Marine Corps Base Quantico --
Sold-Out Events Held Aboard Marine Base Quantico a Hit Among Competitors
Competitors in the Quantico Tri, hosted by the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) took to the waters of the Potomac River early this Aug. 20 in a 750-meter swim in the open water of the Potomac, followed by a 20K bike, before finishing with a 5K run.
Held in conjunction with the Tri was the new Quantico 12K, a nearly 7.5 mile run through the training grounds of the legendary Officer Candidates School aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico. Both events, part of the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) Event Series, reached registration capacity, welcoming 1,200 athletes to the dual start lines.
Damian Walsh of Alexandria, Virginia took first place in the Quantico Tri for the males with a combined time of 1:05:18.
Melissa Tallent of Sterling, Virginia, set a new Quantico Tri female record by 40 seconds, championing the women’s field with a time of 1:13:09, outpacing the second place finisher by six minutes.
Patrick Gelback, Springfield, Virginia, earned a final finish of 1:06:23, while Thomas McWalters, Manassas Park, Virginia, completed the men’s podium, finishing in 1:08:01. For the women, Karen Guerra (1:19:10) of Alexandria, earned silver while Jessica Hickey, also of Alexandria, (1:19:51) took bronze.
Nearly one-third of the competitors in the Quantico Tri were competing in their first triathlon.
Marathon Junkie-turned-triathlete Chuck Engle and MCM Ambassador Kirt Elling were among the MCM family of participants in the triathlon, while MCM Ambassador Bob Elling competed in the Quantico 12K.
While triathletes were still completing the bike course, All-Marine Runner Maj. Richard Jennings of Quantico, crossed the finish line of the Quantico 12K in 44:27, dominating the field of males. Second place male Logan DeSouza of Durham, North Carolina (46:52) led third place Alec Moore of Stafford, Virginia (51:19) by five minutes. Heather Hanscom, of Arlington, Virginia, a former MCM winner, completed the course in 50:10earning the top spot among the women’s field. Brenda Schrank, a seven-time podium placer at the annual Marine Corps Marathon, placed second at the Quantico 12K finishing in 51:22. She was followed to the podium by back-to-back Marine Corps Historic Half winner, Britta Ultz Baxter who completed the 12K course in 52:43.
After completing either the Quantico Tri or Quantico 12K, 192 athletes are in place to earn the Distinguished Participant medal after also completing an event during Marine Corps Historic Half Weekend and Run Amuck. The final hurdle toward Distinguished Participation is the annual Turkey Trot 10K, this year hosted on Saturday, November 19. Registration for the Turkey Trot, as well as results for both of today’s events, are posted on www.marinemarathon.com.
The 2016 MCM Event Series includes a series of road races and a triathlon occurring in Prince William County and on Marine Corps Base Quantico, VA. The MCM Event Series is sponsored by Brooks, Discover Prince William County/Manassas, GEICO, Holiday Inn Quantico Center, National University, Sentara Healthcare and Wegmans. No federal or Marine Corps endorsement implied.
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