Airman wins Marine Corps Marathon - Capt. Christopher Juarez

Airman, Feb, 2003

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Capt. Christopher Juarez beat more than 14,600 runners to win the 27th annual Marine Corps Marathon.

The contracting officer from Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., finished in 2 hours, 25 minutes, 1 second.

"To be in the Air Force and win the Marine Corps Marathon is a great feeling," Juarez said. "No one can ever take that away from me."

Capt. Robert Dickie, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, was in third place until the 25-mile mark in the 26.2-mile race, but severe muscle cramps forced him to withdraw.

Juarez and Dickie were part of the Air Force team running at the annual Armed Forces Marathon Championship in October. With Juarez's win, and other top Air Force finishes, the team won the Armed Forces crown by a mere 50 seconds.

The weather was warmer than ideal, and runners battled a headwind through much of the course. The marathon is an amateur race that starts and ends at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Washington, D.C. It's the sixth largest marathon run in the United States, and the 10th largest in the world.

With cannons firing, the runners took off.

The course took them around the Pentagon, across the Francis Scott Key Bridge into Georgetown, taking a short route into Rock Creek Park before heading past the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials and the Washington Monument.

This was the year Juarez felt he'd win. In 1998, he finished in 22nd place and 14th in 1999.

"But it didn't hit me until mile 24," he said. "It wasn't an easy run."

Juarez had about a quarter mile lead, but he was feeling the strain. He didn't know if his lead would hold.

"Those last two miles, I was really falling apart," he said. "But when I made that final turn, I took a quick peek and realized I had it."

The win was not quite a surprise for Juarez. The day before the race he told Steve Brown of Air Force Sports he had something to do. Juarez went to the awards display to take one more look at the first place trophy he hoped to win. Juarez then went to the airport to pick up his support team, his wife, Capt. Billeye Juarez. She's an MI-Air Force and MI-Armed Forces women's volleyball player.

The lead in the race changed a few times. Juarez was part of a foursome that took an immediate lead in the race for the first 5 miles.

"Around the fifth mile, two guys were pulling away from us," Juarez said. "John Sence and I were running next to each other, and he told me not to worry, just relax and let them go. They would come back."

They did. After the 12th mile, Juarez and Ethiopian Retta Feyissa ran stride for stride until the 20-mile mark. Then Juarez surged ahead for good. He finished only three minutes shy of the U.S. Olympic Trials qualifying mark.

The Air Force team had other top finishers. Maj. Mark Cucuzzella, Buckley Air Force Base, Cob., finished 11th in 2:34:46. Maj. Jon Schconbcrg, Fort Meade, Md., finished 25th in 2:40:00.

Adding the times of the top three finishers in the men's and women's categories determines the Armed Forces team championship. The final tally didn't take place until the women runners crossed the finish line. Capt. Brenda Schrank, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, was the top Air Force woman with a time of 3:04:39.

Other top Air Force finishers included: Staff Sgt. Michael Mann, Langley Air Force Base, Va., in 2:41:34; Maj. Heidi McKenna, Peterson Air Force Base, Cob., in 3:07:44; and 1st Lt. Amy Ncsbitt, Armed Forces Institute of Technology, Monterey, Calif., 03:10:54.