One is lonely, two's company, and 30,000 is a crowd
Meeting fellow marathoners at the Ruby Reception and the MCM Health and Fitness Expo
2015 Health and Fitness Expo in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center
By Chris Leyen
Washington, DC--Want to get advice? Tell anyone at the Marine Corps Marathon it's your first time. There is no shortage of tips, anecdotes, and stories among marathoners. Or, perhaps, you'll meet one of the 18,000 first-timers proudly supported by the FTM moniker that would grace signs from Key Bridge to Hains Point, and they will share in your pre-race jitters.
On Friday and Saturday the Metro was filled with swaths of both first-time and serial runners in Technicolor sneakers and race t-shirts. The District grew a little friendlier, the semi-transient population of politicians, lawyers, and students augmented by 40,000-plus runners, volunteers, and race organizers, each clear USMC security approved Brooks Running bags sporting one of the 30,000 coveted Marine Corps Marathon race numbers becoming an invitation for friendship, a chance to lead or be led, share stories of past exploits, or help an out-of-towner find the best way to get to the Carnegie Library or the Convention Center. The locals freely helped the destination-marathoners, well-travelled marathoners helped the casual Millennial fitness junkie navigate the course map or gave advice on how many Gu's or PowerGels to take. Camaraderie borne of shared experience.
Of course, each of us participated in that shared experience a bit differently. Walking DC the days before the marathon, one learned the different 'types' of marathon junkies. I met one, walking from the MCM Celebration Concert to the Ruby Reception--a special gathering held for runners who have entered at least five MCMs. Already adorned in 4-5 articles of MCM clothing, at a glimpse she saw my 40th MCM pin picked up that day from the Press Conference. Her eyes widened voraciously..."where did you get that!?" she exclaimed. I had just met my first "hoarder". View my full list of the 40 Marathoners you meet at the MCM...or at least the 40 that I met.We began our day at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Hall C. was awash in gold and maroon drapes, throngs of runners guided down the hallways of the complex more by following the crowd than by the ever-present "Mission Accomplished" signs. Runners enter the expo floor from above, a long escalator bringing them into contact with the 200-plus exhibitors on the carpeted arena...after passing through the security checkpoint of course. The expo flowed orderly, from left to right, runners picking up packets by presenting a government-issued photo ID and custom E-Card. The premium pick-up was next, purchased by tearing the perforated square coupon from the Tyvek race number. The thick red moisture-wicking thermal shirt was very comfortable, once you were able to squeeze your head through the neck hole. Attached to each number was a unique UPS Baggage claim sticker, which when affixed to the clear Brooks running bag, provided an orderly mechanism for bag check--a necessity with 40,000 potential athletes. A lucky 40 participants at packet pickup received a "super-sized goodie bag" with high-value products from MCM sponsors and licensees. The expo featured several booths for upcoming races. These varied both in length, and in originality. Local and regional marathons and half-marathons predominated, but there was even a booth for the Dusseldorf Marathon. The races varied in scope as well as scale, including races ranging from "America's Toughest Road Marathon" to a one mile Undie Run promoted by guys in bright red skivvies promising a " 'brief' run. BIG party."
Beyond the upcoming races, local running stores sold shoes, insoles, gels, and other miscellanea, anything to grant an edge. National brands Hoka and Brooks sold shoes and custom MCM gear. Free samples of every sort of granola bar, gel or jelly bean greeted the runners. And of course there was a photo-op in a souped-up ATV sporting two 50-caliber machine guns. Mascots Miles and Milie and the Geico Gecko also posed for photos with fans. This year the Marine Corps Marathon joined the USMC Toys for Tots campaign obtaining new holiday toys for boys and girls as well as partnering with the MORE Foundation Group to collect used-but-not-abused running shoes to donate to West Africa's poorest family farms.
After visiting the Expo, we travelled to the Ronald Reagan Building in Woodrow Wilson Plaza for the MCM Celebration Concert. The hour-long performance by United We Sing was attended by a small contingent of runners, perhaps due to its distance from the Convention Center or HQ Hotel. Those who attended were treated to a tight female vocal trio arrayed in army green trench coats, white scarves and hair in a conservative up-do. The sights and sounds were of the USO in the 1940s-50s with pure unisons and well-tuned jazz/blues harmonies. The trio would perform on a larger stage later this weekend, singing the Star-Spangled Banner at the MCM Kids Run and in Roslyn at the Finish Festival. The group staged a good show in front of a small crowd, but could have had a more effective set by eliminated the 'call-and-response' section of "Living in America" imploring the audience to respond with energy that couldn't be reciprocated by the few onlookers. After the concert, we briskly walked to Carnegie Library for the Ruby Reception of the MCM Running Club. Friday would also feature a Hall of Fame Reception at the Crystal City Marriott and the MCM pep rally at the Hyatt Regency Washington.
Friday evening, I got a chance to spend the earlier part of the evening with the best guides, staples of 'The People's Marathon': serial Marine Corps Marathoners of five or more years. The reception--featuring catered sandwich wrap rounds, gourmet meatballs, miniature cupcakes, a cash bar, and acoustic guitar by Jarrett Laskey--was attended by a unique crowd. Serial Marathoners, those running five, ten...(twenty-five or more?) Marine Corps Marathons came in all shapes and sizes. Some were elderly gentlemen, others were younger couples, some in suit and tie, others in running gear, or a Harley Davidson t-shirt with a belt buckle. But, they were ALL runners. At 24, I was easily the youngest at my table, the other attendees having run ten, twenty-three and thirty MCMs respectively, there were even a few coming from Boston just last Saturday. 
Rick Nealis spoke with pride as he addressed this group. For him, the athletes here are role-models, exemplars of fitness, willpower and singular focus, and he thanked them for making the MCM their run of choice. They were indeed ambassadors of the sport and this race. The evening was one of stories told with pride, humor, sadness, intention. Master Sgt. Everett began. He spoke of the race in 2001 just a month after 9/11, of running with thousands, voices falling silent as eyes caught a glimpse of the West side of the Pentagon, the only sounds that remained were of footfalls and steady breathing. The collective reverence was life-changing. The rationale for not providing prize money for the winners of the MCM was now evident. The goal of this race was something different. That something kept this crowd coming back year after year, experiences like Everett had in 2001. The severity would wane as stories took a more humorous tone as the evening progressed, but the impact the race had on each storyteller was evident and profound.At my table runners swapped stories of Paris, the Swiss Alps, dreams of running the Venetian Marathon--tales from running Beirut to running Nashville. The runners here saw the world through their feet. I left, humbled that in 26.2 miles, I would join this community of marathoners, of people who have lived a fuller existence. Having put in those miles, I still wjouldn't call myself a marathoner. The phrase I would hear most often this weekend, even among this group, was "I was never a runner". It was something that took them by surprise, something at some point they came to tacitly, but proudly accept. I wonder when someone crosses that line. Guess it's some point between the first and the 30th 26.2 miles. I look forward to finding out.