MCM Team Competitions

MCM TEAM COMPETITION
The Marine Corps Marathon Team Competition offers a variety of categories for individual runners to join others to compete as a team.

Teams are comprised of three to five runners. Only the top three finishers will count toward the team score, (except the mixed category where different rules apply). Winners are determined by the average team time. Team awards are presented to the top three teams in each division.

Before registering as a team, all individual runners must be registered for the Marine Corps Marathon. One member of each team, to be recognized as the team captain, is required to submit the Team Entry Form.

Team captains will need to include a list of team members on the application, as well as the team name and selected category. Individual runners may only be a member of one team. For administrative purposes, the team captain will need to provide his or her contact information.

Team captains should visit the Solution Center during Packet Pick-up at the MCM Health and Fitness Expo to verify team information. This is also the time to make any changes. Teams who do not verify their information will be disqualified.

ARMED FORCES
Each year, military members from the United States compete in the Armed Forces Marathon Championship, which puts elite runners from the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps against each other for bragging rights and the title of the fastest service.

The winner is determined in two categories, a men’s division and a women’s division. The men’s winner is determined by the combined time of the top four male finish times. The women’s winner is determined by the combined time of the top two female finish times. 

At the 36th MCM in October 2011, the U.S. Army won the men's division, while the U.S. Air Force women's running team topped the female service teams.  The U.S. Army men's team was led by this years top MCM finisher 1st Lt. Charles "Chad" Ware, who completed the marathon in 2:19:16.  The Army men's team won the Armed Forces Competition with a combined finish time of 7:21:11.  The men's division teams followed with the U.S. Marines finishing second (7:47:05); the U.S. Navy placed third (7:51:42), and the U.S. Air Force men finished fourth (8:19:00).

The U.S. Air Force women's team won the competition led by Airman 1st Class Emily Shertzer (2:45:55).  The Air Force women's team owned a combined time of 9:02:00.  The All-Marine women's team placed second (9:22:35) and the U.S. Army women placed third (9:34:12).

Since 1978, military runners who are serving with the British Royal Navy and Marines travel thousands of miles to compete against the United States Marine Corps team in the annual Challenge Cup Competition. 

The winner is determined in two categories, a men’s division and a women’s division. The men’s winner is determined by the combined time of the top three male finish times. The women’s winner is determined by the combined time of the top two female finish times.

The winning men’s team also receives the Challenge Cup trophy, a 1897 Victorian silver cup, originally belonging to the H.M.S. Victory.  For a second year, the U.S. Marines won both the men's and women's divisions, taking home the 2011 Challenge Cup victories.  The U.S. Marine men's team won with a combined finish time of 7:47:05, beating out the Brits who finished in 8:21:27; while the U.S. women's team finished first with a combined 6:06:07 with the British women's team running a combined 7:03:58.
  


RUNNING STORE TEAM COMPETITION
The Marine Corps Marathon is proud to recognize Potomac River Running of Reston, VA as the 2011 Team Running Store Competition winner for the second year in a row with a combined time of 8:46:30.  The first place roster included Adam Condit (2:29:28), Chris Sloane (2:37:22) and Mary Klaff (3:39:40).  Condit finished fifth overall and beat his 2010 time of 2:31:00.  Sloane finished 19th overall in the MCM.  The final team member was Aaron Schwartzbard (2:44:22).  PRR's Reston team beat fourteen other retailers in Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Virginia. 

Local running stores formed co-ed teams to compete for the Running Store Team title.  The scores of the top three finishers from each team, including at least one male and one female, combined to determine the winner of the 2011 competition.  All scores were based on individual chip times.