This 7.46-mile run takes participants through the grounds of Officer Candidates School, offering unique access to the area where future Marine leaders train. Runners are pushed to rise to the challenge and conquer paved streets to gravely paths.
The live event marks the third qualifier for the Distinguished Participant medal. To qualify for this coveted title, runners must register and complete a live event from each of MCMO’s event weekends in 2023:
Marine Corps 17.75K on March 25;
One of the Marine Corps Historic Half events (half marathon, Semper 5ive or Devil Dog Double) on May 21;
Quantico 12K on August 26;
One of the MCM Weekend Events (Marine Corps Marathon, MCM50K or MCM10K) on October 29;
Turkey Trot 10K on November 18;
Registration for both the live and virtual Quantico 12K is $47, and open to ages 14 and up. Virtual runners will have from August 12 to 27 to complete the distance. Participants will receive the official event shirt, a spectacular finisher medal and more.
Registration is underway for the 11th Marine Corps 17.75K.
The 11.03-mile event begins at 7 a.m. Saturday, March 25, 2023, along Route 234 near Dumfries.
All those who show up to race at the event in Prince William County will receive a guaranteed entry or ‘Access Granted’ to the 48th Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) in October.
This unique distance, which commemorates the year that the Marine Corps was founded, is now part of the Marine Corps Marathon Organization’s (MCMO) Semper Fidelis Challenge and Distinguished Participant program in 2023.
The Semper Fidelis Challenge celebrates the achievement of runners who complete the Marine Corps 17.75K in March, the Marine Corps Historic Half in May and the 48th Marine Corps Marathon in October. This motivating challenge will award finishers with a special medal as well as qualify their aggregate time for a possible award at the end of the year.
The 2023 Distinguished Participant program now encompasses the full line up of MCMO events by celebrating the accomplishment of our dedicated runners who have completed an event from each weekend:
- Marine Corps 17.75K on March 25
- Marine Corps Historic Half Events (half marathon, Semper 5ive and Devil Dog Double) on May 21
- Quantico 12K on August 26
- 48th MCM Weekend (MCM, MCM10K and MCM50K) on October 29
- Turkey Trot 10K and Mile on November 18
Registration for this sought-after event is $65 for runners ages 14 and above. Participants will receive a standout finisher’s medal, specially designed technical shirt, bib and ‘Access Granted’ to the 48th MCM. To receive ‘Access Granted,’ runners must be 14 and older on MCM event day of October 29, 2023.
Runners who are unable to run with the Marines at the live event can still complete the distance virtually between March 11-26, 2023.
Hetherington’s predecessor, Rick Nealis, retired on November 30 after serving the last 30 years at the helm of the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM). Under Nealis’ leadership, the MCM has become one of the largest marathons in the country and world, and the organization has evolved into offering numerous events of all distances throughout the year.
“While on this journey, I have been blessed to watch millions of runners discover long-distance running and accomplish their dreams. I am now thrilled to hand the Marine Corps Marathon reigns over to Alex and watch him lead “The People’s Marathon” to new levels of running greatness,” expressed Nealis. “As I move on, I urge all to remain Semper Fidelis (always faithful) to our running and values. Oorah!”
Hetherington comes to MCMO after five years as the Show Director of the Modern Day Marine (MDM) Expo. He is a retired Marine aviator, having primarily served with the squadrons of Marine Aircraft Group-39 at Camp Pendleton, CA, flying the AH-1W Helicopter. Hetherington was an All-Marine runner from 1995-2009 and is the 1998 Armed Forces Marathon Champion in the inaugural year of the event. He was inducted into the Marine Corps Marathon Hall of Fame in 2009 and has run the MCM 27 times.
“I begin my tenure with great respect for what has been accomplished through Rick’s sustained visionary leadership. In many ways, I feel like I’m standing on the yellow footprints,” said Hetherington. “The yellow footprints at the Marine Corps Recruit Depots have been the transformational starting line for generations of those seeking to earn the title of United States Marine. For over 641,670 finishers to date, going back to the first Marine Corps Marathon in 1976, the starting line of The People’s Marathon has been an immersive opportunity to experience the Corps values of honor, courage and commitment through an inspiring race on an iconic course organized by the world’s finest fighting force.”
Further information about MCMO and the organization’s event lineup can be found at marinemarathon.com.
Johnathan Ladson of Dale City, Va., age 31, finished first of 520 runners in this morning’s Turkey Trot 10K and Mile aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, one final calorie-burning event before Thanksgiving.
Ladson crossed the finish line first with a time of 33:58, completing his dominance in 2022. Ladson placed at least third and above in every Marine Corps Marathon Organization (MCMO) event this year, finishing second in the Marine Corps 17.75K in March, first in the Devil Dog Double in May, first in June’s Belleau Wood 8K as well as first in August’s Quantico 12K, third in the MCM50K in October and now today as the Turkey Trot 10K Champion.
“It wasn’t really my goal until about the second or third race that I won, and I knew I was on a streak. I have never done all their (MCMO) races, so what better way to do it than all in one year and try to place top three in all of them,” said Ladson. “With the Marine Corps, nothing is easy, so it was a challenge for myself. I love the series, the people, the energy and everything.” It was a family affair as Ladson’s daughter, Janiyah, was the top female finisher in the Turkey Trot Mile earlier in the day.
The first female finisher to break the tape was Stephanie Spitznogle from Stafford, Va., age 38, with a time of 41:26. “It (the run) felt good as I was just trying to go out with the group knowing that it is kind of hilly toward the end, but honestly it’s just a good course,” explained Spitznogle. “I had fun because I just really love these races.” Spitznogle recently moved back to the area with her husband who is stationed on Marine Corps Base Quantico.
Rounding out the top finishers for this year’s event are Sean Alorro, age 18, from Dumfries, Va. who placed second among males with a time of 35:41, and Joshua Knepley, age 34, from Falls Church, with a time of 36:48 placing third among males. Brittany Murphy, age 31, from Glen Allen, Va. with a time of 42:15 and Alexis Eyo, age 30, from Washington, DC with a time of 43:15, placed second and third among females, respectively.
Unofficial results are available at marinemarathon.com.
Among today’s finishers were about 200 Distinguished Participants who completed their final 2022 MCM Event Series live run to earn the coveted medal. These runners walked away with this exclusive recognition this year, having participated in four of the following events:
- Marine Corps Historic Half Events (Devil Dog Double, Historic Half or Semper 5ive) in May
- Belleau Wood 8K or Crossroads Trail 15K in June
- Quantico 12K in August
- Turkey Trot 10K in November
Distinguished Participant medals are presented by Fleet Feet, a running specialty store in Woodbridge and Fredericksburg.
Your overall Turkey Trot 10k winner! #RunWithTheMarines pic.twitter.com/euQt95ocYj
— Marine Corps Marathon (@Marine_Marathon) November 19, 2022
A Dale City man was the top finisher in this morning’s Quantico 12K.
The run took place aboard the Marine Corps Base, home to Officers Candidate School, which molds the next generation of Marine Corps Officers.
Jonathan Ladson, 31, of Dale City, crossed the finish line first with a winning time of 42:54.
“My game plan was to stick with a pack near me and feed off their energy,” expressed Ladson in a press release from the Marine Corps Marathon Organization. “When I saw there was no one with me, I just decided to catch the bikers (serving as lead escort) and hopefully, they would push me to the course record. After mile one, I was pretty much just racing the clock.”
Ladson has placed in the top two of every Marine Corps Marathon Organization event he has entered in 2022; second place at the Marine Corps 17.75K in March, overall winner at the Devil Dog Double in May, overall winner of the Belleau Wood 8K in June and now the winner of the Quantico 12K.
He will aim for a top finish at the Marine Corps Marathon 50K on October 30.
He was followed by Marcus Briones of Jacksonville, N.C., age 21, and Jose Crosby of Quantico, Va., age 25. Their times were 45:11 and 45:15, respectively.
The top female was Annie Pentaleri from Jacksonville, Fla., 23, finishing with a time of 53:49.
“It was a really good run and a fun course. I love trails,” said Pentaleri. “There’s one hill that lasted about a mile, and I thought I was going to die, but once you get through it, all the crowd was awesome and helped me finish strongly.”
Today’s Quantico 12K marked Pentaleri’s first MCMO event ever, but she has plans to run the MCM in October. She is currently a Second Lieutenant attending The Basic School.
Coming in second for the females was Gwen Oster, 31 years old, from Alexandria, Va., with a time of 54:39, followed by Alexis Eyo, 30 years old, from Washington, D.C., with a third-place time of 55:12. Unofficial results are available at marinemarathon.com.
Another 126 runners took on the 7.46 miles virtually from August 6 to August 21.
The Quantico 12K marks the third tier of the 2022 Distinguished Participant program presented by Fleet Feet. Runners took the first two steps in becoming distinguished earlier this year by finishing one of the live Marine Corps Historic Half events and either the Belleau Wood 8K or the Crossroads Trail 15K.
Runners may continue their commitment to running with the Marines by participating in the Turkey Trot 10K and Mile, also running aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico on November 19. There are also entries still available for the Marine Corps Marathon Kids Run on October 29 in Arlington and the Marine Corps Marathon 10K in Washington, D.C., on October 30.
The Quantico 12K follows the Marine Corps 17.75K Run that took place at Prince William Forest Park in March. The race, won this year by a Maryland man, honors the founding of the Marine Corps in 1775.
The Marine Corps Marathon Organization announced that registration for the Turkey Trot 10K and Mile is open to the public starting today.
The event will run at Marine Corps Base Quantico on Saturday, November 19, five days before Thanksgiving.
The 6.2 mile event celebrates Thanksgiving, providing participants one final calorie-burning exercise before kicking off the holiday week. Interested runners are encouraged to make it a family affair with the Turkey Trot Mile, perfect for any aspiring runner.
The live Turkey Trot 10K marks the final qualifier for the 2022 Distinguished Participant medal presented by Fleet Feet. To qualify for this coveted title, runners must complete four specific live events in 2022.
Only one event from each tier below counts toward Distinguished Participant:
- Tier One: Historic Half events (13.1, Semper 5ive or Devil Dog Double) on May 22;
- Tier Two: Belleau Wood 8K or Crossroads Trail 15K on June 25;
- Tier Three: Quantico 12K on August 20;
- Tier Four: Turkey Trot 10K on November 19
Registration for the live and virtual Turkey Trot 10K is $47 and is open to ages seven and up. Virtual runners will have from November 12 to 20 to complete the 10K distance.
The registration fee for the in-person event is $25. All participants will receive the official event shirt and a finisher medal.
