Author: Emily Rabbitt

With two weeks to go before this Philadelphia Marathon, Matt Deters’ training started to pay off in a race.

He set a personal best at the Veterans Day 10k, running 32:06 on a cool, windy day to finish fourth.

Joe Divel took the enthusiasm that guided his training with him on marathon day.

“We tell the first timers, just enjoy it, it’s your first time,” said First Time Marathoner Coach Conroy Zien.  The goal of the group’s six month training process is to gradually build up runners to marathon mileage, and give them the resources and support to get to the start line healthy.  Zien, a veteran marathoner, and the other pace coaches, are personally invested in each runner getting the opportunity to experience the elation of completing a marathon.  The plan paid off for Joe Divel, and many other FTM members at this year’s Marine Corps Marathon.

Amelia McKeithen didn’t go in for a rigid training plan that told her what days to run, when to cross-train, or what to eat.  She knew back in March when she committed to running the Marine Corps Marathon as a fundraiser for The Children’s Inn at NIH that a structure like that would cramp her style.

If one thing has defined McKeithen’s approach to marathon training, it’s been having fun throughout the process. “Fun” isn’t always the first term that the average person, or even the above average runner, equates with preparing to run 26.2 miles consecutively. But McKeithen, a lifelong athlete, is always pushing her limits, and finding new ways to challenge herself physically and mentally. A competitive intensity is right beneath the surface with McKeithen, easily obscured by her easy smile and self-deprecating wit.

Read more about Will Etti here, here, here and here.

Will Etti completed the Marine Corps Marathon in 5 hours and 14 minutes, a 37 minute PR over last year’s effort.  In last year’s Marine Corps Marathon effort, Etti hobbled through cramping through the later stages of the race, an experience that has been at the forefront of his mind since he began training for this year’s redemption six months ago.

Joe Divel can’t wait to run his first marathon.  With one final 20 mile run and just three weeks away from the Marine Corps Marathon, Divel is riding a high of anticipation.  At a recent event with the First Time Marathoners (FTM) that opened with a group run, Joe got a taste of the final hill leading up to the Iwo Jima memorial.  The group’s coaches lined the road leading to where the finish line will be set up to give runners like Joe just a taste of what the thrill of race day will be like.

“As we came up the street, all the coaches were there cheering us on and I thought – 100% I am ready for the Marine Corps Marathon,” Divel said.  He’s so primed with anticipation he’s sure that he won’t be able to sleep the night before.

Amelia McKeithen is ready for the Marine Corps Marathon.  As she predicted herself early on in her training, she hasn’t followed a particular plan to prepare.  McKeithen likes to run when she feels like it instead of when the calendar says she has too, but still she’s managed to log an impressive amount of miles, even if she’s not keeping track.  She’s done two 20-milers, even though she skipped her final training run. “The training plan said I should run 20 miles on the weekend of the 3^rd, but I’m a fair weather runner.  I’ll run if it’s cold out but not if it’s gross out,” McKeithen said. The combination of the wet weekend and a wedding to attend kept McKeithen from logging her final long run, but she thinks it will be ok.

She’s looking toward race day with a mixture of excitement, a touch of competitive spirit, and has started worrying about some of the details.  But she’s not letting any of her minor concerns stand in the way of having a good time.

In the months leading up to 2015’s Fall marathons, RunWashington is following several local runners as they prepare for their races. We’ll chart their progress as they train their legs, lungs and minds for the challenges they’ll race on race day. Each week, we’ll catch up with our runners and see how they’re doing. This is the fourth story about Will Etti, read the first, second and third.

Will Etti is ready to tackle the Marine Corps Marathon once again, and this time, he thinks he’s ready for it.  Since this year’s iconic DC race falls on Will Etti’s 39th birthday, he’s chosen it from the two options he was considering.

In the months leading up to 2015’s Fall marathons, RunWashington will follow several local runners as they prepare for their races. We’ll chart their progress as they train their legs, lungs and minds for the challenges they’ll race on race day. Each week, we’ll catch up with our runners and see how they’re doing. Read more about Amelia McKeithen, who is running the Marine Corps Marathon, here.