While he had hoped to return to the live version in 2021, Cook has already adjusted his attitude to run on his own in 2021. Part of what will motivate Cook are his memories of past years. He has drawn his encouragement from the groups of firefighters and soldiers running alongside him. He has also looked to the course's "Wear Blue Mile," which features 225 Faces of the Fallen posters and ribbons honouring service members who lost their lives, to inspire him. "We run to remember the fallen," he says. "Showing respect and perseverance is honouring their sacrifice."

Likewise, 41-year-old Mary Dalton-Baker, based in Maryland, knows that running virtually can have its own special feel. Last year's virtual event proved that point.

"In August 2020, friends of ours coordinated a virtual MCM race for our dear friend Francis Moats, who had glioblastoma," she says. "Knowing that my close friend was battling brain cancer and going through intense chemotherapy and radiation treatment gave me the push to do this race for him." "Races are more than just the run; it's the feeling of being together and cheering on random strangers who turn into friends."

Some 200 people turned out to cheer Dalton-Baker's group over the virtual finish line, which she found "incredibly emotional and overwhelming." This year, while she's disappointed to miss live racing again, she will use her past experiences as motivation to move forward.

Racing = lasting friendships and memories.

Jackie Purcell, a 38-year-old Florida resident who has run the race three times, is also motivated by her incredible Marine Corps Marathon memories.

Self-described as the "world's most OK-est runner," Purcell says running the Marine Corps Marathon as a middle-of-the-packer means she is always surrounded by other runners, which helps when those tough moments come along. "My middle-of-the-pack people are amazingly supportive," she says. "We know we aren't qualifying for Boston, and I have seen people stop to check on strangers, offer gels / salts, strike up small talk, and just as a collective body, embrace the suck together."

In fact, it's alongside another middle-of-the-pack runner that Purcell experienced what has been her favourite race memory to date. "I ran into another runner who I had met briefly before while running another race," she says. "We were both wearing 'Wear Blue' shirts and that was our instant 'Hey, runner friend!' connection."

That year's Marine Corps Marathon was a hot one, and Purcell was suffering as she moved along. "I happened to look over and see Susan," she says. "She was celebrating her 65th birthday at the race and I learned her congressman had flown a flag over the White House for her that day. It was just what I needed – someone else to take me out of my own head and inject some fun in those kilometres."

The day only got more special as the two women entered the final miles of the course. "We added a young lady to our group who had just lost someone in Afghanistan and didn't think she could finish," Purcell explains. "Susan and I looked at each other and said, 'We've got you; come with us.' We made sure she crossed that day, and that was a better feeling than my own finish."

Meanwhile, local runner Elyse Braner, 37, made MCM her first marathon back in 2006, and it remains her favourite to this day.

"It is the race with the most amount of memories for me," she says. "I am always so proud to finish my hometown marathon. It is a feeling that I wouldn't get at any other marathon."

Her love for the Marine Corps Marathon goes beyond it being in her backyard, however. "I run every year I am able," she says. "I am struck by how much energy there is on the course, from both runners and non-runners, everyone working together to get through 42 kilometres."

There's nothing quite like the running community