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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.

Nominate the Best of Washington Running 2016 through Dec. 31. The top six nominees will move on to final voting in January and February and winners will be announced in RunWashington‘s second issue of 2016.

Also, nominate the best running photo of 2015 by emailing [email protected] with a link to the photo.

Entrance to the main part of the zoo, and the Harvard Street bridge to North Road, will be will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and until 7 p.m. March 15-Oct. 5), a change from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. (7 p.m. in the middle of the year).  The gates to the trail, which allows pedestrians to circumvent a nearby tunnel shared with cars, will remain open from dawn until dusk, a zoo spokeswoman said.

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.

Sunday’s 40th Marine Corps Marathon started out on the wrong foot when rain and unusually long, slow security lines frustrated thousands of runners, but fortunately, it’s not how you start a marathon, it’s how you finish.

The 23,217 finishers made it the third-largest in the race’s history, with 4,438 coming from the immediate D.C. area.

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.