MARINE CORPS MARATHON HISTORY: HOW A 1975 MEMO BECAME THE PEOPLE'S MARATHON

On October 17, 1975, Col. James L. Fowler, a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars, wrote to Maj. Gen. Michael P. Ryan proposing a "Marine Corps Reserve Marathon" in the Washington area.

Fowler's Proposal

Fowler saw the race as a way to build goodwill between the military and the public in the years after the Vietnam War. It would also serve as a recruiting tool for the Marine Corps Reserve.

Ryan backed the idea, and it went to the Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Louis Wilson, for approval. Fowler worried in the months before the race that few people would enter.

The First Race in 1976

The first race ran on November 7, 1976, with 1,175 participants. Kenneth Moore won the men's race, and Susan Mallery won the women's race in 2:56:33.

The finish at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, the bronze statue of the flag raising on Iwo Jima, was part of the course from the first year. It has remained the finish line through every edition since.

Fowler directed the race for its first two years.

A Route Through Washington

The 1977 race added a route through Washington, D.C., and the field more than doubled to 2,655 runners. In 1978, coordination passed from the Reserve to active-duty Marines at Marine Barracks, and the race took the name Marine Corps Marathon.

The same year began the Challenge Cup, a team competition between U.S. Marine runners and a team from the British Royal Navy and Royal Marines. A women's division was added to the Challenge Cup in 1998.

In 1979, 1st Lt. Joanna Martin became the first active-duty female Marine to win the women's race, finishing in 2:58:14.

The People's Marathon

The race offers no prize money and has no qualifying times. Those two policies earned it the name "The People's Marathon."

It is the largest marathon in the world that does not pay prize money.

In 1982, coordination moved to Marine Corps Base Quantico.

The Course Records

Jeff Scuffins of the United States won in 1987 in 2:14:01. Nearly four decades later, that time remains the men's course record.

Olga Markova won in 1990 in 2:37:00, setting a women's record that would last 35 years. The same year, the race sold out for the first time, with 13,000 runners in its 15th running.

Growth Through the 2000s

The 2001 race drew more than 15,000 runners from all 50 states and 39 countries. Demand kept rising through the decade.

In 2011, all 30,000 entries sold out in 28 hours. In 2012, they sold out in 2 hours and 41 minutes.

The organizers introduced an entry lottery for the first time in 2014. The MCM10K had been added to race weekend in 2006.

Recent Winners

Trevor Lafontaine won the men's race in 2015 in 2:24:22, and Jenny Mendez Suanca of Costa Rica won the women's race in 2:45:55. Mendez Suanca won again in 2018 in 2:40:20.

Samuel Kosgei of Kenya won in 2016 in 2:23:52, and Desta Beriso Morkama of Ethiopia won in 2017 in 2:25:13. Jeffrey Stein won in 2018 in 2:22:49, and Jordan Tropf won in 2019 in 2:27:43.

On the women's side, Perry Shoemaker won in 2016 in 2:51:47, Sarah Bishop in 2017 in 2:45:06 and Brittany Charboneau in 2019 in 2:44:47.

The Pandemic Years

The in-person race was cancelled in 2020 because of COVID-19. Registrants could transfer their entries to a later year or take a refund.

The in-person race was cancelled again in 2021. Entrants could run the distance virtually, transfer to 2022 or take a refund.

King and Barrett

Kyle King, a Marine officer, won the men's race in 2022 in 2:19:19. Chelsea Baker of Great Britain won the women's race in 2:42:38.

Julius Kogo of Kenya won in 2023 in 2:25:56, and Bonnie Keating won the women's race in 2:50:49. King won again in 2024 in 2:25:06, and Tessa Barrett won her first title in 2:39:36.

The 50th race in 2025 drew about 40,000 finishers. King won for a third time, and Barrett defended her title in 2:34:08, taking almost three minutes off Markova's 1990 record.

The 51st Race

The 2026 race on Sunday, October 25, is the 51st running. About 30,000 runners are expected on a course that starts near the Pentagon, passes through Georgetown and finishes at the Marine Corps War Memorial.

Fowler died in January 2015 at 84. The race he proposed in a memo is now one of the largest marathons in the United States.