Marine Corps Marathon • Washington, DC • October 25, 2026
Five dudes. One bridge.
Zero interest in that bus.
At mile 20 of the Marine Corps Marathon, the 14th Street Bridge closes behind you. Fall off the pace and a very comfortable, very shameful bus carries you to the finish. We are five regular guys — not Marines, and honestly not really runners — training to cross that bridge on foot and earn the finish at the Marine Corps War Memorial.
T-minus to the start line
The situation
The 14th Street Bridge. It has to reopen to traffic, so the race gives you until roughly here to prove you belong on the course.
The overall pace you must hold to beat the bridge. Sounds easy in week one. Sounds different at mile 19.
Warm. Padded seats. Waiting patiently for anyone who didn't do their long runs. It is the villain of this entire website.
The crew
Not Marines. Not runners. (Yet.) Just five dudes who signed up for The People's Marathon to support the Corps — and who now have to live with that decision, eighteen weeks at a time.
First Sergeant, United States Air Force Reserve. Convinced that finishing this marathon is the only way he'll ever get a Marine's respect. Big fan of guns — both kinds.
Co-mastermind: this whole thing was his and Zack's idea, a fact the crew will revisit at mile 22. Stays because Gunny knows where he lives.
Ran this race last year and came back for more, this time with company. Owns a chest strap, a foot pod, and opinions about cadence.
Stepson of a Marine — heard the plan and threw his hat in the ring. Insists he could run it “right now, no training.” Gunny has marked the date.
Bills fan, so suffering is nothing new. Treats race registration like an NFL contract negotiation — hence the callsign. Showed up in a golf glove.
Meet Gunny Bridges
Our drill sergeant. He lives inside the crew's training HQ, reads every uploaded run, and has a professional opinion about every skipped one. He mocks effort, never bodies — and he has never once smiled before a long run was finished.
- “The bus is heated. The bus has cushioned seats. The bus is for OTHER PEOPLE.”
- “You don't get tomorrow until you survive today.”
- “Dew point 72? The Corps ran Guadalcanal in worse. Hydrate.”
Training HQ is invite-only. Crew sign-in →
Watch the training happen
Every run of the 18-week build, replayed in order. 26.2 training miles moves your dot one full lap of the course — and earns a chalk mark on the board.
The season so far
run 0 of 80every run of the build, in order — one lap of the course per 26.2 miles
Crew telemetry
JUN 22four-week window, streaming day by day like a heart monitor
table view
| Week ending | Chair Force | Cletus | The Old Man | The Kid | The Holdout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JUN 28 | 0.0 mi | 0.0 mi | 3.1 mi · 18:18/mi | 0.0 mi | 0.0 mi |
| JUL 5 | 0.0 mi | 5.0 mi · 13:46/mi | 3.1 mi · 18:18/mi | 0.0 mi | 0.0 mi |
| JUL 12 | 6.1 mi · 11:44/mi | 9.6 mi · 13:05/mi | 6.2 mi · 18:05/mi | 0.0 mi | 0.0 mi |
| JUL 19 | 24.6 mi · 11:46/mi | 26.0 mi · 12:57/mi | 21.7 mi · 18:01/mi | 4.2 mi · 9:05/mi | 3.9 mi · 12:23/mi |
| JUL 26 | 43.9 mi · 11:32/mi | 40.3 mi · 12:38/mi | 45.8 mi · 18:32/mi | 9.2 mi · 9:34/mi | 8.1 mi · 12:21/mi |
| AUG 2 | 49.9 mi · 11:18/mi | 43.5 mi · 12:37/mi | 63.8 mi · 18:10/mi | 15.4 mi · 10:32/mi | 11.4 mi · 12:33/mi |
| AUG 9 | 73.0 mi · 11:01/mi | 66.6 mi · 12:29/mi | 76.9 mi · 18:59/mi | 16.9 mi · 10:38/mi | 12.7 mi · 12:29/mi |
| AUG 16 | 88.0 mi · 11:19/mi | 81.1 mi · 12:21/mi | 76.9 mi · 18:59/mi | 21.6 mi · 11:07/mi | 12.7 mi · 12:29/mi |
| AUG 23 | 96.1 mi · 11:33/mi | 94.2 mi · 12:11/mi | 76.9 mi · 18:59/mi | 25.6 mi · 10:53/mi | 12.7 mi · 12:29/mi |
| AUG 30 | 117.6 mi · 12:08/mi | 111.4 mi · 12:18/mi | 76.9 mi · 18:59/mi | 31.6 mi · 10:24/mi | 12.7 mi · 12:29/mi |
| SEP 3 | 117.6 mi · 12:08/mi | 114.5 mi · 11:51/mi | 76.9 mi · 18:59/mi | 37.6 mi · 10:23/mi | 12.7 mi · 12:29/mi |