FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — The extra security didn’t faze runners at the Marine Corps Historic Half-Marathon on Sunday. More than 8,000 runners — including 1,100 from Fredericksburg — trekked 13.1 miles through overcast skies.
There was Francesco Barboze, who served 30 years in the Marine Corps. He’s run 20 Marine Corps marathons and all eight half-marathons. Adam Keyes was severely injured in Afghanistan in 2010, losing both legs and an arm. He was at the race with other wounded veterans. They were ready to roll with their hand crank cycles.
This year’s celebrity starter for the race hails from Hollywood. You might know him as “Ducky” from the TV drama “NCIS.” David McCallum married into a Marine family; his late father-in-law and late brother-in-law were both Marines.
McCallum says he got a kick out of firing the starting pistol for the half marathon. But on the TV series “NCIS,” he’s not allowed to handle a firearms, but that could change.
“I’m told, I want to save one episode (where) I’m going to grab Gibbs’ sniper rifle and save the day,” he said, laughing.
With a time of 1:14:59, Stephen Harrison, 26, was the first man to finish Sunday’s race. Britta Ultz Baxter, 36, was the first woman to finish. She ran the Historic Half in 1:27:33.
