hall of fame

The Marine Corps Marathon Hall of Fame honors and recognizes the achievements and contributions of runners, organizers, and friends of the MCM. Since the initial induction ceremonies as part of the 25th MCM Anniversary in 2000, over twenty individuals have become members of the Hall of Fame.

Steve Bozeman

Montgomery, AL native Steve Bozeman started his running career in 1966 when he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He served two years in Vietnam and was awarded two Purple Hearts for combat wounds. He also received 18 Air Medals and a Navy Commendation Metal for heroism. Bozeman was honorably discharged in 1970 but the physical fitness values the USMC instilled remain with him today.

Bozeman ran his first marathon in 1978. He has since run more than 180 marathons including 27 Marine Corps Marathons, 70 ultra-marathons and five one hundred milers. Additionally, he has completed over 90 triathlons and holds the American record for completing 14 double triathlons.

In 1987, Bozeman carried the US flag in the Virginia 10-Miler and the MCM. He continues his tradition of carrying the flag along side a Marine carrying the USMC flag to show patriotism and pride of being a Marine and an American while honoring those servicemen who served and died in Vietnam.

Bozeman currently resides in Lynchburg, VA with his wife of 15 years, who is also an avid athlete.

Bozeman was inducted into the Marine Corps Marathon Hall of Fame in 2000.

Col. Jim Fowler, USMC (Ret.)

Jim Fowler enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1947. He was commissioned in June of 1952 upon graduation from Dartmouth College. A member of the 15th Special Basic Class he served as a rifle platoon leader in Korea 1953-1954. Released to inactive duty he attended Georgetown University Law Center (J.D.) and the University of Virginia's Darden School (M.B.A.). He was a junior officer trainee at the CIA during this period.

His other service courses include: airborne, ranger, halo (high altitude low opening) and scuba as well as Armed Forces Staff College (student & faculty) and Army War College. He served 16 months in Vietnam (twice wounded) and ten months in the Portsmouth Naval Hospital.

In 1975 while serving at HQMC in the Division of Reserve he wrote a staff paper recommending the establishment of a Marine Marathon. Major General M. P. Ryan, then head of the reserves, approved the concept and forwarded it to CMC, General Louis Wilson who concurred.

Colonel Fowler served as the race director for the first two Marine Marathons. After he retired from the Marine Corps, Fowler served as the Director of Corporate Security for Unilever North America, retiring in January 2005 after 20 years of service.

In 2007, Colonel Fowler made headlines when a stamp image featuring a photograph by Ira Wexler of one of Fowler's two Purple Hearts was made into a $0.41 stamp. Click here to view the stamp and read the full article.

Fowler was inducted into the Marine Corps Marathon Hall of Fame in 2000.

Gysgt Farley Simon

Farley Simon was born in Grenada, West Indies and came to the US at the age of 16. After graduating from high school in Brooklyn, NY, he worked two jobs while searching for something that would challenge him. He found it, in 1978, when he enlisted in the Marine Corps. Simon had a wide variety of jobs in the Marine Corps, from his original MOS of photolithography to Marine Cadre (Auxiliary Security Force) ASF, to his personal favorite, drill instructor. "I valued the trust the Marine Corps bestowed upon me to teach others what it took to earn the title "Marine," he said. "A tour as a Marine drill instructor was an experience that really taught me who I was as a Marine, a man and a leader."

While in boot camp, he scored a perfect score on his physical fitness test and set a goal for himself to have a perfect score on every PFT for the rest of his career. He continued to push his times on the 3 mile run part of the test to the limits, each one faster than the previous. In 1981, he set a goal to qualify for the Marine Corps Track team. He made the team but got a douse of reality- he was not the fastest in the Marine Corps and he had much to learn. Under his mentor, Lt. Charlie Cyrk, he continued to run and train, running his first MCM in 1981. As he finished the race, he overheard reporters speaking about the race, saying it was a shame a Marine had never won. He took that as his newest goal, to come back and be the first Marine to win. On October 3, 1983, he became the first Marine to win the MCM. Over the years, Simon continued to compete, earning a second place finish in 1989, a fourth place finish in 1995 and surprise first place finish in 2001.

GySgt Farley Simon retired in November of 2000, after 22 years of service. He took with him years of memories of the USMC, his many running accomplishments, the title of lowering the Marine Corps 3-mile time in 1990 at HQMC (a title which still stands) and earning a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He no longer competes but continues to run as he serves as a JROTC instructor. He also coaches and even has a runner competing in the 2005 MCM.

Simon was inducted into the Marine Corps Marathon Hall of Fame in 2000.

Joanna Martin

Joanna Martin was the first female Marine to capture the winning title of the Marine Corps Marathon in 1979. Martin’s winning time was 2:37:00. Her title lasted until 2004, when Capt. Mary-Kate Bailey finished as the first place female.

Martin was the first female to be inducted into the Marine Corps Marathon Hall of Fame, when she received the prestigious honor in 2000.

Ken Carnes

Ken Carnes has captured five Marine Corps Marathon wheelchair division titles, including an unbeaten course record set in 1990 of 1:40:22. His other wins include 1989 (1:54:23), 1992 (1:48:56), 1995 (1:48:41) and 1999 (1:59:57). He is recognized for the high standard he has set on the course.

Carnes was inducted into the Marine Corps Marathon Hall of Fame in 2000.

Ambassador J. William Middendorf II

Former Ambassador to the Organization of American States, the Netherlands and European Union J. William Middendorf II played an integral part in the early days of the Marine Corps Marathon. During his term as Secretary of the Navy, Middendorf encouraged and approved the first Marine Reserve Marathon.

Ambassador Middendorf recently bought all remaining limited edition Franklin Mint replicas of the Felix DeWeldon Iwo Jima statue and donated them to the MCM to be used as trophies for the MCM winners.

He was inducted into the Marine Corps Marathon Hall of Fame in 2000.

Col Herb Harmon, USMC (Ret.)

Herbert N. Harmon was born in Columbus, Ohio. He is a Partner of Harmon, Wilmot and Brown, LLP and a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center. He is currently the Chairman of the Marine Corps Marathon Ad Hoc Publicity Committee.

Col Harmon has served as a former prosecutor, past president of the bar association of DC and as a Mediator for the District of Columbia Superior Court. He is also a member of the Civil Affairs Association and the psychological Operations Association, a former member of the International chair of Commission II International Reserve Officers Association, a member and former Treasurer of the Barristers and past President of the Counselors.

His community activities include past president of the Metropolitan Police Boys and Girls club, member of the Army-Navy club and past president of the Capitol Hill Exchange club.

Harmon served as a platoon commander in Vietnam in 1968 and retired from the Marine Corps reserve in 1998 as a Colonel. He is a member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, former National Judge Advocate General of the Marine Corps Aviation Association and a member of the Marine Corps League. He also served as the Reserve Officers Association National President from 1997-1998.

Harmon was inducted into the Marine Corps Marathon Hall of Fame in 2001.

Mel Williams

Mel Williams took up running in high school to lose weight for the wrestling team. When he joined the Army in 1955, he continued to run as part of his required workout regime. But Williams didn’t start competitive running until 1972, when he became one of the founding members of the Tidewater Striders in Norfolk, VA.

In 1976, Williams began what has turned into 30 years worth of participation in the Marine Corps Marathon. Despite having run the New York City Marathon two weeks earlier, and having stayed up partying until 2:00 a.m. the night before the inaugural race, Williams finished in 2:51:41, 86th place overall.

In 31 years, he has consistently finished in the top of his age group, and won his category several times

Williams was inducted into the Marine Corps Marathon Hall of Fame in 2001.

Al Rich

British marathoner Al Rich is a two-time Marine Corps Masters Champion. Rich, who hails from Dorchester, England was a back-to-back champion in 1991 and 1992, finishing the races in 2:34:02 and 2:34:55 respectively. Commander Rich also competed as a member of the Challenge Cup team for the United Kingdom. He took his experience with the Challenge Cup and expanded it into a second competition. The Warriors of the Sea Competition, started in 1997, pits teams of the United States Marine runners and British Navy/Royal Marine runners in a half marathon, annually held in the United Kingdom. Rich intends to continue his involvement with both the Warriors of the Sea competition and the Challenge Cup upon his retirement.

Commander Rich, the competitor and true ally of the Marine Corps, for 15 years forged a lasting relationship between Team Marine, the MCM, the Royal Navy/Marine Team, the British Embassy to the United States, the British Defense Attache and the Marine Corps Command at the highest level. His personal involvement in the Challenge Cup and Warriors of the Sea competition has built a lasting legacy of direct competition and camaraderie among the members of the Royal Navy/Marines and the USMC.

Rich was inducted into the Marine Corps Marathon Hall of Fame in 2002.

Dave Brody

When the Marine Corps Marathon shot its first starting gun in 1976, Dr. Brody was already on the course handing out water to thirsty runners. He ran the second and third MCM’s. The fourth Marine Corps Marathon, Dr. Brody became the Medical Director. In addition to his medical director’s responsibilities, Dr. Brody conducted several lectures on injuries and preventative care. When the Navy took over the main medical responsibilities in the mid-1980’s from Quantico, Dr. Brody became the marathon’s Civilian Medical Consultant. Dr. Brody founded the Runners’ Clinic at George Washington University in 1978 to treated injured runners and was the director of the clinic until 1986.

Today, Dr. Brody is the Vice President of International Medical Marathon Directors Association (IMMDA). " The association consists of 60 marathon medical directors from various marathons around the world, " Dr. Brody said, "Our mission is to promoted safe marathons for all runners." He is also a member of the American Society of Sports Physicians, American College of Sports Medicine and American Board of Orthopedic Surgeons.

Brody was inducted into the Marine Corps Marathon Hall of Fame in 2002.

Bill Mayhugh

Bill Mayhugh, along with Herb Harmon, Jim Fowler and Buff Mundale are the co-founders of the Marine Corps Marathon. Mayhugh served as the "Voice of the Marathon" from 1975-2001. During four decades on radio station, WMAL, he cultivated enormous public relations among the civic and social organizations of the Washington metropolitan area. In addition to his radio career, Mayhugh is an active participant in charity work within the Washington area.

Mayhugh was inducted into the Marine Corps Marathon Hall of Fame in 2003.

Jim Hage

Jim Hage has the honor of being the Marine Corps Marathon’s first back-to-back Middendorf Trophy winner. In 1988, Hage battled two-time marathon winner Brad Ingram to take the title, finishing with a final burst of speed at mile 26. He crossed the finish line in 2:21:59. The next year at the 12th annual MCM, Hage repeated his winning effort, crossing the finish line at 2:20:23. Hage’s marathon personal best is 2:15:51 and he ran on two U.S. World Cup marathon teams, in 1989 in Milan, and again in 1993 in Spain.

Hage considers himself, "reasonably competitive on the national scene" as a master’s runner, having completed the Boston Marathon at age 40 in 2:22 (1998). Hage, who writes about running for the Washington Post, finished eight in the 1992 Olympic marathon trails and 37th in 1996. In real life, he’s a legal editor at the Bureau of National Affairs.

Hage was inducted into the Marine Corps Marathon Hall of Fame in 2003.

Darrell General

Fourteen years ago, at age 22, Darrell General became the youngest marathon trials qualifier. This title still remains today. He has appeared and competed in 11 consecutive USA marathon Championships (1992-2002). He is a two-time winner of the Marine Corps Marathon, both in 1995, with a time of 2:16:34, and in 1997 with a time of 2:18:21.

Darrell is a local running hero residing in Hyattsville, MD. His marathon personal record is 2:14:42 (1989). He is the only runner in this year’s field at the Olympic Trials who has qualified five-successive times.

Future goals include to be come the first six time American runner to compete at the Olympic Marathon Trials in 2008 and to become the only runner to win the Marine Corps Marathon three times.

General was inducted into the Marine Corps Marathon Hall of Fame in 2004.

Cynthia Lorenzoni

Cynthia has been consistently running since 1972. She grew up in Farmington, CT where she went undefeated in cross-country and track during her four years of high school. She was the National High School Record holder for two miles in 1976 (11:03) and went on to compete for Michigan State University as a scholarship athlete and team captain in cross country, indoor and outdoor track. She continued to compete after college on the road, wherefrom 1980-1984 she registered a 2:38 PR in the marathon, 34:40 for 10K, and a 56:50 for ten miles. Included in this time frame were her back-to-back victories at the 1981 and 1982 Marine Corps Marathon, with winning times of 2:50:33 and 2:44:51 respectively.

Since then, Cynthia hasn’t competed on the national level although she does participate in a local race from time to time. She still enjoys running almost everyday. Cynthia spends most of her time volunteering on civic projects and being a mom.

Cynthia was inducted into the Marine Corps Marathon Hall of Fame in 2004.

General Michael Patrick Ryan

General Ryan grew up in Osage City, Kansas and enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in 1933. He was called into action in 1940 where he went on to serve in World War II. As a major at the battle of Tarawa in 1943, he put together a composite battalion of infantry and machine gun platoons under heavy fire. This battalion proceeded to take over the western end of Betio over then next two days, allowing reinforcements to land in tact. For his efforts, General Ryan was awarded the Navy Cross. Ryan went on to serve in Korea in 1954, Vietnam in 1966-1967 and several tours at the Pentagon and Marine Corps Base Quantico.

General Ryan's final active duty assignment was as the Director of the Marine Corps Reserve. At the suggestion of Col Jim Fowler, the two founded the Marine Corps Reserve Marathon in 1976. Deemed "Ryan's Run" in its inaugural year, General Ryan and Colonel Fowler sought to promote the Marine Corps and draw publicity for recruiting purposes. The 1976 marathon welcomed 1,176 runners to Arlington, VA to begin the long-standing tradition that has become the Marine Corps Marathon.

General Ryan's other military awards included the Legion of Merit and the Presidential Citation with two bronze stars.

General Ryan retired to Texas in 1977 and later moved to Northridge California, where he died of a heart attack in January 2005.

General Ryan was inducted into the Marine Corps Marathon Hall of Fame in 2005.

Mary Robertson Wittenberg

Mary Robertson Wittenberg grew up in Buffalo, NY. As teenager she took an interest in crew that would lead her into her running career. At Canisius College in NY, she served as a coxswain for the men's crew team. Part of her role as motivator and coach included daily runs. This was an unusual position for a woman to hold at that time, but her continuous efforts to keep up with the men's runs, started her running career.

Wittenberg attended law school at Notre Dame and later took a position at a Richmond, VA law firm. With the support of her new boss, Wittenberg trained for the 1987 Marine Corps Marathon, which she won, finishing at 2:44. This qualified her for the 1988 Women's Marathon Olympic Trails. After an injury at the Olympic trails, Wittenberg turned her focus to her law career.

In October 1998, while living in New York, Wittenberg accepted the job of Executive Vice President of Administration with the New York Road Runners Club, the highest position held by a women in the history of the club until 2005, when she was promoted to President and CEO.

Wittenberg, her husband, Derek Wittenberg, and two sons, Alex (age 3) and Cary (age 2), live in Manhattan, NYC.

Wittenberg was inducted into the Marine Corps Marathon Hall of Fame in 2005.

Ken Archer

Ken Archer owns the most top finishes in MCM history.  He has captured the first place title in the wheelchair category a record ten times.

Born in January, 1949 in Lodi, Ohio, Archer began his track career at age 17 when he ran cross country and track for his high school.  Later, he served in the US Army from December 1967 until February 1972, when he left the Army as a Spec-5.

On July 10, 1970, Archer attempted to perform a good deed on a the local US1 highway while stationed at Andrews Air Force Base, when his legs were smashed between two cars, resulting in a loss of his left leg below the knee and a smashed right leg below the knee.  He spent the next 18 months in military hospitals recovering and working out whenever he could. 

In 1979, after securing a Boston Marathon win, Archer won his first Marine Corps Marathon, a feat he repeated until 1983.  His winning streak began again in 1985 and continued until 1989.  Archer won his final MCM title in 1994.  He has competed in a total of 16 Marine Corps Marathons, winning a record 10 times. 

In 2000, Archer began exploring new challenges by racing in a hand cycle.  He quickly rose to the top, finishing first in the Marine Corps Marathon unofficial hand cycle category in 2003.

Archer no longer considers himself competitive in the sport of hand cycling or bodybuilding but continues to workout and keep in shape.

Archer has obtained two Masters Degrees, the first in Mathematical Statistics from Akron University in 1979 and the second in Computer Science from Bowie State University in 1989. He has been working at the Bureau of Labor Statistics for nearly 30 years as a Mathematical Statistician. 

Archer is married to the former Ms. Sue Howland and is the father of four sons, Jamie 31, Jason 30, Curt 28, and Kenny, 26.

Col H.C. “Barney” Barnum Jr., USMC (Ret.)

Col H.C. “Barney” Barnum Jr., Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Reserve Affairs since 2001, has been involved with the Marine Corps Marathon since 1985 serving on the MCM Ad Hoc committee and providing outreach to the hotel industry has helping the MCM develop into a world class event.

Col Barnum was born July 21, 1940 in Cheshire, Connecticut, attended Cheshire High School, received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from St. Anselm College, Manchester, New Hampshire and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U. S. Marine Corps in 1962.  The fourth Marine to be awarded the nation’s highest honor, the Medal of Honor for valor in Vietnam, he retired from the Marine Corps in August 1989. 

As a Marine Officer for over 27 years, Col Barnum served multiple tours as an artilleryman with both the 3rd  and 2nd Marine Divisions to include two tours in Vietnam; four years at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island as Commanding Officer, Headquarters Company; Chief of Current Operations, US Central Command where he planned and executed the first U.S./Jordanian joint exercise staff as the Commander of U.S. Forces and twice planned and executed operation BRIGHT STAR spread over four southwest Asian countries involving 26,000 personnel.  Upon retirement in 1989, Col Barnum served as the Principal Director, Drug Enforcement Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense. 

In 1985, General Kelly assigned Col Barnum to serve on the Marine Corps Marathon Ad Hoc committee.  He stayed on the committee through 1989 when he retired and began working for Sheraton hotels. Col Barnum was an integral part of brining the MCM Expo to the Sheraton and has continued to serve and contribute to the Ad Hoc Committee. 

Col Barnum is married to Martha E. Hill of Parkersburg, West Virginia.  The Barnum’s reside in Reston, Virginia. 

The Late Colonel Paul R. Puckett, USMC (Ret.)

The Late Colonel Paul R. Puckett, USMC (Ret.)
Executive Director of the 1994 MCM, Colonel Paul Puckett was responsible for growing the marathon from basic support to a weekend long event, leading to its reputation as one of the largest and most popular marathons in the world.

Colonel Puckett was born on 18 July 1949 in Clintwood, VA.  He graduated from East Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and holds a Master’s Degree in Human Resources Management from Pepperdine University.

Puckett was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps in 1974. His distinguished military career included duty stations at Camp Pendleton, CA; Iwakuni, Japan; The Basic School, Marine Corps Development and Education Command, Quantico, VA; Okinawa, Japan; and Headquarters, Marine Corps, Washington DC.   His personal decorations include the Legion of Merit with gold star, Meritorious Service Medal with gold star and the Navy Commendation Medal.

Colonel Puckett died on 13 November 2000 in Okinawa, Japan.  He is survived by his wife, Lorraine Kuzan Puckett of Lachawanna, New York and his two children, Stephen and Megan.

Olga Markova

A Sergeant in the Soviet Army, Markova set the women’s open record for the MCM in its 15th running with a time of 2:37:00, beating the previous record by more than five minutes. After winning the MCM in 1990, she won the Boston Marathon in 1992 and 1993.

Sergeant Major Domenick Irrera, USMC (Ret.)

Sergeant Major Domenick Irrera is responsible for the creation of the team of Sergeants Major and retired Sergeants Major that have entered into the military team category for the last 20 years.

At age 82, he continues to run the Marine Corps Marathon, and will be participating in this year’s event.

Maryland native Jeff Scuffins set the men’s open record for the MCM in 1987 with his finish time of 2:14:01, beating the previous record by more than two minutes and winning the first marathon he ever completed.

Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Hetherington

LtCol Hetherington has served as an AH-1W pilot since his commissioning in 1991 and his distinguished career includes multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He is currently the Marine Aircraft Group 39 Executive Officer in Camp Pendleton, California.

LtCol Hetherington has had an extensive running career with the USMC. He has been an eleven-time member and eight-time captain of the All-Marine Marathon Team, bi-annually competing against the British Royal Navy/Marine Corps. Finishing 10th in 1995 with his MCM PR of 2:29:30, Hetherington was also the 1998 Inter-Service Marathon Champion and has been a three-time top Marine finisher at the Marine Corps Marathon in Arlington, Virginia.

Kenny Moore

Kenny Moore entered the national running scene when he attended the University of Oregon as one of Bill Bowerman's finest distance runners. After college, Moore competed in the Olympic marathon at both Mexico City and Munich games, finishing fourth in 1972. In 1976, he was the first ever finisher of the Marine Corps Marathon, winning the new race with his time of 2:21:14. After his track career, Moore became a journalist and screenwriter. He culminated his 25-year career at Sports Illustrated as a senior writer. Moore also co-wrote and co-produced the movie Without Limits, based on the life and tragic early death of Hall of Fame runner Steve Prefontaine. Most recently, Moore published a book about his former coach entitled “Bowerman and the Men of Oregon”. Moore currently lives in Eugene, Oregon.