Medic finishes 1st marathon Published Nov. 10, 2010 By Susan Griggs 81st Training Wing Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Eric Knight, a surgical technician in the 81st Surgical Operations Squadron, completed the Marine Corps Marathon Oct. 31 with a time of 4:25:01. It was the first marathon for Knight, 28, who came in 868th out of about 7,000 active-duty men and women ranging from 25-29 years old. Overall, he was 8,142nd out of 30,000 participants. Out of that 30,000, 21,800 finished the 26.2 mile event. The marathon was established in 1976 and traditionally takes place a week or two before the Marine Corps birthday, which is today. As of last year, it's the fourth largest marathon in the United States and the eighth largest in the world, with runners from more than 50 countries participating. It's commonly referred to as "The People's Marathon" because it's open to all runners ages 14 and up and is the largest marathon not to offer prize money. "The atmosphere was amazing -- 30,000 people from all over the place coming together to run an amazing course," Knight remarked. The marathon course winds through Arlington, Va., and Washington, D.C., past many monuments, memorials and landmarks. The race passes the Pentagon before reaching the Marine Corps War Memorial finish line. "Washington is the perfect city to run a marathon, because it's full of life and history," Knight said. "There were more than 250,000 spectators, and the support from the crowds along the route was very uplifting." Knight, from Hayneville, Ala., began running races early in 2009, just before joining the Air Force in May of that year. He arrived at Keesler last December. "I've raced in several 10K runs, including one last summer while I was at tech school at Sheppard (Air Force Base, Texas) and the Azalea Trail Run in Mobile, Ala., in March," he said. Knight started training for the marathon back in July, doing several long runs across the Biloxi-Ocean Springs Bridge and along U.S. Highway 90 which borders the south Mississippi shoreline. "I worked a lot on my speed and pace as well, running on the track and timing myself each time," he added. Knight admits he's caught marathon fever and is already thinking about future Marine Corps Marathons. "I love the reputation of the Marine Corps, and I love Washington," he said. "I have friends there from every branch of the service and I have a place to stay there -- it's a very expensive place if you have to stay in a hotel." Knight starts training again next month to prepare for the Rock 'n' Roll Mardi Gras Marathon, Feb. 13 in New Orleans. And next year, he hopes he'll be able to run in the Air Force Marathon, too.