The 48th annual Marine Corps Marathon began early Sunday morning as runners made their way through parts of Virginia and D.C., but by its end, two local runners became the first women to cross the marathon and 50K finish lines.
The winner of the women’s marathon was Bonnie Keating, 38, from Fairfax, Virginia. Her time was two hours, 50 minutes and 49 seconds. Keating said that she came in third place last year.
“Those last hills got me, I’m not going to lie,” Keating said. “This is amazing. I work for the Marine Corps as a civilian. This is a really just a fun race with a lot of support.”
Keating is originally from Fairfax and went to Robinson High School. She then moved to San Diego, California, for college. She’s grateful for the Marine Corps for putting on the race.
“The crowd support was really great and very organized, good water stops is really motivating out there. So we appreciate it,” she said.
The winner of the women’s 50K was Anna Staats, 24, from Arlington, Virginia. Her time was three hours, 35 minutes and 57 seconds.
What is she going to do to celebrate?
“Probably go for a run tomorrow morning. Maybe drink a beer,” Staats said.
The winner of the marathon was Julius Kogo, 38, from Kenya. He currently lives in Durham, North Carolina. His time was two hours, 25 minutes and 56 seconds. He said after the race that he plans on coming back again next year and running faster.
“I thank you God for this one. I managed to finish it and that time is not bad,” he said. “This time next year, I’ll come and lower it.”
Calum Neff, 39, from Canada won the 50K. He is currently based in Houston, Texas. His time was two hours, 55 min and 57 seconds.
“Having the marathoners start just a little bit after was a challenge because I knew they’d be coming in at a faster pace,” he said. “So one of the goals today was to hold the marathoners off and I was able to do that as well.”
Over 20,000 people participated in the 26.2-mile stretch around the nation’s capital. The race is one of the biggest marathons nationwide and in the world, earning it the nickname “The People’s Marathon.”
WTOP’s Shayna Estulin spoke with runners and those lining up on the race route to cheer them on. One of those athletes is Ivonne Maxwell from the Dallas area, who found out she had breast cancer four months into training.
Despite finishing radiation a week before the marathon and with burns all over her body, Maxwell still participated. She wore a bright pink shirt emblazoned with “survivor” as part of her race attire. Before starting her run, Maxwell told WTOP she knew the race would be tough, but she brought friends to support her.
“I wouldn’t let breast cancer take it from me,” she said. “That’s the reason I’m here,”
Janice Wright from Maryland was at the race with her son Matthew, 25, who has Autism and Angelman syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes delayed development and problems with speech and balance, according to the Mayo Clinic. He participated in the race as part of an athlete’s jogger group with the nonprofit Athletes Serving Athletes. It is his seventh marathon.
“He loves racing, and he makes such an impact on people,” Wright said. “We’ll go to a race, and they’ll come up and say that they know him. They remember him from a different race. I won’t know who they are, but they know him.”
Northern Virginian Logan Cunningham, who is running her second marathon, said she has the needed support to keep her going.
“It’s really nice to have my dad and boyfriend here to support me,” Cunningham said.
Her boyfriend Justin said he’s on hand to help after the race — if she needs it, saying he might have to carry her home because she “won’t be able to walk too far.”
Maj. Amy Natalini, who is on active duty in the Air Force, said the marathon was her 65th race. Her message to fellow runners: “Remember that you’ve been training for this, and the finish line is the celebration of all of the hard work that you put in.”
