Alexandria Runners In Top Three At Marine Corps Marathon Events

ARLINGTON, VA — Rain didn't stop runners from completing the 44th annual Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 27 in Arlington and DC. This year's event featured the 26.2 mile marathon, MCM10K, and the new MCM50K. Two runners from Alexandria were among the top finishers.

Dustin Whitlow, 33, finished second among men in the MCM50K with a time of 3:21:36. Finishing first was ultra marathoner Michael Wardian, 45, the same person who ran the entire length of the Capital Beltway in 18 hours earlier this year.

In the MCM10K, Alexandria's Maj. Christine Taranto, 34, of the U.S. Marine Corps finished third among women with a time of 0:38:50.

The new MCM50K event saw 1,345 runners participate. The race takes runners through the entire marathon course with a 4.87-mile diversion at mile 4.5. The traditional marathon starts in Arlington between Arlington National Cemetery and the Pentagon, crossing Key Bridge into DC and eventually the 14th Street Bridge back to Arlington. The race finishes at the Marine Corps War Memorial.

The MCM10K course starts in Arlington, heads over the 14th Street Bridge and ends at the National Mall.

In all, 26,502 runners participated in the 44th annual Marine Corps Marathon, one of the largest races in the U.S. The first-place finisher in the marathon was Jordan Tropf, 27, of Silver Spring, Maryland, with a time of 2:27:43. Brittany Charboneau, 31, of Golden, Colorado was the top female finisher, clocking in at 2:44:47.

William Gardner, 23, of Edinburgh, Scotland placed first in the MCM10K and Hannah Krumreich, 27, of Vienna, Virginia placed first among women. The top finisher for the MCM Wheelchair and Handcycle was Tom Davis, 42, of Fremont, Indiana.

Check back for full results at www.marinemarathon.com.