Prince William County, Virginia -- Runners gathered and warmed up amidst blustery winds and temperatures below freezing awaiting the start of the Marine Corps 17.75K race to begin in Prince William County, Virginia, March 28, 2015.
The unique distance of 17.75 kilometers is derived from the establishing year of the Marine Corps. The 11.03-mile course winds through wooded forest alongside steams surrounded by the wildlife of Prince William Forest National Park.
Runners began the race at 7 a.m. and were encouraged along the route by cheering family members and supporters
“I choose to run this race because I want to run the Marine Corps Marathon again,” said James “Jimmy” Sosinski the first place finisher of the race with a time of one hour, nine minutes and five seconds and a Haymarket, Virginia native. “I enjoyed the course and all of the hills and turns through the forest.”
More than 2000 runners from more than 30 states participated in the run and received an “access granted” pass that allows runners of this race to sign up for the Marine Corps Marathon which is slated for October 2015. Upon finishing the race, runners were presented a medal by a Marine along with a certificate to register for the marathon.
“I’ve grown up near the U.S. Naval Academy, and I’m not one to enlist,” said Anne Calverly a runner from Annapolis, Maryland. “I want to show support [for the military] in any way I can.”
Trophies were awarded to the three top male and female finishers during a brief ceremony. The top three male finishers were: Sosinski, Jason Van Horn the second place male finisher from Bristow, Virginia and Patrick Baier the third place finisher from Rockville, Maryland. The top three female finishers were: Anna Bernal, first place female finisher, from Alexandria, Virginia, Kaelan Dickinson, second place finisher, from Washington, D.C. and Tracy Cermak, third place finisher, from Rockville, Maryland.
“I like to run all of the [Marine Corps Marathon series] races,” said Calverly. “I ran the 10K last year and was so inspired to run the full marathon[MR3] .”
The next event in the Marine Corps Marathon series is Run Amuck June 13, 2015. For more information about the Marine Corps Marathon event series visit: www.marinemarathon.com.