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Luis Morales, No. 31, crouches with his daughter after completing the Quantico Tri on Marine Corps Base Quantico in 1 hour, 14 minutes, 50 seconds on Sunday. Morales was featured in the Aug. 21 editoin of the Quantico Sentry.

Photo by Rebekka Heite

475 compete in 2nd annual Quantico Tri

28 Aug 2014 | Sgt. Rebekka S. Heite Marine Corps Base Quantico

Approximately 475 athletes signed up to compete in the 2nd annual Quantico Tri, the Marine Corps Marathon Event Series triathlon, on Aug. 24 on Marine Corps Base Quantico. The results for 388 competitors are available on www.marinemarathon.com.

 

Luis Morales, a wounded warrior featured in last week’s paper, finished in 187th place with an overall time of 1 hour, 14 minutes 50 seconds. He swam 400-yards in 9:04, he completed the 8-mile bike course in 28:55 and the 5K run in 30:39.

 

“I’ve done other triathlons that weren’t as well run,” he said. “There were a lot of good volunteers [here] doing their job.”

 

This year’s triathlon started in three waves at the Quantico 50M Pool. The first wave set off at 7 a.m.

 

After completing their 400-yard zigzag through the Quantico 50M Pool, the competitors ran out of the pool and into The Clubs at Quantico parking lot where their bikes were staged.

 

The 8-milelong cycling course provided a historical tour of the main side of Quantico, which was founded in 1917.

 

The athletes began the bike course on Dunlap Circle and then merged onto Russell Road, as it became Barnett Avenue, which was named after Maj. Gen. George Barnett, the 12th commandant of the Marine Corps. Cyclists then curved left as Barnett Avenue turned into Fuller Road, named for 15th Commandant of the Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Ben Hebard Fuller. Just before Mile 4, cyclists turned left onto Purvis Road, named after Cpl. Hugh Purvis, who received a Medal of Honor for his actions during the 1871 Korean Campaign. The turnaround point was the Child Development Center on Purvis Road. Cyclists followed the same route coming back toward the transition area before beginning the run portion.

 

After restaging their bikes, the athletes began the final portion of the Quantico Tri, the 5K run.

 

Competitors ranged in age from as old as 10 to 75 years young.

 

The triathlon is different from most events that the Marine Corps Marathon conducts, but “we always listen to our runners,” said Angela Anderson, deputy director, MCM, and race coordinator for the Quantico Tri.

 

Those runners told the MCM staff that they wanted something different, said Anderson.

 

“I think you can blow it up,” Anderson recalled one runner saying about MCM hosting a triathlon.

 

Before the first Quantico Tri, Anderson went to multiple triathlons to see how other’s organized their event and even competed in one herself for some firsthand knowledge.

 

“And that’s how it started,” said Anderson.

 

Editor’s note: To read more about Morales visit http://tinyurl.com/qzetkzd.


Marine Corps Base Quantico