USMC Marathon

[wallythenycat]

I ran the USMC Marathon over the weekend, and the Marines sure do put on a good show despite the humid weather that day.

I saw a number of Marine officers along the way that both silver looking Army Airborne wings and gold looking Navy/Marine Parachutist wings. Assuming they were not prior service with the Army, how do Marine officers get such wings?

Secondly, I notice that, unlike the Army, Marine officers wear shiny rank insignia on their cammies. Do they have subdued ranks for the field so that they won't get spotted by the enemy?

 

[Swanee]

They go to the schools that give those wings out.

Marines don't wear rank in the field.

 

[Fallonflyr]

Silver jump wings mean they went to jump school, the gold wings mean they jumped while a member of a jump qualified unit such as MARSOC, RECON, ANGLICO etc.

 

[Duc'-guy25]

Silver jump wings mean they went to jump school, the gold wings mean they jumped while a member of a jump qualified unit such as MARSOC, RECON, ANGLICO etc.

Bad gouge; it’s what level of training they complete. It’s just typical for dudes in those units to complete that training and hence why we see it on dudes associated with them. Silver wings are basic jump wings where the gold ones in the Naval Service denote they have met an the advanced qualification wickets.

 

[Fallonflyr]

Bad gouge; it’s what level of training they complete. It’s just typical for dudes in those units to complete that training and hence why we see it on dudes associated with them. Silver wings are basic jump wings where the gold ones in the Naval Service denote they have met a the advanced qualification wickets.

I stand corrected.

 

[taxi1]

I ran the USMC Marathon over the weekend, and the Marines sure do put on a good show despite the humid weather that day.

Very cool

I ran it in 2004, when the DC sniper was still on the prowl. The joke was what running strategy to use for the marathon...serpentine.

 

[nittany03]

Very cool

I ran it in 2004, when the DC sniper was still on the prowl. The joke was what running strategy use for the marathon...serpentine.

When I finished in 2001, there was still a hole in the Pentagon.

 

[Fallonflyr]

I ran it with my wife back in the 80’s. My training was running 3 miles around 4 times a week to maintain my 300 PFT. I was able to hang with her for about 5 Miles but ended up finishing about an hour behind her. Old lady’s were passing me by the end. One of the dumbest things I have ever done.

 

[nittany03]

I can't remember where my stupid 20-year-old ass stopped my long training runs at . . . I want to say like 18-20 miles or so. I do remember that I bonked HARD like 3 miles beyond it, followed by pure pain, followed by the last about 2 miles being pure insane endorphins. I literally broke down in tears at the finish, not because finishing the marathon was some bucket list life goal (although it was badass and cool). My brain was just so scrambled on the biggest runner's high I'd ever had that I just lost it for about 30 seconds.

 

[JoeBob1788]

Bad gouge; it’s what level of training they complete. It’s just typical for dudes in those units to complete that training and hence why we see it on dudes associated with them. Silver wings are basic jump wings where the gold ones in the Naval Service denote they have met an the advanced qualification wickets.
The gold are Naval Parachutist wings, and requires 10 total jumps. The 5 additional include 2 night and 2 combat equipment. We were told not to wear them until completing at least 1 water jump but that’s not an actual requirement.

While technically a different qual than lead jump wings, I never understood wearing both basic and Naval Parachutist, or the army wearing both basic and free fall wings.

 

[nittany03]

The gold are Naval Parachutist wings, and requires 10 total jumps. The 5 additional include 2 night and 2 combat equipment. We were told not to wear them until completing at least 1 water jump but that’s not an actual requirement.

Ah, yes, the whole "the instruction says one thing, but I'll bully people into doing this other thing, because I still think I'm in middle school, not the military" logic. Or so-called "logic."

 

[IKE]

I can't remember where my stupid 20-year-old ass stopped my long training runs at . . . I want to say like 18-20 miles or so. I do remember that I bonked HARD like 3 miles beyond it, followed by pure pain, followed by the last about 2 miles being pure insane endorphins. I literally broke down in tears at the finish, not because finishing the marathon was some bucket list life goal (although it was badass and cool). My brain was just so scrambled on the biggest runner's high I'd ever had that I just lost it for about 30 seconds.

Almost identical experience, except I was 37. I "crapped" out around mile 23 - In front of the Natural History Museum, IIRC. The last two miles were a painful, crampy, jog/walk slog.

If you trained to 20 miles, my guess is you had a nutrition/hydration problem or ran too fast. My mistake was poor nutrition night before + running too hard in the first 3-5 mi zigzagging around the walkers.

 

[nittany03]

Almost identical experience, except I was 37. I "crapped" out around mile 23 - In front of the Natural History Museum, IIRC. The last two miles were a painful, crampy, jog/walk slog.

If you trained to 20 miles, my guess is you had a nutrition/hydration problem or ran too fast. My mistake was poor nutrition night before + running too hard in the first 3-5 mi zigzagging around the walkers.

Oh, it was definitely a nutrition/hydration issue. I was pissing coke-colored at the end but I'd never hydrated right over the 3/4 I should have been. To be that young and stupid again. I tired to get back into half shape over the pandemic and just managed to strain my Achilles.

I ran the Rock & Roll Half in Seattle at ~31 years old and finished 30 minutes faster than my marathon splits. My goal was to run the Seattle Marathon that fall and prove that old age and cunning could beat youth and inexperience, then my knees told me "fuck you."

 

[JTS11]

My experience was similar to @Fallonflyr . 18 yrs old, just graduated HS, visiting family in CO. I'm in HS football and basketball shape at sea level at this time. Older brother goads me into running a half-marathon in Vail, CO at altitude on mountain switchback roads.

Took off like a bat out of hell for first 3 miles. From then on, it was painful walking and slow shuffling. The last 3 or 4 miles was nothing but little old grannies shuffling past me, wounding my ego. When I finally crossed the finish line, I thought "never fucking again" ?

 

[insanebikerboy]

I ran it with several friends in 2003. I think my longest run was maybe 10 miles for training. I had a small bottle of ibuprofen I ran the race with and I'd take a few every few miles. Never hit the wall but when I finished my urine color was on the frowny face side of the pee color chart hanging up in the head. There was a group handing out beers around mile 21 and I grabbed two, I'm sure that didn't help the pee color but damn I remember feeling good those last few miles.

I've ran multiple marathons and triathlons since and the MCM was probably the most fun I ever had, with the Rock n Roll Half in Virginia Beach a close second. It's been forever but, except for a short portion right before the finish, I recall the route was shoulder to shoulder jam packed with specatators.