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Brig. Gen. Helen Pratt, Marine Corps University president, and Sgt. Major Peter Siaw lead a group of Marines completing the final mile of the 240-mile relay run in honor of the Marine Corps birthday at 7 a.m. on Nov. 10.

Photo by Adele Uphaus-Conner

First ever 240-mile relay run in honor of Marine Corps birthday

19 Nov 2015 | Adele Uphaus-Conner Marine Corps Base Quantico

Throughout the small, often rainy hours of the morning on Nov. 9 and Nov. 10, two runners circled the campus of Marine Corps University at Marine Corps Base Quantico, one bearing and one illuminating the Education Command colors.

They were participating in the first-ever 240-mile relay run in honor of the 240th birthday of the Marine Corps aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico. About 700 runners—Marines and civilian staff of the university—volunteered to run a one-mile loop. The relay began at 3 p.m. on the crisp, sunny afternoon of Nov. 8 and ended at 7 a.m. on the gray, drizzly morning of Nov. 10, the official Marine Corps birthday. It continued without stopping during that period.

“When you tell people they’re going to be running 24/7 and carrying their command colors, they’re intrigued,” said Sgt. Major Peter Siaw, MCU sergeant major. Siaw pitched the idea for the relay run, which he had seen done at several of his previous posts.

“Everyone here at MCU is in a privileged position,” Siaw said. “We’re not doing what other Marines who are deployed are doing, but we represent every part of the Marine Air Ground Task Force here. So we wanted to step up and represent all the people who aren’t here—all the enlisted Marines and officers.”

Siaw said Marines all over the world complete runs in honor of the birthday, whether in hot desert sands or up and down the decks of ships.

“Physical training is an inherent part of the Marine Corps, probably more than any other service,” Siaw said. “This base is alive at 4:30 a.m. with Marines running. So a run is a natural thing for us to do for the birthday.

“It’s a motivating force as well,” Siaw continued. “Students who leave here and get commands can take this and use it with their Marines.”

“This was a completely volunteer effort,” said Capt. Adam Gusme, Education Command staff secretary, who organized the MCU relay run with his staff of four Marines.

Gusme and his staff prepared a detailed, color-coded schedule for the run. Each one-mile leg was to be completed in ten minutes, a sometimes excruciatingly-slow shuffle for Marines used to intense physical training. At least one runner was scheduled for each leg during the day and two at night, although many runners signed up for more than one leg.

Timers were scheduled for two-and-a-half hour blocks throughout the duration of the run to maintain the pace of ten minutes per mile. Gusme also made sure supernumeraries were in place to take over a leg in case a scheduled runner didn’t show up.

“We really thought it through to keep the run continuous day and night,” Gusme said.

As it turned out, the supernumeraries weren’t needed. Everyone who was scheduled to run did his or her part, and many former Marines who heard about the run after it started wanted to jump in. Gusme said one retired Marine showed up during the night of Nov. 9 and ran a total of 17 miles in the pouring rain.

One group started a fire pit and roasted marshmallows during their shift as timers. Gusme said the fire marshal came to instruct them to put the fire out, but when they told him why they were there, he told them to continue.

Staff Sgt. Andre Charles, a student at the Staff Non-Commissioned Officer Academy, kicked off the relay by running the first mile loop.

“Anything I can do to support the Marine Corps birthday is an honor,” Charles said. “I’m excited to be starting it off and setting the tone. It’ll be hard to go slow!”

“This is the kind of thing that doesn’t happen every day,” said Staff Sgt. Kenneth Kelch, a student at the SNCO Academy who ran the third mile.

Brig. Gen. Helen Pratt, MCU president, ran the final three of the 240 miles, with Sgt. Major Siaw carrying the colors.

At the end of the run, she congratulated the Marines who ran and those who organized the run.

“This is going to become a yearly tradition for MCU,” she told them. “Happy birthday, Marines!”

— Writer: auphausconner@quanticosentryonline.com

Marine Corps Base Quantico