to run his third marathon. Greg and Salli Hinton from Bainbridge Island, Washington, introduced themselves next. They grew up in Yakima and were graduates of Eisenhower High School. We may see them in Yakima for our 8th annual YRCM next April! The parents of Kelly Schild from Miami, Florida, who was running her first marathon brought her to our table to meet a “78 year old runner who was running his 414th marathon” the next day. They wanted to get some “tips and advice” for a first-timer. From the time we arrived at Washington, DC, the previous Wednesday night through Saturday heavy rains came down. By Sunday the skies were clear and the temperature was in the 50’s for the 8:00 a.m. start of the marathon. In the lead for most of the race was Ruben Garcia, a 36 year old corporal in the Mexican Navy. He was the winner in 2005 and 2006 and was in contention for an unprecedented third win at MCM, but it wasn’t meant to be. Leg cramps in the final miles slowed his pace, and Tamrat Ayalew, 33, of Atlanta, Georgia, surged ahead to win with a 2:22:20. Ruben finished in second place two minutes later with a 2:24:20. Jason Hawkins, 24, of Frostberg, Maryland, took the third position by passing Jose Miranda, 36, of Washington, DC (2:26:03) with a half mile to go and finished with a personal record of 2:25:37. The women’s race was exciting. Three women ran together from Mile 4 to Mile 23 when Lisa Thomas, 31, of Alexandria, Virginia went ahead by 30-35 yards. With less than a half mile to go Kristin Henehan, 28, of Silver Springs, Maryland, caught and passed Lisa to win the women’s race by 26 seconds in a time of 2:51:14. This was remarkable since it was her first marathon! Lisa’s time was 2:51:40 for second place. Claudia Colita, 28, of Romania, the pre-race favorite, came in third with a 2:54:19. I had a good, comfortable run and enjoyed visiting with “Barefoot” Todd Byers of Long Beach, California, and other friends along the way. In Miles 5 to 9 a course revision added a four-mile loop that was a pleasant run. This section northwest of Washington was in a rolling, wooded area that circled the Georgetown Reservoir and went by the C&O National Historical Park. Because it was cooler than other MCM’s that I’ve run, I wasn’t stressed in the last 10K. As I approached the finish line, John “The Penguin” Bingham was the announcer and he mentioned my name age, marathon total and role in the Yakima River Canyon Marathon! Lenore was waiting for me as I crossed the finish mats and gave me my finishing medal and heat sheet. I had finished with a chip time of 5:44:12, 18, 141st of 20, 622 overall, 11,497th of 12, 571 males, and 4th of eleven 75+ males. For the next hour or so we watched other participants finish. There were many stories unfolding on the course: (1) Steve Frederickson, 51, from Kent, Washington, caught up with me in the third mile, and we exchanged “Semper Fi” greetings. He told me that he came to the MCM to run his retirement marathon. I knew that he injured his back in Vietnam and lived with a lot of pain from it. I thought that he was going to retire after I had seen him on the course at the inaugural Tacoma City Marathon on May 13, 2007. But after his doctor told him not to run any more marathons, he chose to run one last one with fellow Marines. In this event he endured the pain to finish well with a time of 4:43:03. (2) Our good friends, Jack Swanson, 73, and his wife Gunhild, 63, came from Spokane Valley, Washington, to participate together……but not as they have for many years. Jack is battling cancer but was able to walk the MCM with fellow Marines in a time of 6:22:31! Gunhild continued as the super runner that she is and finished with a time of 3:55:36 that gave her a third place in her age division. (3) George Banker, 57, a journalist from Oxon Hill, Maryland, is the historian of the MCM. His new book, Marine Corps Marathon: A Running Tradition, captures the esprit de corps of the MCM race of 32 years and the personal triumphs of many runners who are profiled. George runs this marathon every year and finished this time with a 4:32:34.
the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1995 who had lost their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq.
enemy mortar round explosion. Assisted by guides running alongside of him, he finished in 4:14:10 and expects to be faster next year.
crank time at MCM in 2006, he ran this year with a prosthetic running leg!
FOUR. Due to injuries, a fifth 2006 runner couldn’t compete this year.
for their annual celebration of their wedding that took place at the MCM over ten years ago. Our good friend Dave “Roadkill” Johnson came from Craig, Alaska, and brought his 85 year old father, Elvin Johnson, from his Ohio home to give him a weekend that he’ll never forget. Roadkill ran this marathon in honor of his dad who was wounded on Iwo Jima during World War II. This Marine veteran fought in the Tinian and Saipan battles as well. Elvin was given a warm reception wherever he went during the marathon weekend. After Roadkill finished the marathon, a colonel presented Elvin with a commemorative plaque that recognized his service to our country. It came all the way from Alaska and was autographed by Race Director Rick Nealis, a retired Marine major, before the presentation. We continued this celebration with dinner at the Boston Market near our Alexandria motel and were happy to have David Goodrich from Houlton, Maine, and David Bell from Highlands Ranch, Colorado, join the Johnsons, Lenore and me for the occasion. We had a great Marine Corps Marathon, as always. It’s one of our favorites!! Thanks to Rick Nealis, Connie, Marc, Heidi and the rest of the marathon staff, the sponsors and the volunteers for making the Marine Corps Marathon a memorable occasion. Rick will be the guest speaker at our April 8, 2008. Yakima River Canyon Marathon, so here’s a plug for both races!!! Come to our packet pickup on April 4, 2008, meet him and get a guaranteed entry form from him to the October 26, 2008, MCM. I’ll be there for sure! Special thanks go to Marty Wanless, sports marketer from Vancouver, BC, for “sharing” his Hyatt Regency Hotel room with us twice during the Race Directors’ Boot Camp. Because of this and the concern of many others, Lenore can report to her cardiologist that her MCM adventure was a complete success. ………………………………………………Written by Bob Dolphin * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * MARINE CORPS MARATHON Partial Results – October 28, 2007
2:22:20 Tamrat Ayalew, 33, Atlanta, GA, FIRST OVERALL, First 30-34M Division |