Pair on the run in Washington

TWO Air Force officers did the service proud in the 27th running of the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C.

Wing Commander Jeff Wells and Wing Commander Tony McCormack were two of several ADF participants running among more than 25,000 competitors.

Waiting nervously with them for the starting gun at the Marine Corp’s Iwo Jima Monument was Captain Jo Saint and Lieutenant Colonel Pete Docwra.

The scenic marathon course wound its way through Crystal City, Georgetown, The Mall and Haines Point, passing sites such as the Pentagon, Kennedy Space Centre, Washington Monument, Smithsonian Museum and the Lincoln and Jefferson Monuments.

Crowds lined the entire 42km course, standing five-deep in some areas.

They were entertained by a number of characters, who were there more for novelty value than to test the race leaders.

Uncle Sams, nuns and a marine who has carried the American flag in the race for the past 10 years delighted onlookers.

Asked why he runs for more than three hours carrying a six-foot piece of PVC pipe with a four-foot flag attached to it he simply replied: “I don’t know, I started when I was young and dumb and now, well, I’m not young.”

For the record, WCDR Wells finished in a very respectable time of 3:55:33, while WGCDR McCormack stopped the clock at 4:29:00.

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