Marine Corps Marathon's Last Groundpounder Reflects on 42-Year Running Legacy
Retired Marine Colonel Al Richmond, the final runner to complete all 42 Marine Corps Marathons since 1976, discusses his remarkable athletic perseverance and transition to retirement at Ashby Ponds.
Retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel Al Richmond, the Marine Corps Marathon's longest running Groundpounder, has completed every 26.2-mile race since its inception in 1976. The term Groundpounder refers to participants who have run in every Marine Corps Marathon since the race began. Richmond became the final Groundpounder to retire from competition following the 42nd annual run on October 22, 2017.
Richmond's dedication to the marathon spanned over four decades, with his most challenging race occurring in November 1990 when he ran less than six months after sustaining serious injuries at Jazz Fest in New Orleans. His wife Kitty noted that this race was particularly memorable due to the significant obstacles he overcame to participate and complete the course. In addition to his 42 Marine Corps Marathon finishes, Richmond completed ten additional marathons including three Boston Marathon finishes.
The first Marine Corps Marathon, then called the Marine Corps Reserves Marathon, took place on November 7, 1976, with 1,000 runners crossing the finish line. The event has since grown into one of the world's largest marathons, hosting over 30,000 runners from all fifty states and more than fifty countries. Richmond's involvement began unexpectedly through a conversation in the Pentagon locker room where he decided to challenge himself after hearing about another Marine's ten-mile run.
Following his final marathon in 2017, Richmond and his wife Kitty moved to Ashby Ponds, an Erickson Senior Living community in Ashburn, Virginia. The decision to move was influenced by friends David and Janice Mitchell who already resided at the community and spoke highly of the lifestyle. The couple sold the Arlington home built by Richmond's grandmother in 1910 but have expressed no regrets about their transition to senior living.
Life at Ashby Ponds has provided the Richmonds with continued access to activities they enjoyed before moving, including trips to Nationals Park, concerts, and lectures. The community's amenities and social environment have contributed to their satisfaction with retirement living. Remarkably, the couple discovered that their next-door neighbor had been sworn into the U.S. Coast Guard in the 1960s by Richmond's father, former four-star admiral and commandant Alfred C. Richmond, highlighting the unexpected connections made within the community.