Friday, October 30, 2009

Washington DC and the Marine Corp Marathon







Hello Everyone,
I had an exciting few days in Washington, DC. I was there from October 21st – 26th.

My main purpose for going to Washington was to be a cheerleader for my training coach, Elizabeth, as she ran in the Marine Corp Marathon held on Sunday October 25, 2009. The race is 26.2 miles long and showcases areas in Arlington, Georgetown, and Washington DC. What a spectacular course; the runners pass Kennedy Center, Jefferson Memorial enter the National Mall and run by the Lincoln, FDR, Korean War and Vietnam Veteran's memorials, as well as the Washington Monument, and the U.S. Capitol. The race consisted of 30,000 runners with 100,000 spectators. It was awesome! The race is very well organized and well received.

Earlier in the week I was a tourist. My friends and I walked around Georgetown, took the Metro to the Mall and Landmark locations in DC, and went to the Convention Center in the city. There was really neat art work displayed in the Convention Center – guitars, tennis rackets – suspended from the ceiling. We took a nighttime tour of the memorials. It was really neat to see the memorials and the city lit up.

I also had the privilege of touring the Pentagon. Prior to admission, I had to complete an application for submission. The Pentagon was fascinating! Just touring the place was awesome. The energy in the halls was incredible. The building was massive and impressive. I also visited the Pentagon 9/11 memorial. It was beautiful – simple and elegant. The memorial consists of 184 illuminated benches – each engraved with the victim’s name. I did not know this; the victims ranged in age from 3 to 71. I also learned on my Pentagon tour that the Department of Defenses finds approximately 100 MIA’s or POW’s each year. It is comforting to know that searching continues for our dedicated service personnel who have been unaccounted for all these years.

~ Jill

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