Photo above: At mile 21, these three steadily reeled in two leading men. Left to right: Chris Juarez of the USAF, Terrance Shea of the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project, and Retta Feyissa for Catholic Charities of Washington.

Photo below: Calm and poised before the race, Retta Feyissa of Bronx, NY, was ready for success in the 2004 Marine Corps Marathon.

The Men's Title Goes to Retta Feyissa of the Bronx, NY
Retta Feyissa, age 29 of Bronx, NY, warmed up alone on Marshall Drive near Fort Myer 45 minutes before the start of this year's Marine Corps Marathon. He appeared calm, in good spirits, and wore a t-shirt from the Salt Lake City Marathon, where he placed sixth in April with a time of 2:21:19. He started today's marathon as one of the favorites but he was not in a hurry to show all his cards. Ethiopian Feyissa has been a familiar figure in the local marathon scene, running but not winning the Montgomery County Marathon in the Parks, the Washington D.C. Marathon, and the 2002 Marine Corps Marathon. This year, Feyissa waited until the final minutes of the Marine Corps Marathon to make his challenge for the top spot. Throughout the race, he stayed safely within various small groups of men that formed, broke apart, and formed again near the front of the race. Running for Catholic Charities of Washington, he displayed the wonder of faith. Feyissa humbly persisted in the capital city and became a front page headline with his winning time of 2:25:35 in the 2004 Marine Corps Marathon.

Early Leader Carl Rundell Took A Gamble
Carl Rundell, age 36 of Birmingham, MI, led the Marine Corps Marathon through mile 21 wearing the red, yellow and black singlet of the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project. Rundell acknowledged after the race that warm weather turned his quest for a 2:20 marathon pace into a lost gamble. But Rundell consistently approaches running with a highly positive attitude; he's an athlete willing to take risks and learn from racing outcomes. Rundell is taking his marathon career "one step at a time." This year's training has been great and he finished in fifth place with a time of 2:26:48 and a broad smile on his face. In the marathon, victory requires patience and a willingness to come back for another race.

A second Hansons-Brooks athlete, Terrance Shea, age 30 of Rochester, MI, ran the early miles through Georgetown with a six pack of men that began to break apart near mile 11. A new group of three men then formed, which included Shea, Feyissa and Air Force athlete Chris Juarez (winner in 2002), age 34 of San Antonio; these three ran miles 16 through 22 together and trailed Rundell and Mexican Marine Jose Miranda. The gap between the leader and this threesome reached up to two minutes in separation and Shea recognized that a quick fix would not work. So he remained focused on running a consistent pace of 5:30/mile and a steady reduction of the leader's margin. As Shea and Feyissa crossed the Potomac River into Virginia near the Pentagon (mile 21), the leaders suddenly came into view ahead; by mile 22, Shea felt strong and confident that Rundell and Miranda would be caught. Terrance Shea placed second with a time of 2:25:57, closly followed to the finish by Chris Juarez (2:26:03).

The Marine Corps Marathon course is not designed to be viscious; instead, the toll of 26 miles wear away at a runner's energy reserves until the final test at mile 21, where a bridge incline, the heat of a mid-morning sun and full exposure to the wind on a broad river slapped road warriors on Sunday and challenged them to overcome nature's elements.

Photo below: The female winner, Mary Kate Bailey, answers questions from Washington Post reporter and MCM Hall of Famer Jim Hage.

A Cakewalk Inspired by Those Serving in the Middle East
The front page article of Sunday's Washington Post carried a headline story, 'Attacks Kill Nine Marines in Iraq,' by Karl Vick. Mary Kate Bailey, age 29 of Arlington, VA and a Marine, had her fellow soldiers and marines in her thoughts as she covered the 26.2 miles in the Marines own marathon. The first Marine Corps Marathon was held on November 7, 1976 during the Ford administration. The brilliant idea of men known for being rough and tough, this road race past Washington's monuments and memorials was developed to express an image for the Marines Corps that citizens would gladly embrace. On Sunday, that appealing face of the force was ideally projected by this year's winner--a beautiful, friendly and persistent marine. Bailey found her way to first place in 2:48:31 through a crowd of men with a little help from her coach, George Buckheit.

Update (11/3/4): Mary Kate Bailey has been named Athlete of the Week by the United States Track & Field Association. USATF's Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. See the www.USATF.org Web site.

George Buckheit, age 47 of Reston, VA has taught a locally elite group of female athletes to run smart. Mary Kate Bailey credited Buckheit for her improved performance with his training schedule that includes weekly track (held at Washington & Lee High School in Arlington) and tempo workouts. Bailey has trained with the group for a half year and the results speak of the amazing influence of one good coach: Bailey previously finished the Marine Corps Marathon in eighth place (2001, 3:04:34) and third place (2002, 3:02:24). Buckheit's most important role in Bailey's 2004 win was reining in her enthusiasm during the early miles of the race; on a warm and sunny day, a cautious early pace prevented her from fizzling out during the final miles.

Jenny Ledford, age 24 of Pensacola, FL, also sported a yellow and red Marine singlet, led the race for several miles. According to Jim Hage of the Washington Post, Ledford passed the lead to Bailey near mile 15. Ledford finished her debut marathon in 3:09:01 for 11th place after running the first 10K split in 39:36 (a 2:47 marathon pace). "Jenny has great potential," quipped Bailey in the media tent.

Mary Kate Bailey spoke enthusiastically of 'awesome' spectator support on the course; those cheering her to the finish included three Marine brothers, her husband and their baby. Her mother gave Mary Kate a big bear hug greeting to her only daughter; Bailey's father is buried in Arlington National Cemetary near the start and finish of the Marine Corps Marathon. Imagine running by a parent's final resting place-- that requires emotional fortitude!

Top Honors for the 2004 Marine Corps Marathon

Overall Men
Pl	Name	        Age	Hometown	Time
 1   Retta Feyissa	 29  Bronx, NY  	2:25:35
 2   Terrance Shea	 30  Rochester, MI	2:25:57
 3   Christopher Juarez	 34  San Antonio, TX	2:26:03
 4   Jose Miranda	 33  Mexico     	2:26:26
 5   Carl Rundell	 36  Birmingham, MI	2:26:48
 6   Benjamin Palafox	 31  Washington, DC  	2:30:36
 7   Paul Rades  	 32  Silver Spring, MD	2:31:18
 8   Mark Croadale	 39  United Kingdom	2:32:54
 9   Chris Farley	 28  Arlington, VA	2:33:47
10   Mark Goodridge	 34  United Kingdom	2:34:31


Overall Women
 1   Mary Kate Bailey    29  Arlington, VA	2:48:31
 2   Kimberly Fagen	 34  San Diego, CA	2:51:17
 3   Suzanne Clemmer	 24  Gastonia, NC	2:59:11
 4   Eleanor Garbrecht   42  Jacksonville, FL	3:05:47
 5   Jill Metzger    	 31  APO, AE    	3:06:26
 6   Sage Stefiuk	 24  Fayetteville, NC	3:06:36
 7   Kirsten Ward	 29  Arlington, VA	3:07:25
 8   Amanda Rasmussen	 21  USAFA, CO  	3:08:37
 9   Connie Buckwalter	 34  Lititz, PA 	3:08:46
10   Kelly Jaske	 28  Washington, DC	3:08:56



Top Masters


FRANCISCO LUGO            MEXICO           Age 46 0:37:30 02:38:56     


ELEANOR STEWART-GARBRECHT JACKSONVILLE, FL Age 42 0:42:03 03:05:47      



Wheelchair
1 C. DAVID SWAIM          WAKE FOREST NC 58 M 2:33:58  


Handcrank
1 PAUL BARENTS            LEDERACH PA    60 M 1:58:15  



Challenge Cup
1st    British Royal Marines, cumulative time 7:46:56
2nd    United States Marines, cumulative time 7:49:34



Top Servicemen
1 CHRISTOPHER JUAREZ SAN ANTONIO, TX Age 34 0:34:56  2:26:03       
2 WILLIAM EDWARDS    VIRGINIA BCH, VA Age 26 0:37:29 2:35:16       
3 TIMOTHY FAHEY      KINGSVILLE, TX Age 30  0:37:28  2:43:21   



Top Servicewomen
1 MARY KATE BAILEY   ARLINGTON, VA  Age 29  0:40:39 2:48:31      
2 KIMBERLY FAGEN     SAN DIEGO, CA  Age 34  0:39:38 2:51:17    
3 JILL METZGER       APO, AE - USA  Age 31  0:43:45 3:06:26   



Armed Forces Competition
1 Marines	10:38:05
2 Air Force	10:52:49
3 Army		11:09:51
4 Navy		11:12:41

Top Finishers in the Marine Corps Marathon 8K

Male Finishers
Place     Name                     Residence           Clock Time Chip  Age
1	Yohannes, Awit  	Northwest	DC	0:26:00	0:26:00	19
2	Vail, Peter         	Washington	DC	0:26:25	0:26:25	30
3	Kluznik, Erik       	Alexandria	VA	0:27:19	0:27:17	26
4	Dion, Stephen      	Charlottesville	VA	0:28:40	0:28:39	33
5	Solarz, Chris        	New York	NY	0:29:22	0:29:20	26
6	Ketchem, Thomas 	Fredericksburg	VA	0:29:59	0:29:59	27
7	Spinda, Steve       	Kersey       	PA     	0:30:50	0:30:49	45
8	Lemaster, Ralph 	Columbus	OH	0:31:39	0:31:37	24
9	Kempe, Rich       	Canfield	OH	0:31:53	0:31:52	49
10	Elizondo, Felipe 	California	MD	0:32:02	0:31:51	37

Female Finishers
1	Robinson, Kimberly 	Niceville	FL	0:32:23	0:32:23	40
2	Cooke, Jacqueline 	Alexandria	VA	0:33:17	0:33:17	26
3	Jankowsky, Angela 	Raleigh 	NC	0:34:16	0:34:16	27
4	Marin, Pilar     	Arlington	VA	0:34:35	0:34:21	22
5	Byrne, Maura         	Berkeley HeightsNJ	0:34:37	0:34:31	18
6	Dickerson, Karen 	Springfield	VA	0:34:53	0:34:52	18
7	Reid, Kate           	Arlington	VA	0:34:54	0:34:39	22
8	Sherry, Kristee 	Annandale	VA	0:35:03	0:34:49	22
9	Keating, Nancy  	Suffolk 	VA	0:35:10	0:35:04	44
10	Acquavella, Kristin 	Alexandria	VA	0:35:42	0:35:38	33

Photo above: The start of the 2004 Marine Corps Marathon with the leaders.