Saturday flight, Saturday Expo – landed hour-half before bib pick-up end.  Lyft from Reagan, 20-minute drive ‘cross the Potomac.  Marine Corps Marathon.  Oorah!  I’m in!

Registration lottery, May drawing & my lot was pulled.  30 THOUSAND participants, nicknamed ‘the People’s Marathon’.  After New York [Nov 2015], never thought I’d run another MEGA-marathon.  Feel caged in with BIG crowds.  Gotta/hafta/must run Marine!

Hotel check-in, convenient digs two DC stops from tomorrow’s Start.  Left outta the Americana, 3 blocks to the Marriott/left inside the lobby, long underground shopping corridor to the Metro entrance.  Ticket pre-purchased.  I got this.

Food, sleeps, predawn alarm – marathon morn.  Indian caretaker downstairs asked if I was walking to the Pentagon.  Right outta the hotel – talk, talk talk – let his words drift/thanked him for the banana.  Never deviate on race day, not my first rodeo.

Crystal City-Pentagon City-Pentagon.  Tens of runners Blue Line bunched.  Quick trek, mere minutes.  ‘The Pentagon’ – words we generally only TV-hear, today run reality.  Long walk/multiple security stops.  2 MILE trek.  No worry ‘bout the distance, time concern.  Sea of marathoners stopped at bag security.  Focus, push through.  I’ve got nothing.  Push, push.  Corral start, 7 minutes to spare.  Elites made their way, my wave advanced forward.  Sooooooo many flags, military craft overhead – Oorah, I’m here!

PERFECT cool morning START.  Sunshine, lite breeze & a whole lotta company.  Mylar-unwrapped even before I tapped on the Garmin.  Out quick/caught the 4-hour bunny, then slowed & just enjoyed the ride.  No PR plan, too many runners for an amazing finish – photo journaling today’s adventure.

Blue mile, mile 12.  Pics of fallen soldiers, both sides of our path.  Every 10 feet a photo, another soldier – FOR AN ENTIRE MILE.  Female runner stopped ahead, talking to a placard.  Husband, brother?  Haven’t teared/outwardly lost it since St Jude’s.  Important to remember, be thankful for our freedom.

Regrouped at the Half (meds, hydration).  Goodbye Virginia, hello DC.  And the tour began…

Washington Monument.  On my right, thru the trees, straight ahead, then ran the field surrounding.  Museum of Natural History.  U.S. Capitol Building.  Senate, House of Representatives.  Sooooo many selfies.  LOL>  Never realized we would pass so close.

My run, my day.  Same medal whether I four-hour finish or 4:30 end 🙂

Revolutionary Washington on horseback stared across the National Mall – at HIS Monument/pillar of remembrance.  Few minutes outside Smithsonian Castle.  Another selfie.  More water.

Skies greyed, wind gusted, insta-chilled from early marathon moisture.  East Coast humid.  Marker 25: one last selfie, one last Marine Corps ‘Oorah’ – military FINISH 15 minutes later.

Marathon 133, 28^th FINISH of 2018.  THANKFUL, prayerful, USA PROUD 🇺🇸

Results from the 43rd Marine Corps Marathon

 

K R Haga   BIB 15357   Louisville, CO   04:35:16

 

HALF   02:04:05

30K   03:11:52

FINISH   04:35:16

 

START TIME  07:57:29 AM

TEMPERATURE  59 °F  |  15 °C

HUMIDITY  91%

Marine Corps Marathon