15 October, 2010
The Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) will celebrate the military roots of long distance running while receiving the Marathon Flame from the Municipality of Marathon, Greece, during a ceremony in Hopkinton, MA, the sister-city of Marathon. The ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 21 outside the Hopkinton Police Department on 74 Main Street. The public is invited to attend.
The MCM shares its 35-year anniversary with the 2,500th marking of the Battle of Marathon and the legendary run by Pheidippides recognized as the origin of long distance running. Certifying this union, a perpetual flame that rests at the memorial for those soldiers lost in the Battle of Marathon will be shared with the MCM.
Representatives from the City of Hopkinton will present the Marathon Flame to the MCM team who will carry the flame on a multicity tour to four cities over two days. In addition to the Hopkinton ceremony, the MCM will host a second ceremony in Boston on at 2 p.m. on Oct. 21, at the site of the USS Constitution.
On Friday, Oct. 22, the MCM team will continue on the tour with an early-morning stop in New York City and then arrive to host a ceremony at the Philadelphia Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Front and Spruce Streets in Center City. The Philadelphia ceremony will be held at 3 p.m., and is open to the public.
The MCM Battle of Marathon Tour is sponsored by Dasani, also a sponsor of the 35th MCM. "The People's Marathon" will be held on Sunday, Oct. 31 with 30,000 participants from all 50 states and 54 countries and each of the U.S. armed services. The start of the MCM will be broadcast live on Comcast SportsNet beginning at 7 a.m. The official start of the marathon is 8 a.m.
For media information regarding the Battle of Marathon-Marathon Flame tour sponsored by Dasani or the MCM Weekend of Events, contact Tami Faram, Marine Corps Marathon Public Relations Coordinator at 703-432-1840 or tami.faram@usmc.mil.
Voted the best marathon for families, the Marine Corps Marathon honors the dedication, sportsmanship and patriotism of its participants. Runners from all walks of life participate in the largest marathon not to offer prize money, earning the name as "The People's Marathon." The MCM is the fourth largest marathon in the United States and the eighth largest in the world.
The 35th MCM will be held on October 31, in Arlington, VA. No federal or Marine Corps endorsement is implied.
