The Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) has a new partnership with the National Children's Museum. The National Children's Museum will host marathon-day activities in two locations-- Camp Miles, located at the Iwo Jima Monument, and in Crystal City as part of the Crystal City Street Spectacular on Sunday, October 30, 2005. Activities at both locations are free and open to the public.

"The National Children's Museum is pleased to partner with the Marine Corps Marathon," says Kathy Dwyer Southern, President and CEO. "We are especially excited to be part of the Healthy Kids' Fun Run that offers a way for children to participate in a safe run and includes post-race activities for the entire family."

The National Children's Museum will be located on the Marine Corps War Memorial grounds in a tent called "Camp Miles" during the Sunday, October 30 event, as part of the MCM Healthy Kids Fun Run. The museum will host hands-on activities teaching children how the body works through the interactive Blood and Guts exhibits. Children will learn how organs fit inside the body, examine how lungs are affected by smoking and study a piece of a real human brain.

The National Children's Museum will also host crafts and games at the Crystal City Street Spectacular featuring international toys, secret sun jewelry, fossil hunting and more. The Street Spectacular is open to the public on Sunday, October 30 along Crystal Drive at mile 22 and 23 of the MCM course from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

"I'm pleased to welcome the National Children's Museum as a partner of the Marine Corps Marathon," said Rick Nealis, MCM Race Director. "Their exhibits promise to make race day fun and educational for children of all ages."

About the MCM and Healthy Kids Fun Run
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 Marine Corps Marathon is the seventh largest marathon in the United States and eleventh largest in the world. For the first time ever, the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) Healthy Kids Fun Run will be held on Marathon Sunday, October 30, 2005 beginning at 9:05 a.m., just minutes after all 30,000 MCM runners cross the start line. The race field for the one-mile run is limited to 1,400 children between the ages of 6-13 and pre-registration is required. All runners must be registered and pay the $12 entry fee by October 17, 2005. Participants will receive a t-shirt, finisher's ribbon. See marinemarathon.com for more information.

About the National Children's Museum
Slated to open in June 2008, the National Children's Museum (NCM) will be a state-of-the-art museum, which will serve as the centerpiece of a major new development at L'Enfant Plaza in Southwest Washington, DC. The mission of NCM is to engage, inform, and delight children and the adults who care about them by providing educational experiences that facilitate their development as individuals, as members of families, as members of communities, and as citizens of our nation and the world. The museum will be organized into three exhibit areas: Kids Washington, Kids USA, and Kids World. The three thematic principles of Encouraging kids' voices, Exploring America and the World, and Connecting "me" to "we" will be incorporated throughout the museum and speak to the power of a child's voice and an engaging museum experience. More information about the National Children's Museum can be found at www.ncm.museum

Read the story from the 2004 Marine Corps Marathon.