FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"The People's Marathon" Celebrates Over 26,000 Finishes
Accompanying MCM10K boasts 6,419 finishers
QUANTICO, VA (Oct 31, 2018) - The 43rd Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) on
Sunday, Oct 28, 2018 started at 7:55 a.m. with a skydive presented by
Leidos, Marine Corps Osprey flyover, Battle Colors of the Marine Corps from
Marine Barracks 8th and I and the Howitzer blast coinciding with the firing
of the starting pistol by Chief Warrant Officer 4 Hershel "Woody" Williams,
the sole surviving U.S. Marine WWII Medal of Honor recipient.
Leading the crowd of the 20,700 finishers was local runner and Washington,
D.C. native Jeffrey Stein, 32, with a time of 2:22:49. The top female
finisher was Jenny Mendez, 38, of San Jose, Costa Rica with 2:40:19, who
logged her second MCM victory.
The Challenge Cup, where members of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines travel
thousands of miles to compete against the U.S. Marine Corps All-Marine
team, celebrated its 42st year of the friendly rivalry. Both male and
female divisions were won by the U.S. Marine Corps. The male lead was 2ndLt
Dylan Villescas with 2:28:17. The female top finisher 1stLt Lindsay
Carrick, also placed third overall for the MCM women top finishers. The
All-Marine women's team has won twelve out of the sixteen competitions.
The men's and women's divisions in the Armed Forces Competition, where
military runners representing each Armed Forces branch compete, were both
won by the U.S. Army. The U.S. Marine Corps placed second in the women's
division and U.S. Navy captured second place for the men.
Impressive and noteworthy finishes were also met from the following:
- The overall top hand cycle finishers were Omar Duran, 39, from New York,
NY with 1:21:28 and Tisha Knickerbocker, 27, with 2:21:54 from Jamesville,
NY.
- 2018 Hall of Fame Inductees:
Married couple Rob Taylor (5:28:02) and Donna Taylor (5:42:49) added to
their record of most husband-wife finishes with their 62nd and 63rd
finishes. LtCol Mark Cucuzzella, USAF, finished with a time of 3:02:46.
- Previous MCM winners:
Sarah Bishop, 2017 MCM top female finisher, fought hard and finished in
fourth place with 2:49:50. The top female finisher from 1998 and 2000 Donna
Moore completed the 43rd MCM in 5:56:29.
- Finish line proposals:
Royal Marine Sgt Robert Garthland and Emily Scrace added serious bling to
their finisher medals when Garthland got down on one knee after completing
the MCM. Wearing combat fatigues and boots while carrying a daysack,
Garthland finished with a time of 5:44:26. Scrace completed the MCM10K with
a time of 48:58 and met her now fiancé at the finish line. Both traveled
from the United Kingdom to run the Marine Corps Marathon and MCM10K to
raise money for a Royal Marines Charity. A second proposal occurred between
locals Drew Taylor (5:50:07) and Amber Harrison (6:16:23), who ran the MCM
side by side. Their special moment was shared with thirty friends and
family.
- Oldest finishers:
Age is just a number for the MCM oldest finisher Nat Shaffir, 81, from
Silver Springs, MD who finished in 7:17:22. An impressive finish with
6:32:08 was completed by the oldest female finisher, Jacqueline Bardol, 77,
from Alexandria, VA.
- Jump rope from start to finish:
Carlos Coffman, 57, from Bowie, MD jumped rope while running the entire
26.2 mile course with a time of 6:19:01.
- Sponsor participants included:
Brian Evanko, President of Government Business for Cigna Corporation, ran
the MCM in 4:04:58, alongside U.S. Army MSgt Raymundo Soto (Ret.). Sean
Huffman, vice president of sports medicine at MedStar Health, finished his
26.2 mile run in 4:06:20. Sally Brown, Senior Brand Manager, Vaseline,
finished the MCM in 4:10:02. Laura Lane, President of Global Public Affairs
at UPS, crossed the finish line of the Marathon at 5:06:40. Roger Krone,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Leidos, fired the starting pistol
then completed the MCM10K in 47:44. David Cordani, the President and CEO of
Cigna Corporation, finished the MCM10K in 1:19:15 while running alongside
two Achilles Freedom Team double-amputee athletes, U.S. Army Sgt Stefan
LeRoy (Ret.) and U.S. Army MSgt Cedric King (Ret.).
The Marine Corps Marathon (MCM), known as "The People's Marathon," promotes
physical fitness and generates community goodwill while showcasing the high
standards and discipline of the United States Marine Corps. Annually ranked
as one of the largest marathons in the US and the world, the MCM welcomes
runners from all 50 states and more than 60 countries. The MCM is presented
by Arlington County, Brooks, Cigna and Leidos. No federal or Marine Corps
endorsement is implied. Connect with the Marine Corps Marathon on Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Flickr. #RunWithTheMarines
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