(photo Above) A Marine band entertained and had people dancing to the beat
(Photo below) Free food and spring weather brought out the lunchtime crowds

The Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) kicked off its 30th anniversary by establishing a new record for the fastest close out of registration. Welcoming an expanded race field of 30,000 runners, the MCM reached capacity in 62 hours, 19 minutes at 2:19 p.m. on Friday, April 8, 2005. Online rolling registration opened at midnight (00:00:01 military time) on Wednesday, April 6 on marinemarathon.com. Would-be marathoners were invited to log on to the website and click on the registration link for entry into the October 30 event.

The race began 207 days early, when thousands of runners hit the MCM website to gain a spot in the annual marathon. Richard Holt of Tuscaloosa, AL was the first runner to be registered at one second past midnight. 3,220 runners or nearly one runner per second were registered in the first hour of rolling registration.

"Runners in this 30th Anniversary MCM cover a wide range of competitors spanning the globe," said Rick Nealis, Race Director. "The race field of 30,000 is made up of a combination of the MCM runners club, 2004 deferments, online registrants and our important charity partner program."

Limited numbers of entries remain through the MCM partnership program. Visit the MCM charity partner page on marinemarathon.com for more information.

The 30th MCM weekend includes the two-day Runners' Expo (in a new location- DC Armory), the Healthy Kids Fun Run, MCM8K, Crystal City Street Spectacular and more exciting anniversary happenings.

1. Exhibitors at the rally included the Gotta Run shop, owned by Andre Williams and Peter Sherry. Rick Freedman of Capital Running Company (red, white, and blue) browses the table

The Marine Corps Marathon continues a combined tradition of dedication, sportsmanship and patriotism. Since its inception, over 300,000 civilian and military runners from all walks of life have participated, deservingly earning the event its nickname "The People's Marathon." The 30th Marine Corps Marathon will be held on October 30, 2005. Visit marinemarathon.com for more information.

For media information, contact Beth Cline, Marine Corps Marathon Public Relations Coordinator at (703) 432-1165, or E-mail.