The 2013 Marine Corps Marathon brought 30,000 runners and thousands of spectators to the District Sunday morning after weeks of worry that a government shutdown would force postponement—or at worst a cancellation—of the storied “people’s marathon.”
On the men’s side, there was no question after mile one that Girma Bedada of Ethiopia would cross the finish line first. Bedada, 33, led the pack for 25 miles and won with a time of 2:21:32, with an average pace of 5:23 per mile.
He was followed by Alexandria’s Patrick Fernandez. Arlington’s Mike Wardian and Chris Pruitt placed fifth and eighth, respectively.
Kelly Calway of Colorado won the women’s race in 2:42:16. Calway, who told the Washington Post her job as a US Army captain prevented her from training for the marathon, is deploying to Kuwait next week.
Registration for next year’s Marine Corps Marathon opens February 19 and for the first time will feature a lottery system.
We rounded up photos of some of our favorite moments from yesterday’s race, from the always-entertaining Cupid’s Undie Run cheer station to the woman who ran with a cast on her leg. Now that’s dedication.
