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News | Oct. 28, 2024

Navy women, Marine Men take top honors in 2024 Armed Forces Marathon

By Armed Forces Sports U.S. Armed Forces Sports

Ospreys flew overhead as the cannon woke the masses to start the 49th Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, October 27. Featured up front were the elite field of runners that made up the Armed Forces Championship.

Returning to this year’s championship are Marine Major Kyle King and Lt. Cmdr. Jordan Tropf, former winners of the Marine Corps Marathon. 

In this year’s Marine Corps Marathon theme, “Celebrating Women in Service – A Bond that Bridges Generations”, it was Navy who dominated the competition with Lt. Megan Walsh of Naval Base San Diego, Calif. and Lt. Madison Overby of Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia taking the gold and bronze respectively in the Armed Forces Championship. 

Walsh and Overby’s performance helped solidify the team’s score with Cmdr. Gina Slaby of Bremerton, Wash. and Coast Guard Lt. Rachel Birchill of the University of New Orleans close behind. 

Marine Major Mollie Geyer of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif. took silver launching the Marines to second place for team silver. 
Army and Air Force finished third and fourth to round out the competition.  

On the men’s side, it was Kyle King once again taking the top of the podium of the Marine Corps Marathon as well as winning gold in the Armed Forces Championship.

In a stunning performance, King along with Air Force Capt George Crist of Travis AFB, Calif. and Army Capt Kyle Smith of Fort Carson, Colo. raced to second and third place in the overall Marine Corps Marathon as well as the Armed Forces Championship.  

Navy was in reach of a repeat with solid performances.  But King and fellow teammates Capt Luke Gilman and Capt Pete Skwarlo both out of Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia and Capt Anthony Malatesta of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C. rallied to secure the Marine Corps men’s lead to the top of the podium for their second time in team history and first since 2022.  

The Air Force and Army rounded out the field in third and fourth. 

The Armed Forces Marathon Championship has been held in conjunction with the Marine Corps Marathon since 1998. In addition to the Armed Forces Championship, the United States Marine Corps and British Royal Navy/Marines continue their long historic Challenge Cup competition. 
This year, both Marine Corps men and women took their respective cups with the British coach hailing their performance on their day of days in Washington, D.C.

Complete results:

INDIVIDUAL WOMEN RESULTS

Gold:  LT Megan Walsh, NB San Diego, CA - Navy - 2:53:58
Silver:  Maj Mollie Geyer, MCAS Miramar, CA - USMC - 2:57:09
Bronze:  LT Madison Overby, NS Norfolk, VA - Navy - 2:58:23
4th Place:  Lt Col Elissa Ballas, Travis AFB, CA - USAF - 3:04:02
5th Place:  CDR Gina Slaby, Naval Base Kitsap, WA - Navy - 3:04:36
6th Place:  2LT Haley Seaward, Fort Liberty, NC - Army - 3:05:10
7th Place:  CPT Emily McKinney, Camp Humphreys, KOR - Army - 3:09:53
8th Place:  1stLt Pamela O'Brien, Camp Pendleton, CA - USMC - 3:12:34
9th Place:  CPT Jenny Metzler, White House Military Office, DC - Army - 3:12:43
10th Place:  Capt Grace Jenkins, University of Hawaii - MOI - USMC - 3:15:42
11th Place:  LT Rachel Burchill*, University of New Orleans - Navy - 3:16:58
12th Place:  Lt Col Amy Natalini, Pentagon, VA - USAF - 3:20:18
13th Place:  1stLt Samantha Frain, Camp Lejeune, NC - USMC - 3:28:20
14th Place:  1st Lt Caroline Wittich, Patrick SFB, FL - USAF - 3:30:52
15th Place:  CPT Kristen Gray, Fort Meade, MD - Army - DNF
16th Place:  Maj Adrianna Dong, Robins AFB, GA - USAF - DNS
*Coast Guard Runner

INDIVIDUAL MEN RESULTS

Gold:  Maj Kyle King, 29 Palms, CA - USMC - 2:25:06
Silver:  Capt George Crist, Travis AFB, CA - USAF - 2:26:19
Bronze:  CPT Kyle Smith, Fort Carson, CO - Army - 2:27:02
4th Place:  Capt Luke Gilman, Quantico, VA - USMC - 2:28:17
5th Place:  LTJG John Bowers, NAS Corpus Christi, TX - Navy - 2:29:49
6th Place:  Capt Anthony Malatesta, Cherry Point, NC - USMC - 2:30:42
7th Place:  LCDR Jordan Tropf, Naval Base Guam - Navy - 2:32:58
8th Place:  PO1 Tesfaye Wosene, Camp Pendleton, CA - Navy - 2:33:10
9th Place:  PO2 Aaron Spak, Fort Meade, MD - Navy - 2:34:10
10th Place:  ENS Luke Termorshuizen, NAS Corpus Christi, TX - Navy - 2:34:36
11th Place:  Capt Brett Lechtenberg, Kirtland AFB, NM - USAF - 2:35:03
12th Place:  LTJG Walter Schulz, NAS Corpus Christi, TX - Navy - 2:35:07
13th Place:  Capt Pete Skwarlo, Quantico, VA - USMC - 2:39:03
14th Place:  Cpl Tyler Halliday, Camp Lejeune, NC - USMC - 2:39:33
15th Place:  CPT Travis Chewning-Kulick, Fort Cavazos, TX - Army - 2:39:58
16th Place:  SSgt Marcus Lafleur, Moron AB, SP - USAF - 2:42:22
17th Place:  2d Lt Kenton Colvin, McConnell AFB, KS - USAF - 2:42:26
18th Place:  Maj Jason Brosseau, JBSA Lackland AFB, TX - USAF - 2:46:59
19th Place:  CPT Casey Trias, Pentagon, Washington DC - Army - 2:52:12
20th Place:  MAJ Halward Blegen, Joint Base San Antonio Fort Sam Houston, TX - Army - 2:56:48
21st Place:  MAJ Byron Critchfield, Offutt AFB, NE - Army - 3:00:07
22nd Place:  Lt Col Andrew Peloquin, Kirtland AFB, NM - USAF - 3:25:22
23rd Place:  LtCol Sean Barrett, Camp Pendleton, CA - USMC - DNF
24th Place:  MAJ Ermin Mujezinovic, West Point, NY - Army - DNF