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Navy lt. cmdr. wins Marine Corps Marathon

A New Hampshire-based Navy officer finished first Sunday in a 30,000-runner field at the Marine Corps Marathon.

Lt. Cmdr. John Mentzer, 33, stationed at Portsmouth Naval Ship Yard, N.H., finished in an official time of 2 hours, 23 minutes and 19 seconds.

“It was a tough course with good hills and a lot of good turns,” he said at the finish line. “That last 10 kilometers was tough, probably the toughest I’ve ever had.”

Mentzer, who has run five marathons but never won, said he was happy. He was followed by several civilian, Army, Navy and Air Force finishers who led the field.

The first Marine to cross the finish line was Sgt. Ryan Ellis, 22, a member of the Marine Corps’ running team. Ellis, stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., with Marine Air Control Squadron 1, finished in 2 hours, 39 minutes and 52 seconds, according to official race results.

“It’s been a four-year goal,” he said. “I’ve always wanted it.”

And Ellis won the Marine division just in time. He will be leaving the Corps this summer after about four years of service. He has applied to Rutgers University, where he hopes to run cross-country.

Ellis said he was pleased with his performance this year. The first time he ran the marathon in 2007, he said he blacked out at the finish line. This time, he said he was feeling tired but fit.

When asked about his team’s overall performance, Ellis said constant deployments make it difficult for Marines to train in the same way some of the other services do. Some teams have members who spend most of their time in the U.S., he said. At any time about one third of the Corps’ running team members are deployed, a Marine release said.

“I give them all the respect in the world,” he said of his fellow non-Marine servicemen. “They are great athletes, and I hope to be as fast as they are one day.”

Lt. Col. Alex Hetherington, who said his unofficial time was about two hours and 41 minutes, echoed Ellis’ sentiments about constant deployments can be a strain on the team. At the same time, he said some of the other branches have stellar athletes.

“The other branches really outclassed the Marine Corps this year,” he said. “It’s not easy to swallow, but it’s a fact.”

Hetherington, who was the second Marine to finish, said he was satisfied with this year’s race.

“You couldn’t have asked for a better day,” he said. Sunday was sunny but cool, with high of 64 degrees and a light breeze near the Potomac and along the national mall.

Hetherington was the first active-duty service member to be inducted into the Marine Corps Marathon Hall of Fame. Making the honor all the more sweet is that this was his last year to run as a Marine. He plans to retire from the Corps sometime next summer after about 20 years of service, but said he will continue to run. He is now the executive officer of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Hetherington will be inducted for his history of strong competition. He finished 10th overall in 1995. In 1998, he was the Inter-service Marathon Champion and he has been a three-time top Marine finisher at the Marathon. He is also an 11-time member and eight-time captain of the Marine Corps team.

Hetherington said his life has been defined by two identities — being a Marine and a runner. He said that makes the Marine Corps Marathon particularly special for him.

It’s a place where my two identities can come together,” he said. “I’m just happy. It’s a great day to run one more time as an active-duty Marine.”

In a parallel event, thousands of miles away, more than 250 Marines and service members ran a satellite marathon Oct. 25, in Afghanistan, according to a Marine press release. That marathon, aboard Camp Leatherneck, started 11 hours before the race kicked off in Virginia.