MARINE CORPS MARATHON One of the nice features about our annual trip to the Marine Corps Marathon each year is the “50 States Adventure” that we experience. My previous report relates my best marathon time of the year at the Grand Rapids (Michigan) Marathon and the good time we had on the weekend of October 18-19, 2008. After our good friends Roger Biggs and Jack Brooks of the 100 Marathon Club United Kingdom dropped us off at the Grand Rapids Airport the next day, we flew to Washington, DC., and then spent Monday night at Alexandria, Virginia, at our familiar Red Roof Inn. On Tuesday, we drove south to Williamsburg to take advantage of the kind invitation of Yakima friends, Jeff and Joyce Hagen, to spend several days in their time-share unit at the Williamsburg Plantation. We appreciated their showing us the historical sights nearby at the York Battlefield and at Jamestown. There certainly were some historical crossroads in the Williamsburg area. On Thursday, Lenore and I drove back to Alexandria to be on hand for the many Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) events. As in recent years, we went to the Washington Armory north of the U.S. Capitol for packet pickup and to visit the Expo. No matter where we go, we see familiar faces. At the Expo we were pleased to see three Marathon Maniacs: (1) Earl Fenstermacher from Seattle, Washington, who was working at the Brooks Shoe Booth; (2) Terry Sentinella from Anacortes, Washington, race director of the Skagit Flats Marathon at Burlington, WA; and (3) Laura Garrett from Copperas Cove, Texas, at her runners jewelry booth. Thanks to MCM race director Rick Nealis, Jeff Hagen, these three friends and many others received guaranteed MCM entries at our April 5, 2008, Yakima River Canyon Marathon when Rick was our guest speaker. From the Expo at the Armory we drove to the Washington Post Building in downtown Washington, DC, for the annual Hall of Fame Dinner and entertainment by the Liberty Belles, an outstanding women’s trio. They wore red, white or blue costumes and sang patriotic and old-time songs that were reminiscent of the Andrews Sisters on U.S.O. tours during World War II. On Saturday, the day before the marathon, we spent all day at the race headquarters Capitol Hyatt Regency Hotel in Washington, DC. We attended the Boot Camp for Race Directors during the day and then attended the pasta meal in the evening. As in past years, we enjoyed the Boot Camp presentations, discussions and the opportunity to interact with many who contribute to race management. Special to all of us was the presentation by Bart Yasso of Runners World as he described his local and world wide running adventures. The highlight of the “Carbo Dining-In” at the Hyatt ballroom was our chance to visit with other race directors and friends at our table. We were honored that Dave McGillivary, race director of the Boston Marathon for 21 years and a member of the 100 Marathon Club North America, joined us. We enjoyed the songs sung by the Liberty Belles again and Dave’s inspirational talk as the guest speaker. With the accompaniment of slides, he described his career in race management and as a runner. He’s run 123 marathons including 37 Boston Marathons. Of these, 21 have been run in the evening of race day. His career total has reached 130,000 miles of running that includes two cross-country runs from California to Boston, Massachusetts. On race morning Jeff and Joyce Hagen joined us for the drive from the Red Roof Inn at Alexandria to our designated parking area near the Arlington Cemetery at Fort Myer. From there we walked to the VIP tent at the finish line that is close to the Marine Corps Memorial for a quick breakfast. Then it was time to go to the starting line. The wheelchair participants left at 8:25 a.m., and then a cannon boom started the rest of us at 8:30 a.m. The course is variable, from wooded areas and park trails along the Potomac River to urban areas in Rosslyn, Georgetown, Washington, DC, and Crystal City. The main attractions are the National Monuments on the Mall, the White House, the Capitol, Federal Buildings and Museums that we pass. A route change this year included the switching of two loops. I found it much easier to run the 3-mile Haines Point loop from Mile 12-15 instead of from Mile 17-20 as in previous years. Passing the monuments and major buildings in Miles 16-20 was stimulating and helped me run better this year. Even though it was a sunny day, I was able to run/walk in the last 10K faster than my walking pace would have been. An out-and-back section in the last mile had been eliminated and the finish line was closer to the short, steep hill at Mile 26 so the finish was more runner friendly. The race was won by Andrew Dumm, 23, of Arlington, Virginia, who ran his first marathon in a time of 2:22:44. He joined the lead runners in the sixth mile and made a move to take the lead near the 12 Mile marker on the Haines Point loop. He held his lead to the finish. In second place was Fred Joslyn, 24, of Rochester, Michigan, with a 2:23:54. He was followed by Corey Duquette, 26, of Pensacola, Florida, who was third with a 2:24:40. Running in her first marathon, also, Cate Fenster, 37, of Bethesda, Maryland, led the women runners to the finish line with a time of 2:48:55. She was followed by Lindsay Wilkens, 30, of Arlington, Virginia, who ran a 2:49:06 for second place. Melissa Tanner, 27, of Bethesda, Maryland, placed third with a 2:51:45. From Lake Chelan, Washington, to Lake Tahoe, California…..from Portland, Oregon, to Victoria, British Columbia….. and from Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Washington, DC. the Team Dolphin marathon adventure of “Six Marathons in Six Consecutive Weekends” was completed. Our 9th consecutive Marine Corps Marathon became history and we have so many good memories of another special weekend. We had a chance to see our friends from the MCM staff….Rick, Heidi, Mark and Connie…and announcer Ken. We interacted with the people who provide the shirts, the awards, heat sheets etc. for the MCM and we visited with race directors we knew from the past and met some new ones. We became better acquainted with Marathon Maniac Don Kienz, “The Rev,” who will be the guest speaker at our April 4, 2009, Yakima River Canyon Marathon. For the second year in a row our good friend Roadkill (Dave) Johnson from the Prince of Wales Island Marathon at Craig, Alaska, ran this race in honor of his father, Elvin Johnson from Ohio, one of the few survivors of Iwo Jima. This year Roadkill brought his wife Pauline, their two sons and families along with them. Dressed in a special patriotic outfit with last year’s MCM patch on it, Elvin was the HERO OF THE DAY for all of the Marines who saw him. We look forward to October 25, 2009, when Elvin will be at the Marine Corps Marathon with another patch on his sleeve. He’ll give another set of Marines a chance to see a real hero from World War II. Semper Fi!
…………………………..Written by Bob Dolphin
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PARTIAL RESULTS – MARINE CORPS MARATHON, October 26, 20082:22:44 Andrew Dumm, 23, Arlington, VA, OVERALL WINNER, 1st IN AGE DIVISION |