Soldier wins Marine Corps Marathon by wide margin

By David VergunOctober 31, 2016

Soldier wins Marine Corps Marathon by wide margin
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Soldier wins Marine Corps Marathon by wide margin
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Soldier wins Marine Corps Marathon by wide margin
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Soldier wins Marine Corps Marathon by wide margin
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Soldier wins Marine Corps Marathon by wide margin
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Soldier wins Marine Corps Marathon by wide margin
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Soldier wins Marine Corps Marathon by wide margin
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Soldier wins Marine Corps Marathon by wide margin
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WASHINGTON (Army News Service) -- Army Spc. Samuel Kosgei won the 41st Marine Corps Marathon, Sunday, with a time of two hours, 23 minutes and 53 seconds. Desta Beriso Morkama came in second at 2:24:29, followed by Oscar Caron Santos at 2:25:03.

Perry Shoemaker of Vienna, Virginia was the first female to cross the finish at 2:51:48, and Marine Corps Capt. Geophery Mills, of Nokesville, Virginia, won the 10K portion of the event with a time of 38:01. Arkadiusz Skrzypinski of Poland won the hand crank event with a time of 1:17:18.

KOSGEI'S STRATEGY PAYS OFF

The 26.2-mile route for this year's race began at the Pentagon, wound through Arlington, Virginia, and the District of Columbia, and ended near the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, beside Arlington National Cemetery.

After the race, Kosgei said his preparation for the race included high-altitude training in Colorado Springs, Colorado. But he explained that he never ran more than eight to 10 miles at a time. He was nonetheless unsurprised by his win, because he had visualized how he would compete and stuck to his plan.

"I wasn't focused on a record-breaking time," he said. "I was focused just on winning and winning big for the Army."

Kosgei said he ran at a "leisurely pace," not expending much energy, for the first 10 or so miles. For much of the race he stayed well behind the pack, but at about the 10-mile mark, he said, he "kicked into gear," but not overly so, slowly passing runners one by one, while still conserving energy.

Somewhere around the 16-mile mark, he said, runners began to pass him. At that point, he was nowhere in sight of the leading runners. But that didn't concern him, because he was sticking to his low-energy strategy, maintaining his pace and biding his time.

A few miles or so later, he said, he began to quickly pass those who had passed him earlier. The last several miles he ran elbow-to-elbow with Morkama, who hails from Ethiopia.

The final stretch of the marathon took runners up a steep hill that ran for about a quarter of a mile. Kosgei said his strategy left him with enough energy in his reserves to take the hill. When he reached the top, near the memorial, he cut through the finish tape held by two Marines, one of them Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert B. Neller.

In July, Kosgei had sustained an injury to his right leg that cast some doubt on whether he would be able to compete in this race. Despite the injury, he said, his leg cramped not once. In fact, he said he was "comfortable" throughout the race. Even after completing the marathon, he said, he still had energy to spare.

Kosgei, 32, from Junction City, Kansas, is a medic in the Army and is originally from Kenya. This is the second of his wins. The first was in 2014.

Soldiers have won the Marine Corps Marathon four times over the last five years. Augustus Maiyo won the 2012 marathon, and Trevor Lafontaine, the 2015 marathon.

THE COMMANDANT'S ASSESSMENT

About an hour into the race, Neller was asked if he had any predictions about who would win. He didn't hesitate to say "Soldiers." But Soldiers didn't take all the glory -- a Marine won the 10K race, which is run concurrently with the marathon.

After the marathon, Neller said the race brought out the best that the military offers in terms of esprit-de-corps and fitness. He also noted that the Army and the Marine Corps share similar values.

A WIN DESPITE RECENT CRASH

Skrzypinski, who won the hand crank event, said he crashed his hand-crank bicycle Oct. 23. The crash was so violent that it completely destroyed the sleek hand crank he was set to use in the race. It also left him with wounds to his elbows and chest. He said he was in pain the entire race and never expected to win, let alone finish.

Besides that, it had been a long time since he had used the old, spider web-covered hand crank he brought to the race. He never thought he would use it again, much less in a race.

WOUNDED WARRIORS

In addition to the runners, many wounded, ill, and injured service members and participated in the marathon in the hand crank, push rim, duo and mobility categories.

Among those who participated in the hand crank category was David Neumer of Chicago. While in Afghanistan in 2009, the Army master sergeant was involved in a fierce firefight. He was hit by an enemy 82mm mortar round that nearly severed his leg.

The doctors at Walter Reed recommended his limb should be amputated, but he fought to keep it. The doctors salvaged his leg, but he still lives with lot of residual pain, he said.

Geoff Hopkins was serving in the Army Reserve, based out of Huntington, West Virginia, when a vehicle struck him while he was riding a motorcycle. The resulting spinal cord injury left him paralyzed from the legs down. Today he can't recall the crash. He is grateful he can still use his hands to propel his hand crank.

Hopkins currently lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia and commutes to Martinsburg, West Virginia, where he works as the supervisor of the Department of Veterans Affairs' Recreation Therapy Program.

"It's very rewarding helping others, such as those with injuries or post-traumatic stress disorder," he said.

Matt Robinson, a native of Syracuse, New York, had his legs injured in a snowmobile accident. The former Sailor, who used a hand crank during the race, said he now does a lot of volunteer work with the VA in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Prior to his injury, he was an "instrument man" on the destroyer tender USS Prairie. An instrument man, he said, calibrates all of the gauges on the ship.

THE PEOPLE'S MARATHON

The Marine Corps Marathon is also known as the People's Marathon. It attracts people from every state and more than 50 countries.

This year, Marine Corps Junior ROTC students from Quantico, Virginia, lined the marathon route, waving flags from all of the participating nations.

Lauran Lemon was one of those students. She was carrying the flag of the People's Republic of China. She said several runners from China stopped by to get their photo taken with the flag. She reported that all were happy to run in the marathon and were impressed by the spirit of the race.

Caitlyn Templeton, also a JROTC student, carried the flag of the Philippines. Her dad serves as a Marine working logistics in Quantico. It was her first time seeing the marathon. Her takeaway from the race was she liked "how everyone is so pumped up."

THE SUPPORTERS WEIGH IN

Also among the spectators were many friends and family members of the competitors.

Retired Airman Chris Houseknecht accompanied his daughter, Abigal, who is 10 years old. She held up a sign reading "That's my BAD-A$$ Mother Runner!" which she said she created from the words on her mom's running shirt.

Abigal's mom, Rebecca, is an Army Reserve captain stationed at Fort Meade, Maryland, and she is a pediatric nurse.

Chris said his wife excels on the Army physical training test, especially in pushups and situps. (She also excels in helping him care for their five children, he added.)

Rebecca, he said, ran the marathon two years ago with a time of about six hours, which she hoped to beat this year.

DOG WEIGHS IN

Chesty XIV, the Marine Corps' bulldog mascot, also made a showing at the race, running after bits of dog treats tossed by handler Marine Corps Cpl. Darren White.

"He only runs for food," White said, adding that Chesty XIV also performs tricks like paw shakes and rolling over, as long as food is involved.

White said he's aware of the "awesome responsibility" of caring for Chesty XIV and bringing him to major Marine Corps events like the marathon.

Chesty XIV is named for perhaps the most famous leatherneck in the Corps' illustrious history: Lt. Gen. Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller Jr. Puller fought gallantly in Haiti, Nicaragua, World War II and Korea, collecting five Navy Crosses in the process, as well as a Distinguished Service Cross, which the Army bestowed on him.

There have been 13 bulldogs named Chesty prior to Chesty XIV.

Related Links:

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Army.mil: North America News

Marine Corps Marathon Results

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