MARINE CORPS MARATHON Prologue by Lenore Dolphin – Soon after Bob and I were asked to be co-directors of the new Yakima River Canyon Marathon in 2000, Marty Wanless, sports marketer from Vancouver, BC, suggested that we attend the Race Directors Workshop held early in October in conjunction with the Portland Marathon. We took his advice and participated for five consecutive years. We’ve also had the privilege to attend two Race Directors Conferences at the Boston Marathon and many at the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) since then. At these events we’ve met race directors from many races, both big and small, and have had good experiences from all of our participation. The most memorable day was the first one at Portland in 2000 when we “adopted” Rick Nealis, MCM Race Director, into our family. It was the tenth consecutive year that Lenore and I have made the west coast to east coast trip from Seattle to Washington, DC, so that we could participate in the Marine Corps Marathon at Washington, DC, and adjoining Virginia. It’s a big event for us, and we enjoyed visiting with Rick Nealis, his staff and many members of the running community who gathered at the 34th running of this marathon on Sunday, October 25, 2009. We arrived in Washington, DC, on Thursday evening and went to our usual motel in Alexandria, Virginia. The next day we drove to downtown Washington to the Expo and Packet Pickup that was held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center for the first time. It’s a large, modern facility, but it lacks a good parking garage for patrons who drive to the Center. Later in the evening we attended the MCM Hall of Fame awards dinner and reception at the Washington Post Building. Lieutenant Colonel Alex Heatherington was inducted to this prestigious group as a member of the Class of 2009. Following many tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, he is now attached to a Marine Light Attack Squadron at Camp Pendleton in California. He had served eleven years with the all-Marine Marathon Team and was its captain for eight years. In the 1995 MCM he finished 10th overall with a PR of 2:29:30. Kenny Moore was also inducted as part of the Class of 2009. He was recognized for being the winner of the first MCM in 1976 with a time of 2:21:18. He has had a long career as a competitive runner, screen writer and journalist at “Sports Illustrated.” On Saturday afternoon we met Marathon Maniac Don “The Rev” Kienz and his wife Pam from Exton, Pennsylvania at our motel in Alexandria. Don was the guest speaker at the Yakima River Canyon Marathon this year. He’ll be joined by famous author Joe Henderson at our 10th anniversary race on March 27, 2010, as a speaker at our pasta meal the previous evening. Don introduced us to their friends, Chris and Kim Ihms of Avon Lake, Ohio, and the six of us drove to the Hyatt Regency Washington Hotel Race Headquarters for the Carbo Dining In. We enjoyed the buffet meal and the good entertainment. The next morning we three couples met again and drove to Fort Myer where we were able to park our cars near the Rosslyn gate for easy access to the nearby start/finish area for the MCM. We walked through a marathon tent city near the Marine Corps Memorial and found the VIP tent where we socialized and had breakfast. After daybreak, the air temperature crept upward from 50 degrees to 60 degrees, and the runners left the tent to walk on a paved trail alongside Arlington Cemetery to the Starting Line’s red and yellow arch over the timing mats. Wearing Bib #80 I could have lined up with the front runners, but this year I chose to move well back in the field of over 20,000 runners. The cannon sounded at 8:00 a.m., and I crossed the start mat five minutes later. The first two miles went uphill through the city of Rosslyn, Virginia, so I walked the steeper second mile. Don and Chris were running well and passed me in the 4th mile. As I moved onto the Key Bridge over the Potomac River, to my pleasant surprise John “The Penguin” Bingham called my name in greeting. My race improved in about the 10th mile as we came to better conditions by the Potomac River. A cooling breeze, shade trees and flat terrain in West and East Potomac Park were most welcome. Later, circling The Mall is always a pleasure as we pass many monuments and Government buildings that define our country. Although I became preoccupied with finishing under six hours, the last 10K went fairly well. In the 24th mile my run/walk wasn’t working well, so I walked exclusively for the last two miles at a 14:30 pace. Climbing the last short hill at Mile 26 was a struggle, but I got to the finish line in 5:55:31, 18,892nd of 20,882 finishers and 6th of 16 in the 75 and over Male Division. I was the oldest male finisher and the second to the oldest finisher. Anneliese Monniere, 82, a registered nurse of Pleasant Valley, Connecticut, was the oldest participant as she finished in 6:39:47. As soon as I made it to the VIP tent, I found Chris Ihms, 53, a former fellow Marine, and congratulated him for finishing his first marathon in a time of 5:44:21. He has a history of heart and kidney problems, so we’re proud of him as he took on this challenge and met his goal of completing the Marine Corps Marathon. “The Rev” accompanied him and gave him encouragement during the entire race. Because the MCM does not offer prize money, the international pros go elsewhere and other runners have a chance of winning or placing. Military servicemen who are good marathoners usually do well at the MCM. This year the winner was Lieutenant Commander John Mentzer, 33, of the U.S. Navy and Kittery, Maine. He took the lead early and widened it to over three minutes before he persisted through the difficult final miles to a 2:21:47 first place finish. Captain Jacob Johnson, 32, of the U.S. Air Force and Sherwood, Arizona, took over second place with a half mile to go and finished with a time of 2:25:02. Sergeant Salvadore Miranda, 38, of the Mexican Military, a 2004 Olympian, held second place until he was passed and then finished third with a 2:25:24. Muliye Gurmu, 25, of Ethopia won the women’s race in 2:49:48. She drafted on other women and then out-sprinted them in the last windy mile. Major Jamee Marty, 42, of the U.S. Air Force who resides in Sacramento, California, ran in third place for much of the race but took the lead at Mile 23. She then came in second after Muliye passed her. Her time of 2:50:15 set a Women’s Masters Course Record. Close behind in third place was Kyla Barbour, 31, of Atlanta, Georgia, who finished with a 2:50:47. My tenth consecutive MCM is history, and our thanks go to Rick Nealis and his staff for putting on another great marathon. In our ten trips east for this MCM we’ve had the opportunity to visit the monuments, the capitol, MCM Headquarters and the Marine Corps Museum in Quantico and to spend time with old and new friends. This year we enjoyed a dinner in Alexandria with Renee Dexter and Michaela Gaaserud from Rainmaker Publishing in Oakton, Virginia. We first met them on our trip East in 2005 after they had asked me to write a chapter about the Yakima River Canyon Marathon for their book, “From Fairbanks to Boston…50 Great U.S. Marathons.” They gave us an autographed copy of their newest book, “From Kona to Lake Placid…50 Great U.S. Triathlons.” Both books are available at: Rainmaker Publishing LLC, P.O. Box 3102, Oakton, VA, 22124-3102. www.rainmakerpublishing.com. We look forward to the 35th running of the Marine Corps Marathon on October 31. 2010. Semper fi! Epilogue by Lenore – When Bob and I arrive at an Expo for another marathon, we always wonder “which friend or acquaintance will be the first person we see.” As we were looking for a parking place in Washington, DC, we spotted Marty Wanless on the street corner, and once inside the Expo it was Connie Sayers from the MCM Staff who saw us. From that time on, it was “old home week for us.” At the Carbo Dining In meal, emcee Ken Berger introduced Bob as a runner who had just completed Marathon #452 at the Portland Marathon on October 4th, his 80th birthday…..and Heidi Baise, former MCM staff member, gave us hugs and said she’d be running her first marathon the next day. (She did it in 3:05:20!!) The next day at the VIP tent after the race had started, Connie Sayers and Ken joined me for breakfast, and John “The Penguin” Bingham had lunch with me. For the 10th year in a row Kirsten and Bob Elling from Schenectady, New York, were there to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Known as “The Newlyweds,” they were married at the MCM in 1996. John Elliott from Marathon Guide got race results for me, and MCM staff members Marc Goldman and Meghan McGarvey “took good care of me” all weekend. The MCM has been good to us, and we have great memories from our ten visits. It’s here that we met Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas who later invited us to dinner at the Governor’s Mansion when Bob ran the Little Rock Marathon. One year I visited with Mike Reagan, President Reagan’s son, as we waited for Bob and his wife to finish the marathon. He asked to have his picture taken with Bob! It was a thrill to introduce former Marines Chris Ihms just before he ran his first marathon and Wally Kastner, Race Director of Big Sur Marathon, who has run many marathons…..and to see the camaraderie between the two of them. It was here that we saw Roadkill Johnson of Craig, Alaska, last year as he ran his last marathon less than two months before he died. He had honored his father, an Iwo Jima survivor, in 2007 and 2008 at this race to give him memories he’ll never forget. Another memory to cherish is remembering the 2007 MCM when Gunhild and Jack Swanson were with us. As a former Marine, Jack wanted this to be his last marathon…..and it was. He lost his battle to cancer eleven months later. Little did we realize how much Marty’s suggestion to attend the 2000 Portland Marathon Race Directors Workshop would change our lives. It was there that we added Rick Nealis to “our family”….and this led us to become part of the “MCM Family.” We’ll be forever grateful to Rick, his staff and all who make the Marine Corps Marathon such a great, annual experience for us. …………………………..Written by Bob Dolphin |