Marine Corps Base Quantico -- One simple word can be used to describe Will Brown and Al Richmond, who have run the Marine Corps Marathon every year since its inception 40 years ago – groundpounders. This is the moniker given these two retired Marines (and other runners), who keep coming back to the start line in Arlington year after year to essentially pound the pavement for 26.2 miles through the streets of downtown D.C.
This year’s marathon will take place Oct. 30, and Brown and Richmond will be there at the starting line, along with approximately 30,000 other runners, all hoping to finish the grueling event.
What does it mean to be a groundpounder?
“I guess that pride is the primary meaning – pride that I am a member of such a select group, and pride that I have been able to run it for such a long time, despite the increasing years and diminishing physical ability,” Richmond said. Richmond will be age 77 when he runs his 41st Marine Corps Marathon Oct. 30.
“I have run in all these marathons because it kind of got to be a habit after the first 10 or 15. I didn’t want to break the streak,” said Brown.
Both said that running the marathon each year is, of course, a challenge. The hardest part of the race being the halfway mark for Brown and the last six or seven miles for Richmond – the race also ends in an uphill battle to the finish line.
“At mile 13 you realize that you still have a long way to go,” said Brown of the event.
“Making it through the last six to seven miles [is the hardest part],” said Richmond. “By that time, your energy is pretty much depleted and you have to dig deep to keep on going. Every muscle seems to hurt and be fatigued, and you just want the thing to be over,” Richmond said.
For some reason, though, the duo keeps on going and going. Neither one of them have kept their running to just one race. Both have run in other marathons (Richmond has run the Boston Marathon, the Baltimore Marathon and at least one other marathon where he lives in North Carolina.) Brown, on the other hand has participated in five other marathons as well as 30 or 40 ultra marathons (50 miles) and five 100-milers.
“Marathons are much harder than the longer ones,” Brown said.