Meet the Groundpounders
October 24, 2013 8:45 AM Subscribe
This week, thanks to the end of the government shutdown, the Marine Corps will put on their 38th marathon. Four men, Mel Williams, Al Richmond, Will Brown, and Matt Jaffe, will attempt 26.2 for the 38th time.
Much respect.
I ran this marathon a few years ago. It was a great experience. Much of the last mile is either flat or downhill, so I got a false sense of confidence that the worst was over. And then as I rounded the bend and I saw that the very last leg was up a highway offramp. And then I wanted to cry. And then I sucked it up and kept running because I couldn't feel my legs anyway and fuck you, topography, I'll show you who's boss.
posted by C'est la D.C. at 10:52 AM on October 24, 2013 [2 favorites]
I ran this marathon a few years ago. It was a great experience. Much of the last mile is either flat or downhill, so I got a false sense of confidence that the worst was over. And then as I rounded the bend and I saw that the very last leg was up a highway offramp. And then I wanted to cry. And then I sucked it up and kept running because I couldn't feel my legs anyway and fuck you, topography, I'll show you who's boss.
posted by C'est la D.C. at 10:52 AM on October 24, 2013 [2 favorites]
There was the year Richmond ran 4:40, which would rank as ordinary except a few months earlier, he had been shot by a mugger three times, including once in the stomach. Richmond required three operations. He refers to the incident as “lead poisoning.”
Wow. Marathon runners are a strange breed, but this.....
posted by three blind mice at 11:46 AM on October 24, 2013
Wow. Marathon runners are a strange breed, but this.....
posted by three blind mice at 11:46 AM on October 24, 2013
…oookay, so those excuses I've been giving myself about being tired or whatnot. Yeah. Um.
Seriously inspirational. Thanks, roomthreeseventeen!
posted by Lexica at 9:26 PM on October 25, 2013
Seriously inspirational. Thanks, roomthreeseventeen!
posted by Lexica at 9:26 PM on October 25, 2013
Should anyone be contemplating their first marathon, this really is the ideal race. It's very smoothly operated (because ... Marines), the course is fast, flat and lovely, and the time of the year/crowd energy is amazing.
Hains Point is one of the toughest parts of the race, because it's comparatively remote and unpopulated in contrast to the rest of the race route. It's also right around the 17-18 mile mark or so (I think? It's been a while). The first time I ran the marathon, the thing that saved me was the band of hippies who planted themselves in the middle of that stretch and danced up and down, dreadlocks bouncing as they chanted, "You know you wanna run! You got nice buns! You know you wanna run! You got nice buns!"
C'est la D.C. is right, though: The very last leg is uphill, which honestly seems like something the Marine Corps does as a joke or a metaphor. And when you're pounding out that last 0.2 miles, there's nothing physical involves.
(Dang, I may have talked myself back into shooting for another go at the marathon.)
posted by sobell at 10:03 AM on October 26, 2013
Hains Point is one of the toughest parts of the race, because it's comparatively remote and unpopulated in contrast to the rest of the race route. It's also right around the 17-18 mile mark or so (I think? It's been a while). The first time I ran the marathon, the thing that saved me was the band of hippies who planted themselves in the middle of that stretch and danced up and down, dreadlocks bouncing as they chanted, "You know you wanna run! You got nice buns! You know you wanna run! You got nice buns!"
C'est la D.C. is right, though: The very last leg is uphill, which honestly seems like something the Marine Corps does as a joke or a metaphor. And when you're pounding out that last 0.2 miles, there's nothing physical involves.
(Dang, I may have talked myself back into shooting for another go at the marathon.)
posted by sobell at 10:03 AM on October 26, 2013
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posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:55 AM on October 24, 2013