WASHINGTON, D.C. –
As “The People’s Marathon” kicks off its 49th year Sunday, more than 22,000 runners ages 14 to 85 from all U.S. states and more than 60 countries will push themselves 26.2 miles to earn their medals.
Armed Forces Marathon Championship elite runners will fight for their spot to earn their spots on the podiums for the top four male finishers and top two female finishers, earning bragging rights for their service branches.
The first MCM in November 1976 had 1,175 runners. It’s called “The People’s Marathon” because it’s one of the largest marathons in the world that doesn’t offer prize money.
Retired Marine Lt. Gen. Francis Wilson helped shape the Marine Corps Marathon while assigned to Quantico, Virginia.
“It offers no prize money. It’s purely a celebration of every finisher’s honor, courage and commitment to train and complete the marathon,” she said.
In addition to the marathon, many events have been added, such as the Challenge Cup in 1978, between the U.S. Marines and the British Royal Navy and Royal Marines, and the Kids Run in 2000, to inspire the next generation of runners.
Challenge Cup
“The Challenge Cup is the most traditional and cherished competition within the wider competition of the Marine Corps Marathon because it’s between two of the most storied and revered military institutions in the world,” said Alex Hetherington, MCM race director. “Since the respect is mutual and extends beyond respect to trust and admiration, the competition is fierce, and victory is both coveted and meaningful.”
The winning men’s team is determined by the lower combined time of the top three fastest finishers from each team. The winning men’s team receives the Challenge Cup trophy, an 1897 Victorian silver cup, originally belonging to H.M.S. Victory.
The winning women’s team is determined by the lower combined time of the top two fastest finishers from each team. They receive the women’s Challenge Cup trophy, a Royal Navy silver cup, originally presented by B.H. Rose, Esq. in 1901 as the Nore Command Athletics Wrens Inter Unit Trophy.
Since 1978, the Men’s record is 28 Royal Navy versus 16 U.S. Marines. Since 1998, the Women’s record is 16 U.S. Marines versus 4 Royal Navy.
Royal Navy Commander Lyndsey Netherwood, Assistant Naval Attaché, Washington, D.C., officially lay down the challenge. Marine Gen. Brig. Gen. Jason Woodworth, commander, Marine Corps Installations Command and assistant deputy commandant, Installations and Logistics (Facilities) accepted the challenge.
“We know the importance of sport to our services,” Netherwood said. “It underpins the fighting ethos for our services, contributing to operational effectiveness and to military ethos through personal and team development and will to win. It strengthens identity and teamwork, self-reliance, that mental resolve to overcome difficulty through leadership and grit and that winning spirit.”
Woodworth said spending a year career broadening with the Royal Marines was one of the greatest privileges of his military career and appreciates the partnerships of the two nations.
“I admire athletes at this elite level who strive every single minute to be excellent,” he said. “That creates shared sacrifice amongst the teams. This Challenge Cup gives these teams an opportunity for reflection, recognition, respect and rededication to what it means to serve in the defense for freedoms we enjoy and the values that we have established to sustain us.”
The British and U.S. Marine men’s team said they think the competition will be tight.
“The teams are quite evenly matched,” said Royal Navy Lt. William Pannell, who was the first Navy finisher last year. His team won the cup last year. “We’ve been watching the workouts and runs of the top three Marines and see how they compare to our fittest athletes. It’s going to be close. Everyone’s put in the training and done the hard work.”
He said they follow the Marine’s top runners on social media to see how they’re doing but ultimately, it’s a race with yourself.
“We really appreciate that everyone gets there through the same hard grit and determination,” he said. “When you get to that finish line, no matter how well you’ve done, everyone knows what the other athletes have been through. It’s a camaraderie, not just with the service branch, but like everybody out there on the course.”
He serves as a deck operations officer on the HMS Queen Elizabeth. He said when he deploys with carriers, he serves with U.S. Marines who fly and work on F-35s. He said participating in races helps build friendships across the pond.
Pannell joked that his “rabbit,” the person he’s going to keep in his sites and try to beat by 30 seconds, is Marine Capt. Anthony Malatesta.
“Last year, he beat me by 30 seconds in the marathon, and then when he came over to do a half marathon, he beat me again by 30 seconds,” he said laughing. “Every time I’m doing a training session, I’m picturing him just ahead of me.”
Malatesta was the second Marine to finish last year and beat all the British runners.
“This year, Will’s my rabbit,” Malatesta said, smiling. “I’ve seen his training on Strava, and he’s really getting after it. I think I’ll be lucky to hang onto his coat tails. The heat and humidity of last year was an advantage to us last year. This year’s race is going to be shockingly close.”
He said the teams are evenly matched.
“Sean Barrett is fantastic; he’s very talented. It’s going to be Kyle, Sean and Luke,” he said.