Marine Corps Base Quantico -- While the Marine Corps 17.75K located in Prince William County, Virginia annually celebrates the year the Marine Corps was established, this year’s event will also pay tribute to the very special group of Prince William County Police and emergency personnel who put their life on the line each day to protect the local community.
The Marine Corps 17.75K that previously sold all entries for the April 2 event has made special dispensation to expand the race field to include those running to honor Officer Ashley Guindon, 28, fatally wounded on Feb. 27, on her first day on the job in Woodbridge, Virginia, while on a domestic call with fellow officers. Officers Jesse Hempen, 31, an eight-year veteran of the police force and David McKeown, 33, a 10-year veteran, are currently recovering from serious injuries. Guindon was also a U.S. Marine corporal serving with the 4th Marine Logistics Group, assigned to the Marine Corps Reserve Unit located at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Anacostia, Maryland. She served from May 2007 to February 2015 as a field radio operator and personnel retrieval specialist. Guindon also held a degree in aeronautics and a master’s degree in forensic science from George Washington University.
17.75K participants running to honor the police officers will join the field of 2,000 at the 7 a.m. start of the event. The police officer team will wear shirts that display fallen officer’s names and pay homage to their service. Guindon’s name has been added to the shirt that includes these fallen Prince William County Police Officers also killed while on duty: Officer Chris Yung (Dec. 31, 2012); Officer Mike Pennington (Nov. 22, 1990) and Officer Paul T. White Jr., who lost his life on Oct. 27, 1973.
“These police officers and emergency personnel are dedicated to their jobs to serve and protect the community and answer the call at a moment’s notice,” says Rick Nealis, MCM Director. “We are proud to honor them as they participate in this MCM event. We are also especially proud to honor one of our own, Marine Cpl. Ashley Guindon.”
The Marine Corps 17.75K, equates to a distance of 11.03 miles. The event starts along Dumfries Road/Route 234 in Manassas and runs throughout a challenging course located in Prince William Forest Park, which is a National Park (#FindYourPark). The Marine Corps 17.75K is part of the MCM Event Series, hosted April through November. More information about the Marine Corps 17.75K and the 41st MCM is available at www.marinemarathon.com.