Marine Corps Capt. Kyle King looks ahead toward the finish line in the final portion of the Marine Corps Marathon Sunday in Arlington, Va. (Joe Gromelski)
ARLINGTON, Va. — U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Kyle King celebrated his 33rd birthday in style Sunday, opening up a big lead to win the 47th Marine Corps Marathon by more than three minutes.
King, of 3rd Battalion, 11th Marines, in Twentynine Palms, Calif., was timed in 2 hours, 19 minutes and 19 seconds; Jonathan Mott of Lakeland, Fla., was second in 2:22.46. Third place went to Ryan Udvadia of Clifton Park, N.Y., in 2:27.36.
“At mile 23 I saw that (Mott) was about two minutes behind me,” King said. “So at that point I started feeling pretty confident that I was going to be able to win.”
In the women’s race, Chelsea Baker, 32, of Stroud, England, won in a time of 2:42.38; Cara Sherman of Clifton Park, N.Y., was second in 2:47.08, and Bonnie Keating of San Diego was third in 2:47.47.
King had hopes of a qualifying time for the Olympic trials going into the race, but the big lead kept him from keeping the pace he wanted. And now, he said, “We’ve got some big field ops coming up. My running training is going to take a dive, and my Marine training is going to be going up.”
Runners from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and 48 countries took part in the race, which was run in near-perfect conditions through the streets of Washington, D.C.
Eventual women’s champion Chelsea Baker of Stroud, Englan, passes a water station near the 16-mile mark of Sunday’s Marine Corps Marathon. Baker’s winning time was 2 hours, 42 minutes and 38 seconds, about five minutes ahead of runner-up Cara Sherman. (Joe Gromelski/Special to Stars and Stripes)
Marine Capt. Kyle King relaxes after winning the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022, in Arlington, Va. (Joe Gromelski/Special to Stars and Stripes)
Geese fly overhead as competitors in the Marine Corps Marathon run along the Potomac River Sunday in Washington, D.C. (Joe Gromelski/Special to Stars and Stripes)
A runner gets assistance after crossing the finish line in the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022, in Arlington, Va. (Joe Gromelski/Special to Stars and Stripes)
A runner carries the colors during the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022, in Arlington, Va. (Joe Gromelski/Special to Stars and Stripes)
