Army Reservist wins Marine Corps Marathon; 90-year-old Marine finishes
October 31st, 2011 | Marine Corps Marathon Running | Posted by Phil Creed
Chad Ware is seen moments after he crossed the finish first to win the 36th Marine Corps Marathon. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Some 30,000 masochists runners wasted enjoyed Sunday’s georgous weather in Washington D.C. by taking part in the 36th Marine Corps Marathon. Among those running this year was The Price is Right host Drew Carey, a former Marine Corps reservist who was participating in his first marathon.
This year’s winner was Army Reserve 1st Lt. Charles Ware, who finished in 2:19:16, the best MCM finish since 1997.
Ware’s nearest competitor finished more than four minutes behind him.
Perhaps almost as impressive as Ware’s finish was the fact that retired Marine Col. Johnathan Mendes, 90, completed the race. Mendes, who earned a Distinguished Flying Cross in 1953 during the Korean War, was the race’s oldest participant.
“You only go around once,” Mendes told Military Times before the race. “Why not have some fun?”
Now that’s one tough Marine.
Marine Corps Marathon basics
October 27th, 2011 | After Action Marine Corps Marathon Running | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Runners race through the streets of Georgetown during the 2010 Marine Corps Marathon (Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Reagan Lodge).
After Action wants to give a shout out to the tens of thousands of runners toeing the line at the 36th Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday. Here’s hoping the months of grueling long-runs pay off with a huge PR.
In town and thinking about watching the marathon? Aren’t sure when the gun goes off? Figure you’ll catch a Metro train and see where you end up? Don’t worry if you haven’t done your pre-race homework – event organizers have you covered.
The MCM folks have put out a special video guide for spectators with some viewer-friendly locations and race-watching tips. Metro opens at 5 a.m. on race day, with opening ceremonies slated for 7:30 a.m.
Organizers have even made it possible for the couch potato fans to follow the progress of a friend, a spouse or a fellow service member. Make sure both the runner and the fan base have registered for the marathon’s extensive social media network, which will track individual racers via Twitter and Facebook posts, and even send text messages. And if you’re doing the tweeting, add #36thMCM to be a part of the race-long conversation.
Former Navy runner gets another chance to compete
July 20th, 2011 | Navy Running | Posted by Sean Smyth
A former Naval Academy runner is back on track, representing the U.S. this week at the Military World Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Ensign Andrew Hanko of Montville, N.J., the three-time Patriot League champion in the 5,000 meters, graduated from the academy last month, and he’s been training in Annapolis while he awaits nuclear-power school in Charleston, S.C., which begins in September.
Hanko is running the 5,000 in the quadrennial competition; preliminaries are being held Thursday and Friday, with the finals on Saturday.
Read more about Hanko in Jane Havsy’s story on the Daily Record of Morris County’s website.
Air Force runners finish strong in Boston Marathon
April 20th, 2011 | Air Force Running | Posted by Blair Tomlinson
The 2011 Boston Marathon featured an inspirational showing by an 81-year-old Air Force veteran and a blazing finish from an Air Force active-duty female runner.
First Lt. Caroline White, from the 80th Operations Support Squadron at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, finished in 2:37:30, a personal best and enough to take 18th place in her division. White is a winner and a beast of a runner.
White wasn’t the only runner to represent the Air Force with distinction. Air Force veteran Clarence Hartley, 81, has survived two wars and two types of cancer. The Korean and Vietnam vet, who was featured in Runner’s World last month, can now add conquering the Boston Marathon to his resume, as he managed to finish at 4:26:25.
The retired lieutenant colonel didn’t start running in races until after his 24 years in the Air Force (where he received the Distinguished Flying Cross and five air medals.) Hartley reached his running prime in 2005 and had his sites set on the Boston Marathon but was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Two years later he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He underwent chemotherapy and is now cancer-free.
Oddly enough the 81-year-old was quoted in the Runner’s World article saying, “I have to look for porta-potties more often, though. Hopefully there’ll be plenty of those at Boston.”
This man is more successful than you
January 20th, 2011 | Running | Posted by Scott Fontaine
Capt. James Bales is an orthopedic surgeon and is training for the 2012 Olympics. (Air Force photo.)
Capt. James Bales is an Air Force officer, an orthopedic surgeon, a star triathlete and is training to compete in the 2012 Olympics.
Makes you feel like a doughy dullard, doesn’t it?
But wait, there’s more: The Air Force brass named Bales of Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., as the service’s top male athlete of 2010.
And while the rest of us were dealing with frigid temperatures, the doc was in San Diego last month to accept the award at the annual Air Force Sports Directors Conference.
Now Bales, on staff at the Air Force Academy, is training for the 2012 Summer Games in London as part of the World Class Athlete Program.
The program, which is admittedly a pretty sweet deal for anyone involved, should provide Bales with some much needed shut-eye.
“It gives me dedicated time to recover from tough workout sessions,” he said in a release. “This includes getting eight hours of sleep a night. This is in stark contrast to my time as an orthopedic resident when I was averaging only a few hours of sleep a night and on-call for the hospital an average of every fourth night.
Bales swam at the Air Force Academy, from which he graduated in 2001. And when he attended medical school, he jogged or cycled the 10-mile commute to save money. He has competed in Ironman triathlons since 2002.
“It all started as a means to avoid the parking fees at school,” he said.
He won the 2010 Armed Forces Triathlon Naval Base at Ventura County, Calif., in June with a time of 1 hour, 46 minutes, 32 seconds. He had finished second the previous six races.
He’ll stay busy over the next two years. Bales must travel the globe to compete and collect enough points to qualify for the Olympics Trials.
But he has another trial looming: taking the orthopedic board exams this July.
Barefoot running allowed at Air Force gyms
July 15th, 2010 | Air Force Running | Posted by Mike Hoffman
Air Force barefoot runners breathe easy. Rumors flooded into our e-mail box after we published a feature on barefoot running. Airmen wondered if the rumor was true: Are Vibram Five Fingers shoes banned from Air Force gyms or while wearing the PT uniform?
Staff Sgt. Darrell Knowlton was told when he walked into his base gym at Andrews Air Force Base to take his Five Fingers off. Tech Sgt. Bradley Smith also heard a rumor the barefoot shoes were banned while wearing the PT uniform.
After Action took the rumors to the source. Beth Gosselin, an Air Force spokeswoman, confirmed that barefoot shoes are authorized for wear in a PT uniform and allowed at base gyms. However, airmen must wear socks under the shoes that look more like rubber feet when wearing their PT uniform. Commanders can also ban them if they feel their wear is unsafe, Gosselin said.
“There is no Air Force policy banning these shoes. Right now, individual commanders determine whether or not the shoes are suitable for PT wear,” she said in an e-mailed statement.
Soldiers, Marines storm Boston Marathon
April 21st, 2010 | Army Marine Corps Running | Posted by Sean Smyth
Soldiers and Marines participate Monday in the 114th running of the Boston Marathon. Above, the service members pass the Framingham railroad station, in background on right, near Mile 6. (Mariah Walters Edmonds // Staff)
More than 20 miles later, the service members cross the finish line in Boston's Copley Square. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye // The Associated Press)
Know of any service members that ran in Monday’s race and weren’t in uniform? Drop us a line at ssmyth@atpco.com.
It’s another Marathon Monday
April 18th, 2010 | After Action Marine Corps Running | Posted by Sean Smyth
Anyone familiar with the Boston Marathon knows it’s one of the biggest events in the running world — thousands taking over the streets of the Boston suburbs, crossing over the infamous Heartbreak Hill and barreling downhill toward the city’s historic Back Bay. There’s a military tie-in, too: it happens on Patriots’ Day, which commemorates the first battles of the Revolutionary War.
There always are a number of stories that go along with the race that really hit a nerve, and there often is a decent contingent of military runners participating, both stateside and in parallel races run in the war zones.
For one Marine participating in this year’s 114th Boston Marathon, the race — the wheelchair participants leave the starting line in Hopkinton a little after 9 a.m. Monday — means more. Maj. Gus Biggio is running in memory of his buddy, Marine Sgt. Bill Cahir, who died in August in Afghanistan after suffering a gunshot wound. Cahir’s story in its own right touches many. He gave up a promising career in the world of Washington journalism to serve his country, doing two tours of Iraq before going to Afghanistan.
Biggio says he’s raised $5,00 for the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund. As Biggio told the Boston Herald in a story that was published Saturday: “I think of Bill telling me that pain and discomfort are relatively temporary.”
Those interested in following the progress of Biggio or any other military runner can log onto the marathon’s website.