Photo above: Former Georgetown University (2001) three-time All- American, Kristen (Gordon) Henehan, winning the women's race and completing her first marathon.

Photo below: Spectators await the start of the race on Route 110 near Arlington National Cemetary

A strong breeze along the Potomac River and an added hill near mile 5 prevented a fast rabbit start in this year's Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) held on Sunday, October 28 in Arlington, VA. Smart racing strategy took Ethiopian Tamrat Ayalew (33) and Kristen Henehan (28) of Silver Spring, MD to the finish line first. Race director Rick Nealis beamed as he greeted runners with MCM's furry mascot Miles. Ayalew, with the Foot Solutions team, won the men's race in 2:22:20 (he went out in 1:09:00 in 2006 before fading to 2:30:10); Henehan, who joined the Pacers Running Stores team in August, debuted in the marathon distance with top female honors (2:51:14). Both winners had raced the Army Ten Miler in Arlington three weeks earlier and earned top ten placings: Ayalew finished fifth (50:12), and Henehan scored in seventh (1:01:15). Kristen Henehan also entered the Virginia Beach Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in early September (1:23:20, 17th female).

Photo below: The lead men's pack coming off Key Bridge into Georgetown. Ruben Garcia is at the far left.

Third Title Eludes Ruben Garcia
Jaron Hawkins (24) of Frostburg, MD with the Cumberland Valley Track Club (third male in 2:25:34, top American) described the men's action: a group stayed together through mile 14 then splintered on wind-exposed Hains Point; crossing the bridge at mile 20, Hawkins trailed a lead group of Ayalew, defending two- time champion Ruben Garcia (36) and his Mexican Navy compatriot Jose Miranda (36). Ayalew reached the 22 mile split (2:00:07) with an 18 second gap over Garcia. Ayalew's lead continued to grow over the final miles to an unassailable two minute margin by the finish line as large crowds cheered finishers.

Photo below: The three leading women tucked in with some supportive men near the Jefferson Memorial and mile 15.

Local Running Store Connections
Second place female (2:51:40) Lisa Thomas (31) of Alexandria, VA returned to marathon training in July after childbirth in August 2006. She and several women represent Georgetown Running Company with frequent training partners Lindsay Goulet (29) and 2008 Olympic Trials qualifier Vanessa Hunter (31), both of Arlington, VA. Winner Henehan, Thomas, and Pacers Running Stores teammate Alicia Pease (24) of Silver Spring, MD covered much of the course in a co-ed pack of eight or ten runners. Thomas explained the second half action with a post-race smile: Kristen and Lisa took off after Hains Point (mile 19), and Lisa moved into the lead near mile 23 in Crystal City. Lisa opened a gap of 30 or 40 yards before Kristen focused on holding firm. With a half mile to go in the race, Kristen burned her remaining fuel on a final effort, caught Lisa, and won by 26 seconds. "You can learn a lot from sports--don't give up," Kristen told reporters in a post-race interview.

Photo below: The Running Hokies of Blacksburg, VA entered 100 members from the Virginia Tech community and raised money for a memorial fund. Stacey Vidt (27) in the white VT singlet placed among the top ten females (2:59:03).

Top Ten Finishers

Pl  	Name      	City    	Age  	ChipTime Clock	  Split5M Half 	   Service
1	TAMRAT 	AYALEW  ATLANTA GA 	33	2:22:20	2:22:20  0:28:43  1:12:39	
2	RUBEN GARCIA  	Mexico  	36	2:24:20	2:24:20  0:28:42  1:12:39  FORN
3	JARON HAWKINS 	FROSTBURG MD 	24	2:25:34	2:25:34  0:28:40  1:12:37	
4	JOSE MIRANDA 	Mexico  	36	2:26:03	2:26:03  0:28:39  1:12:39  FORN
5	CARL RUNDELL 	BIRMINGHAM MI 	39	2:26:28	2:26:28  0:28:39  1:12:39
6	BRIAN DUMM 	APO AP  	24	2:28:27	2:28:27  0:28:42  1:13:14  USAF
7	TIMOTHY TAPPLY 	NATICK MA 	32	2:29:01	2:29:01  0:28:43  1:13:14
8	STEPHEN SLABY 	MILLINGTON TN 	26	2:29:18	2:29:18  0:28:43  1:13:14  USN
9	PHILIPPE ROLLY 	FAIRFAX VA 	35	2:29:41	2:29:41  0:28:42  1:12:47
10	ALEJANDRO VALDEZ Mexico 	31	2:30:31	2:30:31
											
1	KRISTEN HENEHAN SILVER SPRING MD 28	2:51:14	2:51:14  0:33:22  1:25:57
2	LISA THOMAS 	ALEXANDRIA VA 	 31	2:51:40	2:51:40  0:33:23  1:25:57
3	CLAUDIA COLITA 	Romania 	 29	2:54:19	2:54:19  0:34:28  1:26:56
4	GINA SHAW 	MILLINGTON TN 	 26	2:56:43	2:56:43  0:34:41  1:28:51  USN
5	MARTHA MERZ 	ANNANDALE VA 	 45	2:56:46	2:56:46  0:33:58  1:26:38
6	ALICIA PEASE 	SILVER SPRING MD 24	2:56:56	2:56:56  0:33:23  1:25:57
7	SUZANNE HIMES 	ALEXANDRIA VA  	 38	2:57:56	2:57:56  0:34:43  1:28:52  USN
8	STACEY VIDT 	BLACKSBURG VA 	 27	2:59:03	2:59:03  0:33:30  1:26:58
9	JENNIFER LEDFORD CARLSBAD CA 	 27	2:59:34	2:59:38  0:33:21  1:26:33  USMC
10	BRENDA SCHRANK 	WINCHESTER VA 	 35	3:00:19	3:00:21 

Wheelchair Athletes Male & Female
1	DAVID SWOPE   	NEW WINDSOR MD  41	        2:05:53 
1	JACQUI KAPINOWSKI POINT PLEASANT NJ 	44	3:09:46

Everyone Has A Story to Tell
Other notable finishers included Miss Utah and Utah National Guard Sergeant Jill Stevens (24) finishing in 3:23:53 (net), and "Mr. DC" and Washington's chief running officer Adrian Fenty (36) completing his sixth MCM in 4:10:50.

Photo above: Holly McGuigan (47) of McLean, VA, seen here near mile 25, ran sub-4:00 (net).

Photo below: The winner, Tamrat Ayalew, talked about his race with reporters Steve Nearman (left) and Jim Hage (right) .

See the Marine Corps Marathon Web site www.marinemarathon.com.

For further accounts of the race, see Jim Hage's story in the Washington Post

Steve Nearman's story in the Washington Times or the Running USA wire

And the Washington Post story on the women's race reported by Kathy Orton.