3 Athletes on Why They’re Running the Marine Corps Marathon
One of the largest marathons in the world to draw in 30,000 runners from all 50 states
The 48th Marine Corps Marathon (MCM)—“The People’s Marathon”—is the fourth-largest marathon in the U.S. and largest urban ultramarathon (they offer a 50K and 10K, too).
Each year, the U.S. Marine Corps holds the MCM a few weeks before the anniversary of its establishment. On October 29, 30,000 runners will toe the line in Arlington, Virginia, to follow the course as it winds through the nation’s capital. We caught up with three runners aiming for the finish line this year.
Rosie Gagnon, who lives in Berryville, Virginia, will be running the 50K MCM race in honor of her son, Marine Corps veteran, James Morris, who passed away by suicide in Ferurary 2018.
Even struggling through his mental health battles, Morris had endless confidence in his mother. Though Gagnon had been a runner for over two decades, Morris had encouraged her to run her first marathon. And when she completed that, he challenged her to dream even bigger–a 100 miler.
Morris passed away while Gagnon was training for this ultra, but she was determined to keep running in his memory.
“I actually bonked really hard,” Gagnon says, laughing. “I quit 60 miles in. I reached a point where I hit a wall–throwing up and crawling on the ground–and felt it was symbolic of what my son had gone through, because he got to the point where he couldn’t see how he could go on.”
The pain of this first race was disappointing but also a blessing. Morris says the experience taught her that, no matter how dark life gets, you keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Shortly after, Gagnon joined Wear Blue: Run to Remember, a group that honors the service of American military members through running. You may have seen one of them at races across the country wearing their bright blue shirts and the name of a fallen veteran. Gagnon challenged herself to run 100 ultramarathons in memory of Morris, and to raise awareness about military and veteran suicide. This will be her first time running the Marine Corps Marathon, and it will be her 60th ultra.
Running has become not only an outlet for spreading awareness about the importance of military mental health awareness and resources, but it’s been an outlet for grief.
“I used to wake up everyday wondering, ‘How can I live with this pain for another 40 years?’ and the one outlet where I found comfort was through running,” Gagnon says. “I focused on one race at a time, trying to get to that 100. I thought it would take longer, but it’s been moving pretty fast. I’m more than halfway through now!”
“If all I can do is put on shoes and run for somebody,” she says. “I’m going to do that.”
Between working a full-time job, managing clients in her running coach business, and raising three kids under the age of six, Kelly Vigil squeezes in training for the MCM when she can. Originally from northern Virginia, Vigil now lives in Charleston, South Carolina, and has run the MCM four times. This year, she’s running the 50K option.
“It’s my all-time favorite race,” she says. “When you get there, everything is taken care of,and everyone is super excited to be there. The spectators are amazing, which is hard to get in a marathon unless you’re running one of the major ones. At mile 21, you still have people cheering you on.”
Her husband was in the Marine Corps for six years, which makes her particularly connected to the race. Another reason is because Vigil used to work full-time in the charity running field, working with organizations to create their race programs.
“Athletes who are running for a cause aren’t necessarily going to feel more pressure, but there’s more meaning as to why they’re doing it,” Vigil says. “It helps them push forward when their body or mind isn’t in it anymore.”
As a mom of young kids, training isn’t always easy, but Vigil gets it done. Her long runs are timed so that she has an allotted amount of time to be away training on Saturday. Whatever mileage she gets done is what it is, and Vigil is happy with that.
“I’m not very strict with my training plan,” she says. “A lot of my running includes a stroller (with my two-year-old) or I might split up my runs in the morning and evening. I’m just doing what I can.”
Also a certified running coach, Vigil is currently working with other athletes who are running the MCM.
“Coaching keeps me in the community even when I’m not training for something,,” she says. “We’re all going after these different goals and doing what we can to stay consistent and do the work.”
For some, a commute to work includes traffic, to-go coffee, and a few swear words as someone cuts you off on the highway. But Jessica Hood’s commute to the office involves lots of marathon training.
Hood is extremely busy, so she puts in her miles by running to work. The total distance from her house to her office is about 14 miles, but depending on her training schedule, she’ll run seven or so and then hop on the metro bus for the rest of the way. Her office has a gym and showers, so she’s not taking a seat at her desk in sweaty running clothes.
“I do what I have to do and it probably takes a shorter amount of time,” Hood laughs. “You know, because you’d be sitting in DC traffic.”
Hood moved to the DC area about two years ago and works in finance, but her main passion is running. She began posting running content on social media in 2022 and developed a hearty following of 37k on Instagram and 81.5k on TikTok.
“It’s super cool how runners can get connected through social media,” she says. “I have a lot of running friends who don’t live in DC, but we all meet up at certain events and races across the country.”
Because of her influencer status, Hood is part of the MCM Social Media Influencer program, where she’s an advocate for the race. Though it’s sold out now, she spent months encouraging people to sign up through her posts online. This year will be her first time running the MCM marathon, though she’s spectated before and the energy was like nothing else.
“I thrive off of race day energy,” she says. “I love running and take it seriously, but it’s also about the fun of it and doing it with other people. So having a lot of people in my DC community running with me makes me so happy.”
Due to the race’s overwhelming popularity, early bird registrations for next year’s event opens January 1, 2024, with military members being able to register December 31. The Marine Corps Historic Half takes place May 19, 2024, and is part of the MCM series.
posted Saturday September 30th
by Outside Online