Sports

VIDEO: Gold Star mom continues fallen daughter’s tradition of honoring last runner to finish Marine Corps Marathon

By Andrew deGrandpre on October 31, 2013 Competitions, Fitness, Iraq, Sports

[brightcove video=”2789177497001″ /] One of the great privileges I’ve had as Marine Corps Times’ managing editor was attending the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s 2011 awards ceremony along with our former senior writer Dan Lamothe, whose work a year prior while on assignment in Afghanistan was recognized with the foundation’s first ever Major Megan McClung Award for dispatch reporting. McClung was working as a public affairs officer in 2006 when she was killed by a roadside bomb blast near Ramadi, Iraq. The night of the ceremony, Dan and I sat with Megan’s parents, Mike and Re. It’s with that context that…

The singing Marine sergeant–and the recruiter who came through for him

By Hope Hodge Seck on October 24, 2013 Battle Rattle, Events, Pop culture, Sports

Marine veteran Dan Clark brought the house down at Fenway Park in Boston on Game One of the World Series Oct. 23 when he performed a rousing rendition of God Bless America during the Seventh Inning Stretch, clad in crisp dress blues. [HTML1] “Marine Dan Clark just sang the best rendition of God Bless America I have ever heard! #goosebumps” #icouldrunthroughawall” raved one tweeter. The website Twitchy compiled a list of other five-star Twitter reviews. Others wondered about his uniform and title: under his name on the TV broadcast, he was described as a “retired sergeant.” But the sleeves of his blues…

UFC Marine Brian Stann gets sportscasting gig

By Hope Hodge Seck on July 11, 2013 Battle Rattle, Mixed marital arts, Pop culture, Sports

Marine UFC legend and military fitness icon Brian Stann is adding a new title to his resume: college football announcer for Fox Sports South. Fox Sports South reported Wednesday that the “All-American” will join veteran sportscaster Wes Durham and Emmy-winning sports reporter Jenn Hildreth to cover Atlantic Coast Conference football. Stann will kick off his broadcast career on August 31, the first of 17 regular-season ACC games that Fox Sports South will air. “Brian brings a dynamic and energetic perspective to the booth,” Jeff Genthner, senior vice president and general manager of FOX Sports South and SportSouth, said in a news release. A…

Marine Corps Marathon sells out–in just over 2 hours

By Hope Hodge Seck on March 27, 2013 Battle Rattle, Fitness, History and heritage, Iwo Jima Memorial, Marines, Sports

Registration for the 2013 Marine Corps Marathon opened today, but if you don’t have your confirmation sheet by now, you’re probably going to have to wait until next year. The extremely popular and elite race sold out at 2:27p.m., according to organizers–just two-and-a-half hours after it opened. That beats last year’s rush, when registration stayed open for 2 hours, 41 minutes. The race is capped at 30,000 participants, including those lucky enough to jockey for a spot during the narrow online registration window, and those who completed the 17.75K (distance an homage to the year the Corps was founded) qualifier…

Ladies and gentlemen, your 2013 USMC Warrior Games team

By Hope Hodge Seck on March 25, 2013 Battle Rattle, Competitions, Fitness, Sports, Wounded warriors

The Marine Corps Wounded Warrior regiment has just announced the team that will represent the Marine Corps at the 2013 Warrior Games May 11-17 in Colorado Springs, Colo. The 48 athletes, listed in full below, include 21 active-duty Marines from Wounded Warrior Battalion West, 21 USMC veterans, and six Marines from Wounded Warrior Battalion East. They competed for the top spots in the Corps at the week-long Marine Corps trials aboard Camp Pendleton at the beginning of March. It would seem that home field advantage worked out well for the West Coast Marines, but they will all play on the…

Washington Redskins “Hail” Marine captain on retirement

By Hope Hodge Seck on February 28, 2013 Battle Rattle, Pop culture, Sports, Veterans

Update: Redskins senior vice president of communications Tony Wyllie said the team sends out letters similar to this one whenever they can as a gesture of support for American men and women in uniform. An area NFL team has proved that being a fan can go both ways. Capt. Jason A. Haag of Fredericksburg, Va., who marked his last day on active duty yesterday, opened his mailbox today to find a hearty salute from the Washington Redskins. On official team letterhead, the note thanks him for his service and wishes him well. “Commitment is a quality that transcends from your…

Behind the Cover: New PFT requirements

By Bethany Crudele on December 3, 2012 Behind the Cover, Boot camp, Combat Fitness Test, Fitness, Marines, Recruit, Sports, Training, women

This week’s Marine Corps Times takes a look at the new physical fitness requirements for female Marines and the impact the change is likely to have on the entire force, not just women. In a forcewide message last week, Marine Commandant Gen. Jim Amos announced that women will be required to complete three pullups to pass the test and eight to achieve a perfect PFT score starting in 2014. The change is likely to impact promotion fairness and unit training for men and women starting in 2013. The flexed-arm hang will remain as part of the Corps’ initial strength test…

Marine Corps Marathon Notebook: The Finish

By Bethany Crudele on November 2, 2012 Fitness, Marines, Sports, Veterans, Wounded warriors

Eighteen weeks of training and 26.2 miles later, we made it to the finish line of the 37th Marine Corps Marathon. Despite incoming Hurricane Sandy, we ran alongside some 30,000 runners from every state and 54 countries on Oct. 28. The turnout was the largest participation in the event’s 37-year history. Despite months of preparation, healthy eating and plenty of rest during the weeks leading up to the race, I forgot how hard running a marathon can be. My running partner, Staff Sgt. Jeremy Boutwell (ret.), and I finished the race in 4 hours and 25 minutes. We ran a…

Marine Corps Marathon Notebook: Rob Riggle’s advice to runners

By Bethany Crudele on October 26, 2012 Fitness, Marines, Sports

It’s almost here. The Marine Corps Marathon is right around the corner. Rather than give you some of my own advice, I thought I’d get some tips from actor and Marine Rob Riggle, who will serve as an honorary starter at this year’s race. In addition to being an actor and comedian, Riggle is also a Marine Corps reservist. During his more than 22-year military career, Riggle has been deployed to Afghanistan, Albania, Kosovo and Liberia. We spoke over the phone earlier this week. Here’s what he had to say: Q: Do you prefer Mr. or Lt. Col. Riggle? A:…

Marine Corps Marathon Notebook: Reasons for running

By Bethany Crudele on October 19, 2012 Fitness, Marines, Sports, Washington, Wounded warriors

There’s nine days left until the 37th Marine Corps Marathon. For many runners living in Washington, D.C. or Virginia, this weekend’s Army 10 Miler will be a good preview of what’s in store for the big day on Oct. 28. Many marathon runners use the Army 10 miler as a last training run in advance of the longer course. While the crowds of spectators are generally smaller, the turnout is always impressive and the course is flat, making it one of the most popular races in the area. This year’s marathon is expected to be the largest in the race’s…

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