Inspired by the recent events that have captivated the country, the 11 Penn State Navy ROTC students that traveled to Washington D.C. for the 26th annual Marine Corps Marathon this past Sunday had a mission.
Though most of the runners had never before experienced a marathon, they wanted to make sure that all 11 runners crossed the finish line of the 26.2-mile course. A number of runners struggled, but in the end, the mission was accomplished.
"I was absolutely astounded by the moral and physical courage these people showed," said midshipman Dan Pick, a fifth year senior and one of the runners who helps organize the trip. "Some had put a lot of time training for this, but some just ran those 26 miles on heart and will power alone. It was one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced."
Sophomore midshipman Jim Scianna turned in the group's best performance. Scianna, a former Connecticut state-qualifier in the mile in high school, ran the course in 3 hours, 26 minutes, 20 seconds, cutting 40 minutes from the time he turned in last year.
His time was good enough for a seventh place finish in the men's 19 and under age group, but he fell short of reaching his goal time of 3:10, which would have qualified him for the Boston Marathon. He was on pace to reach it through the first 18 miles, but pain in his ankles forced him to slow up.
"Even though I didn't finish as well as I would have liked, I still feel like this is a great accomplishment for me," Scianna said. "I definitely don't have any regrets about the way I ran this weekend. I'll just use it as motivation. I always try to take negatives and make them positives."
Though Pick was the most experienced of the runners with seven marathons under his belt, he had the most trouble finishing.
Pick had finished under the Boston Marathon qualifying time in a previous year, finishing the course in 3:02, though he could not participate in that year's event because of a registration problem.
He ran on pace with Scianna for the first 20 miles, however he felt ill and went to a medical tent where he passed out. When he came to, however, he remembered the mission he and his group had, and continued on the course, finishing the race in 5:02.22.
"I'm really glad I did continue," Pick said. "They asked me if I wanted a ride to the finish, but I remembered that we said we would all finish, so I knew I had to do the last six miles."
Junior Matt Kralovec turned in the second best time among the group, finishing in 3:35.00, followed by senior Mario Flores with 4:10.00, and senior Andrew McClune in 4:26.13.
Freshman Suzanne Oberdorf was the best female finisher of the group. Her time of 4:44.23 placed her 36th among female runners in the 19 and under age group.
All of the runners in the race got to experience something they will never forget. The course has always included a loop around the Pentagon. This season, the course came within an estimated 100 feet of the site where terrorists crashed a plane into the nation's military nerve center on Sept. 11.
"Seeing that on TV didn't do it justice," Scianna said.
"The size of that hole and the extent of the damage is incredible. I can't imagine what it would have been like to watch that take place, seeing that plane fly in.
"At first all the runners just went silent. Some chanted "USA", some were singing the Star Spangled Banner, some were singing the Battle Hymn to the Republic. It was a touching time to be there."
