WASHINGTON — They call it the People’s Marathon. There’s no money for the winners, just the glory of running.
On Sunday, more than 30,000 runners took part in the 39th annual Marine Corps Marathon, beginning and ending near the Iwo Jima Marine Corps Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.
U.S. Army Specialist Samuel Kosgei, 30, was the winner; U.S. Army Capt. Meghan Curran won the women’s division.
For Rhode Island native Linda Bachand, Sunday’s marathon was her 48th overall. She recruited a group of friends to run the Marine Corps race as well. “I just tell them they’re going to do it, and they say yes,” Bachand says.
Still, Bachand says her biggest concern was to get her team to “beat the bridge” by 1:15 p.m. Those who can’t cross the 14th Street Bridge before it reopens to traffic have to board the so-called “bus of shame” and miss completing the race.
Mel Williams competed in his 39th Marine Corps Marathon. At 17, Williams served as a paratrooper in the Army; he’ll be 77 next month.
Williams saw Medal of Honor recipient and retired Marine Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter skydive into the marathon holding a huge American flag.
In 2010, Carpenter shielded a fellow Marine from a grenade that was thrown at them during a firefight in Afghanistan. He’s endured numerous surgeries since being injured.
Besides the skydive, Carpenter ran the entire marathon.
“This is fantastic,” Williams said. “The flag looks like it’s about a mile big. It’s unbelievable.”
Watch the winners cross the finish line:
See photos of the marathon on the official website.
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