Marines lined the way and shouted the Oorah battle cry—for me. That’s what I remember hearing after the wicked uphill charge to the finish at the Iwo Jima Memorial during the 1989 Marine Corps Marathon. As the fourth woman with a time of 2:52:07, few other runners were around me, and America’s finest service members made sure it was a finish that I’d never forget.
At the starting line, parachutists delivered a giant American flag while the National Anthem played, and throughout the race Marines could be seen volunteering. Some even ran in full gear. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate freedom than by running through the streets of our nation’s capitol to honor those who fought for it, and no other marathon inspires the same feelings of pride and patriotism that I experienced during this race.
MCM is my favorite marathon, and I love that it remains largely unchanged since it began in 1976. Over the years, “The People’s Marathon” has grown in size but has kept its roots as a no-frills event.
After passing the Smithsonian Institute, the U.S. Capitol, Jefferson Memorial, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and several other famous landmarks, I recall being awestruck by the massive grandeur of the Lincoln Memorial as the course swept through the Washington Mall. I suppose that’s why the MCM is nicknamed the “Marathon of the Monuments.”
Of course the loneliest stretch of the race—windy Hains Point—remains just that. In my race, running throughout the Hains Point peninsula came later, at mile 19. There, for the first time in a marathon, I beat the “bonk” and felt great as I passed other runners.
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There are many reasons to run the MCM: I ran in tribute to the military service of my husband, dad, and brother. And to this day, I remain humbled to have had a Marine place my finisher’s medal around my neck.
Nowhere else can you experience a great marathon, while touring famous landmarks, organized under the watchful eyes of the U.S. Marines.
Thank you to all who serve and have served our country.
