WASHINGTON, D.C. –
While more than 20,000 runners from around the world will be earning their Eagle, Globe and Anchor medals at the 49th Marine Corps Marathon this Sunday, military elite runners representing the service branches will compete in the Armed Forces Championship.
Throughout a slightly hilly terrain among the nation’s monuments, beginning at the Pentagon and ending on a hill at the Iwo Jima monument, these athletes will run 26.2 miles of the “People’s Marathon” to see who can take home the championship for their service branch.
Air Force
“This year, the Air Force teams each have some returning athletes and new faces,” said Air Force Maj. Fritz Stoppelbein, Air Force team coach. “The women’s team is looking to improve on last year’s 2nd place finish at the Armed Forces Championship while the men’s team is prepared to compete for a top 3 finish with a few new athletes on the team this year. Many athletes are coming off top finishes at the recent Air Force Marathon in Dayton, Ohio, in September and are primed for an outstanding performance in D.C.”
Army
“We have a goal of winning the Armed Forces Championship for the Army,” said Army Maj. Ermin Mujezinovic. “We want to beat the Navy. Last year, I wasn’t happy we got second after winning the Cross Country National. I recruited a few of my running friends to come this year, so we could do our best to win the marathon for the Army.”
Mujezinovic has been running his whole life and has just run Berlin in 2 hours 32 minutes, with an average pace of 5:46 per mile. He said the championship, just like serving in the Army, is about team.
“It’s always about team,” he said. “We train together, help and pace each other during the race, pass each other water or gels just as if it were a deployment. My goal is to contribute to the team and help the team win.”
Blue Mile
On mile 12 of the Marine Corps Marathon, Wear Blue: Run to Remember honors fallen service members. Mujezinovic said he dedicated his 2017 MCM and this year’s MCM to his fallen Virginia Military Institute classmate, Capt. Shawn Hogan, who passed away during a deployment.
Navy, Marines
“The Navy men’s and women’s marathon teams are looking very strong for this year’s Armed Forces Championship,” said Derek Oskutis, All-Navy marathon head coach. “The men placed first overall, and the women placed second overall last year. Our team has many new faces this year, but we’re excited to see how we perform against our fellow service branches.”
The Marines won the Military Men’s Championship last year, and Marine Maj. Kyle King said he hopes they can repeat the win this year.
“The Marine Corps Marathon is a brutal and unforgiving race, and there are so many things that can go wrong,” he said. “The Men’s All-Marine Team has three runners all in contention for first place. Winning the team title is our biggest goal this year. I don’t have a time goal this year, since my operational work requirements took priority over running, but I hope to position myself in the first half of the race to be competitive for the individual title.”
King won the MCM in 2022 with a time of 2:19, when he trained an average of 60 to 90 minutes a day in the three months leading up to the race. He was the first active-duty member to win the race in 39 years. He said he hopes his win and continued racing with the team inspires others.
“I hope to inspire people to set goals and create tangible steps at obtaining them,” he said. “When I ran the race in 2022, I trained for an average of 60 to 90 minutes a day in the months leading up to the race. Prioritize what you want to be great at and dedicate an hour to it every day. You might surprise yourself.”
King said he loves being part of the Marine running team.
“We’re stationed across the country and abroad. It’s always special to come together and race,” he said. “The vast majority of us aren’t able to train together regularly, but we all keep tabs on each other and encourage each other. When it comes to racing, the best part of the team aspect is that it becomes bigger than yourself.”