Tens of thousands of runners and spectators braved the steady morning rain Sunday to take on the highlight of the fall running scene in the D.C. area: the Marine Corps Marathon. Marathon weekend corresponds to two World Series games at Nationals Park, and traffic was heavier on the road and on public transit than previous marathon weekends. For all the details on road closures, see WTOP’s comprehensive marathon traffic guide. The Marine Corps Marathon held three races on Sunday: the 10K, the marathon and the 50K. Road closures started at 3 a.m. and all roads reopened by 5 p.m. All three races began throughout the 7 a.m. hour.
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Runners faced the rain throughout the morning of the marathon. WTOP’s Nick Ianelli reported large puddles of standing water on the course and overall soggy conditions. Some runners told him that while they weren’t thrilled about the rain, it wasn’t going to dampen their spirits for the run ahead: Around 9:30 a.m., runners of the 10K began to cross the finish line. The rain would relax at times, but it never completely laid off throughout the morning. All those who crossed the finish line were thoroughly soaked by end of their runs.
10K finishers have been coming through. Marathon runners will be here in probably 30-40 minutes. #MarineCorpsMarathon2019 pic.twitter.com/3c1NrJkYvO
— Nick Iannelli (@NickWTOP) October 27, 2019
At 10:25 a.m., the first marathon runner crossed the finish line. This year, the top spot went to a local: 27-year-old Jordan Tropf of Silver Spring, Maryland, finished with a time of 2 hours and 27 minutes. Tropf said the less-than-pleasant conditions on the course probably impacted his time. “I’m a little tired,” Tropf said, not long after crossing the finish line. “There was wind out there and that was hard. “I like the hot and humid cause I live here, so this is what I train in,” he said. “I think I was a fan of the rain.” The first female finisher for the marathon was 31-year-old Brittany Charboneau from Colorado with a time of 2 hours and 44 minutes. She said the rain was a blessing and a curse. “I think it helped to keep things cool, but challenging to push through some of the tough areas,” Charboneau said. “You just try to stay as tough as possible … it’s that last little bit of gusto.” The first to cross the finish line for the women’s ultramarathon was 31-year-old Liz Ozeki of Rockville, Maryland with a time of 3 hours and 42 minutes. Ozeki finished nine minutes ahead of second place. First place for the men’s ultramarathon went to 45-year-old Michael Wardian of Arlington, Virginia, with a finishing time of 3 hours and 11 minutes. Impressively, Wardian was in the lead at every checkpoint throughout the run.[related_gallery align=”none”]