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News | Nov. 2, 2016

Army Sweeps Men’s and Women’s Armed Forces Marathon; Kosgei wins second Marine Corps Marathon

By Armed Forces Sports Armed Forces Sports

Army Spec. Samuel Kosgei (Fort Riley, Kansas) crossed the finish line with a time of 2:23:53 to win his second Marine Corps Marathon and Armed Forces gold. 

“I felt good”, Kosgei said.  “This was my second”, referring to his 2014 Marine Corps Marathon win.  

Kosgei’s win marks the 3rd straight year and fifth time in six years that a soldier captured the top men’s spot in the Marine Corps Marathon. 

Army Capt. Kenneth Foster of Denver, Colorado finished with a time of 2:28:02 and Army Spc. David Kiplaget of Fort Carson, Colorado crossed at 2:33:31 to place second and third respectively in the Armed Forces Men’s Championship.

Army’s dominance of the Armed Forces Championship continued this year as they won their sixth consecutive Men’s Armed Forces Team gold medal with all four scoring team members crossed in order, earning ten points, the lowest score possible under the current format.

Air Force (38 points) took team silver with Marine Corps (45 points) and Navy (54 points) placing third and fourth respectively.

Team scores are determined by the overall Armed Forces place, with the lowest scores determining the winner.  

Leading the Women’s Division for over 20 miles, Army Capt. Meghan Curran hoped to repeat her 2014 performance when she won the Marine Corps Marathon Women’s title.  

After battling stomach pain and the elements, Curran fell to second overall behind the winner Perry Shoemaker of Vienna, Virginia.  Curran’s toughness still prevailed as she won her second Armed Forces women’s crown.  

Rounding out the Armed Forces medalists were Army Pfc. Susan Tanui of Fort Riley, Kansas (3:06:26) and Marine Corps Capt. Danielle Pozun of Camp Pendleton, Calif. (3:07:23).

Army returned to the podium for the first time since 2013 with Curran and Tanui placing first and second respectively and earning three team points.  Marine Corps medaled for the second straight year earning team silver scoring seven team points.  Air Force (15 team points) and Navy (19 team points) placed third and fourth respectively.  

Kosgei and Curran’s performances earns them an automatic spot on the 2017 U.S. Armed Forces Marathon Team, which will compete in the Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM) World Military Marathon Championship in Ottawa, Canada in May.  Kosgei and Curran were on the 2015 U.S. Armed Forces Team at the CISM World Military World Games, which Curran led the U.S. Team to bronze.

The Armed Forces Championship has been held in conjunction with the Marine Corps Marathon since 1998 and is used in the selection process for the U.S. Armed Forces Marathon Team.  
In 2006, the Armed Forces Championship separated the men and women competitions for the first time, where it had previously been a combined men and women team competition.
The 2016 Armed Forces championship comes just four weeks after the CISM Military World Games in Turin, Italy. The US Armed Forces Women took team silver.  

Complete results:

Individual Medalists: 
Men:
1 - SPC Samuel Kosgei, Fort Riley, Kan. - 2:23:53 - Army
2 - CPT Kenneth Foster, Denver, Colo. - 2:28:02 - Army
3 - SPC David Kiplaget, Fort Carson, Colo. - 2:33:31 - Army

Women:
1 - CPT Meghan Curran, Denver, Colo. - 2:53:19 - Army 
2 - PFC Susan Tanui, Fort Riley, Kan. - 3:06:26 - Army
3 - Capt Danielle Pozun, Camp Pendleton, Calif. - 3:07:23 - USMC


Men’s Team Results (Four out of Six Runners Score):

Army Men Team Results – 10 Points:

1 - SPC Samuel Kosgei, Fort Riley, Kan. - 2:23:53
2 - CPT Kenneth Foster, Denver, Colo. - 2:28:02
3 - SPC David Kiplaget, Fort Carson, Colo. - 2:33:31
4 - CPT Chad Ware, Fort Bragg, N.C. - 2:33:57
9 - SSG Norman Mininger, Fort Leavenworth, Kan. - 2:40:42
23 - 1LT Bryce Livingston, Fort Drum, N.Y. - 3:04:17

Air Force Men Team Results – 38 Points:

6 - 2d Lt Sean O'Hollern, JB Langley-Eustis, Vir. - 2:35:58
7 - 1st Lt Isaiah Bragg, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio - 2:39:29
11 - Maj Bryan Kelly, Edwards AFB, Calif. - 2:43:06
14 - Maj Brian Dumm, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. - 2:46:19
18 - Col Douglas Wickert, Las Vegas, N.V. - 2:50:04
21 - Lt Col Mark Cucuzzella, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio - 2:55:26

Marine Corps Men Team Results – 45 Points:

5 - Capt Sean Barrett, Camp Pendleton, Calif. - 2:34:02
12 - Capt Calum Ramm, Fort Meade, M.d. - 2:45:26
13 - Capt Pedro Rodriguez, University of New Mexico, N.M. - 2:46:14
15 - Maj Richard Jennings, Pentagon, Washington, DC - 2:46:46
16 - Capt Nick Oltman, Pentagon, Washington, DC - 2:49:22
24 - Sgt Michael Siringer, Tampa, FL - 3:14:22

Navy Men Team Results – 54 Points:
8 - LT William Christian, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba - 2:40:20
10 - LCDR Steve Slaby, Port Hueneme, Calif. - 2:41:18
17 - ENS Justin Valdez, Portsmouth, Va. - 2:49:46
19 - LT Matthew Rouse, San Diego, Calif. - 2:51:20
20 - CDR Gene Severtson, USS Nevada - 2:55:14
22 - LCDR Christopher Springer, Spokane, Wash. - 3:00:24


Women’s Team Results (Two out of Four Runners Score):

Army Women Team Results – 3 Points:

1 - CPT Meghan Curran, Denver, Colo. - 2:53:19
2 - PFC Susan Tanui, Fort Riley, Kan. - 3:06:26
6 - CPT Nicole Solana, JB Lewis-McChord, Wash. - 3:13:58
14 - SPC Monika Kalicinska, Vilseck, Germany - 5:25:02

Marine Corps Women Team Results – 7 Points:

3 - Capt Danielle Pozun, Camp Pendleton, Calif. - 3:07:23
4 - Capt Angelica Valdez, Pentagon, Washington, DC - 3:10:11
5 - GySgt Sara Pacheco, Quantico, Va. - 3:11:01
--   Capt Christine Taranto, Quantico, Va. - DNF

Air Force Women Team Results – 15 Points:

7 - Capt Sarah Buker, Peterson AFB, Colo. - 3:19:01
8 - Capt Amy Natalini , Scott AFB, Ill. - 3:19:01
11 - Capt Corrine Lamberson, Scott AFB, Ill. - 3:28:08

Navy Women Team Results – 19 Points:

9 - LTJG Meghan Connor, NAS North Island, Calif. - 3:21:53
10 - LT Jessica Kawamura, USS Cape St. George - 3:28:07
12 - LTJG Jennifer Jones, USS Donald Cook - 3:33:26
13 - LTJG Alison Elenbass, USS Cape St. George - 4:11:03