United by Running

The training is over, the tapering is done and the waiting is almost over. The Marine Corps Marathon is Sunday. I'm getting ready to hit the rack so I can get up early in the morning to make the trip to D.C.

I love D.C. and am looking forward to running amidst the iconic buildings and monuments that represent the United States of America. With the pageantry and the spectacle that will be on display, I'm sure I'll run with a sense of patriotic pride on Sunday. And that was before I learned that one unique aspect to this year's Marine Corps Marathon is that in addition to the 30,000 runners in D.C., about 208 military personnel in Iraq are running the Marine Corps Marathon Forward -- a full 26.2 marathon half a world away. Here's an excerpt about the event from today's Washington Post.

On Sunday, several hours before 30,000 runners stand in the shadow of the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington ready to begin the Marine Corps Marathon, Marine Sgt. Chuck Trainer will set out on his first marathon in, of all places, the Iraqi desert.

Trainer is one of 208 members of the armed services stationed in the Middle East who are registered for Sunday's inaugural Marine Corps Marathon Forward at al-Asad air base, which is about 100 miles west of Baghdad. For Trainer and others, the satellite race is serving as a medium through which they can connect with loved ones in the United States, especially those who are running the Marine Corps Marathon here. Click here for full story.