Quality Ergonots: Running In Honor

Since 1976, the Marine Corps Marathon has given individuals of all different types an opportunity to put their differences aside and take a stand for our troops. Each year, tens of thousands of men and women gather at our nation’s capital to run for one unifying purpose – the United States Marines.

This year, a total of 30,000 runners participated in the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM), or “The People’s Marathon,” as it is called. The race is the world’s largest that does not offer a cash prize, and the fourth largest overall in the United States. Despite the lack of a monetary reward, the enormous amount of runners in attendance this year goes to show that financial gain was never a consideration for the participants.

Becky Adams, Administrative Assistant for Operations at Ergon, Inc., in Jackson, Mississippi, and Steve Cousins, Vice President of Governmental Affairs for Lion Oil Company in El Dorado, Arkansas, participated in the race as a way of honoring Ergon employees and family members who serve or have served in America’s armed forces. The two were alongside tens of thousands of runners in Washington, D.C. on October 31, 2010.

Like all full-length marathons, the course was exactly 26.2 miles long. Runners were required to maintain a 14 minute per mile pace in order to finish the race or board a bus to reach the finish line. Becoming that physically fit requires an enormous amount of hard work and discipline. Fortunately for Becky and Steve, they have plenty of both.

The Marine Corps Marathon was Steve’s thirteenth race, and the tenth state in which he has completed a marathon. Becky has been a marathon runner since 2005 when she completed her first marathon, St. Jude, in Memphis, Tennessee to prepare for a daunting Ironman Triathlon in Florida the following year. The triathlon combined the athletic distances of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a 26.2-mile marathon.  Since then, Becky has completed four additional marathons, the MCM not included.

This year, the MCM course began just south of Arlington Memorial Drive and wove through Washington, D.C., before ending at the legendary Marine Corps War Memorial. Along the way, runners breezed by the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and many other historic sites.

Both “Ergonots” completed the marathon and consider themselves privileged to have participated in such a tremendous event. But they feel even more honored by the men and women who have served in the armed forces. Steve’s father served and received injuries during World War II. He always admired how his father never complained about the wounds he lived with afterward. “It is impossible to repay those who risk their lives in military service,” said Steve, “but it was an honor, even in a very small way, to pay tribute to them and the very real sacrifices they make.”

“This race has such a history,” said Becky. “I originally wanted to do it for that, to see all the sights, 26.2 miles worth on my feet. I just wanted to take a look at everything and enjoy it,” she said. But soon after signing up, Becky learned that one of her son’s friends had been seriously injured in a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attack shortly after he was
deployed overseas. “After that, I decided I wanted to do this in honor of our people in the military,” she said. “This is about people who give the ultimate sacrifice of their time, their families, and too often their lives.”

When Lee Lampton heard about the duo’s plans to participate in the Marine Corps Marathon, he became deeply moved and sent out a company-wide e-mail asking for the names of Ergon employees and family members who were serving or had previously served in the military. By the end of September, a total of 50 names had been collected. Ergon’s Communications Department created a t-shirt design that displayed those names. Steve and Becky wore them proudly on race day.

“We were honored to carry the names of our co-workers and their family members who serve our country in the military,” said Steve.

With thousands of Marines along the course to cheer the runners on, and many more participating themselves, the Marine Corps Marathon undoubtedly inspired both those who were running it, and the brave men and women for whom they were running.