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Marine Corps Marathon Races Through Historic Fredericksburg
(May 28, 2010) |
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| | FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (MCN - May 20, 2010) — On May 16 the Marine Corps Marathon
hosted the Historic Half marathon as 5,425 participants crossed the finish line
in Fredericksburg. |
Marine volunteers from Quantico stand guard at
the start/finish line with the Marine Corps Marathon's mascot,
Miles, in preparation for the Historic Half in Fredericksburg on
May 16. |
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Among those who finished were Steve Hammel, from Arlington, Va.,
who won first place overall with a time of 1 hour 14 minutes and
40 seconds and Kristin Herring, of Elizabeth City, N.C., who
defended her title by beating all female participants with a
time of 1:26:26.
“I usually run a marathon and a half marathon a year,” said
Hammel. “I ran the Marine CorpsMarathon in October and I liked
the way it was organized so I decided to do this one, which
happened to be my best time for a half marathon.”
The top military runners, Cpl. Craig Clark and Navy Lt. Cmdr.
Fiona Halbritter, were both from Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va.
Clark, a finance clerk, finished the run approximately 6 minutes
after the overall winner with a time of 1:20:27, beating many of
his personal records.
“This is a great event, and it's nice to come out here and give
it everything you've got,” said Clark. “It's a really great day
for a run, and I had a bunch of personal records throughout the
race, so I'd really like to do this again.”
Marathons are a test of endurance and stamina. For many of the
participants 13.1 miles is a welcome trial with many benefits.
“I think marathons are a great way to challenge yourself, stay
active and healthy,” said Clark. “I also think it's a great
tribute to the troops, being a Marine Corps Sponsored event.” |
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Marines from the Quantico color guard present
the colors before wounded warriors at the start/finish line of
the Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon in Fredericksburg May
16. |
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Marine Corps Marathon mascots Miles and Molly also made an appearance to
cheer on runners as they made the 13.1 mile trek.“The best part of being the
mascot is helping out the Marines,” said Carl Huff, who played Miles and
spent time with the children and had a good time posing for pictures.
Throughout the race, jubilant family members and friends as well as Marines
and volunteers cheered and applauded runners as they strolled towards the
finish line.
“It is great to see families running together,” said Huff, who has been the
mascot for this run three years in a row. “For events like this, you don't
have to be a fantastic runner to participate; just come out here and have
fun.” | |
Article and photo by USMC Cpl. Christopher Duncan
Marine Corps Base Quantico
Copyright 2010
Reprinted from
Marine Corps News
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