200 years later the legendary Colonel Fowler, through his job at HQMC post Vietnam War, was looking for a way to foster positive community relations with the public. The rise of popularity in running, the big boom of untold proportions that started the masses' love and fascination with distances that would make and break legends, gave Fowler an epic idea. What would happen if there was a marathon to do the duty of showcasing the excellence of one of the most prominent American military branches, while also serving the purpose of recruiting, fostering positive American community goodwill throughout the country, and giving local Marines the chance to qualify for the legendary, and somewhat mythical, Boston Marathon? He would soon find out, because the idea spread like wildfire, going all the way to the Secretary of the Navy. Year one came and went with unprecedented success for such a long distance race, and with no end in sight, with the future for the race's popularity at the winged fleet feet of the masses. The famous Marine Corps Marathon had begun to set roots in Washington, D.C. and with a parade permit for Year two, along with a beautiful new course, the People's Marathon was going to stay in the city for the unparalleled future. In years to come, Colonel Fowler's idea exploded in status, grasping the minds of international fame, and drawing attention as the fourth largest marathon in the United States and the ninth largest marathon in the world. Just one note, one memo if you will, got the ball rolling for a marathon of such untold, unprecedented, epic proportions that it would require a lottery for entry, and so, for runners, "March Madess," would begin.
For runners, Christmas comes early, or late, depending on the way you look at it. The real madness of March does not happen on the court; it happens in their email inboxes as with frenzied anxiety they greet a special March day with an instant email glimpse. They then continue to hit the refresh button until they could burn a hole through their computers, tablets, and mobile devices looking for that one email. The one email that opens with a "Congratulations!', and relief washes over them as they relax because they have an "in" to the Marine Corps Marathon.
The 19th of March dawned like any other, it was a Wednesday and I had a 4:00a wake up call. My dog needed a walk before I headed to the first client of the day for a training session and I could go ahead and start checking my inbox for my acceptance email from the Marine Corps Marathon. In typical, "I'm a great runner," arrogance (in my mind I'm a great runner, in reality, haha, believe me there are shortcomings) I thought my marathon experience would get me in no problem and at 4am BAM, my acceptance email would be there and I'd just celebrate the day away. However, at 4a my acceptance email wasn't there, no bother though, surely by lunch time I would have one, right? Usually with clients I have a strict no cell phone policy, but I could not help sneaking a peek at my email every few minutes, just in case, because hope was alive and the belief that I would get in was still there. The day wore on though, and no email came, and my hope turned to hopelessness and the bright, sunny belief turned to rain in my soul. 4p rolled around and I scrolled through all the excited "I Got in" Facebook posts, and with my self assurance of recent running failures that had doomed me to a life of race rejections, I lumbered out of the car and onto the Suwanee Creek Greenway for a detox run, only to get very, very lost. Frustrated and not wanting to look stupid I just kept running and eventually turned around at halfway to the distance I wanted to complete that day. Feeling dejected and mulling over the day day, I got lost, I wasn't accepted to my first big city race, I had (what I considered) a recent race failure, I resigned the day to be one of those I would soon forget. Finally finding my way back to my car, I grabbed my water bottle and downed half while cooling down and walking around, kicking up gravel and pretending the tiny rocks were the simple frustrations that were going as far across the parking lot as they could. It was time to put in some volunteer hours and I was late, mainly because I was lost, and I hated being late. If people depend on me to be somewhere on time, I do not want to form the impression that I am "that person" who is constantly wasting others' time by taking her own sweet time. I buckled my seat belt, and turned the key in the ignition and something in me said, "Just check your credit card statement one more time, what do you have to lose?" For the fifteenth time that day I checked my credit card statement and again, no change, but I curiously checked the temporary authorizations. From zero to sixty my eyed just about bugged out of my head and everyone in the parking lot stared at the screamer. I bust into my happy imitation of the carlton dance as I leapt out of the car. Not meaning to call attention to myself, but wanting to let the world know, I took to Facebook (& every other social media site I was a member of) to tell friends and family that I WAS IN!!! I WAS FINALLY IN!!! I was in, and I was not fast enough to run to win, as much as I wished I was, but I was fast enough to give it everything I have for a shot at qualifying for the Boston Marathon and bringing honor to the ones who fight for our freedoms. The feeling of probable rejection had turned around, as I set my sights on a peak performance for the People's Marathon.
I have run marathons before, but big city marathons are somewhat different in the sense that they draw an adventurous, stimulating, electrifying fanfare to the people that parade down the streets past monuments of glory, creating their own glory in the process. It is an honor to run with the Marines and carry on Colonel Fowler's tradition of helping to foster community goodwill, promoting physical fitness, and showcasing (or watching rather) the expertly executed organizational skills of the United States Marine Corps. Even though physically I run the Marine Corps marathon alone, mentally and spiritually I will be surrounded by the brave men and women who gave something and everything in the spirit of service and duty to country.
The madness of the long, long march to the Marine Corps Marathon in October has only just begun, and come October I am going to run, run for me, and run for them, but run because I am proud to be an American.
#runwiththemarines
http://www.marinemarathon.com/
http://www.marinemarathon.com/Register/MCM_Charity_Partners.htm
http://www.marinemarathon.com/MCM_Vault/MCM_History.htm
I got all of the information and did a little bit of research through the Marine Corps Marathon website, please take time to visit it and learn what the race is all about.
