3:24

As many of you are aware, I have always enjoyed running. I ran the Twin Cities marathon in 2006 and decided it was time to try another race. With that said, I signed up for the 35th Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) in Washington DC, which was held this past weekend. The weather was fantastic! The marathon was very well organized, there were thousands of fans, and I finished with a new personal record. What else could you ask for? My official finish time was 3:24, which was good enough for 789 out of approximately 32,000 runners. I am still pretty sore from the 26.2 mile hike, but the feeling of crossing the finish line is like no other and was well worth the four months of training.

Here is a little information about the MCM. The MCM was established in 1976, and as of 2009, the MCM became the fourth largest marathon in the U.S. and the eighth largest in the world, with runners from more than 50 participating countries. The total participants for the 2010 MCM was estimated at approximately 32,000. The MCM is known as "The People's Marathon" because it is open to all runners ages 14 and above and is the largest marathon not to offer prize money. As you can see in the photo below, I was not only idiot dumb enough to run 26.2 miles!

The course was amazing, especially if you love history. We started the race in Arlington right next to the Arlington Cemetery. After a few miles in Roslyn, VA we went across the Potomac River into historic Georgetown, which was packed with fans! We then made our way along the Potomac River into downtown DC and the Mall area. The sights of the Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Capitol and the Washington Monument were wonderful sights, even after running 14 miles. After the Mall area, we went back over the Potomac River in Crystal City, VA and pass the Pentagon. Finally, we finished at the base of the Iwo Jima memorial, which happens to be my favorite monument in DC.

I have to give a shout out to Laurie. She was amazing during the race as she met me at five different spots to give me water, sports beans, and some extra motivation to finish strong. In fact, she nearly ran a half marathon herself trying to meet me at those various points. She was awesome!



Overall, the weekend was amazing. I had a great time and really look forward to fattening up over the course of the next few weeks. Beer never sounded (and tasted) so good! This will probably be my last marathon, but the idea of half-marathons, 10-milers, and 10-k races already sound appealing! Here are a few more photos from race day...

- Bobby