“Happiness might be best found in discipline and commitment.” – Kyle King
There is a tendency to perform better when there is pressure. You can place pressure on yourself, or others can. Going into the 49thMarine Corps Marathon on Sunday, October 27, 2024, there were two runners who shared something in common: the Marine Corps Marathon. CDR Jordan Tropf was the 2019 winner (2:27:43) and Major Kyle King was the 2022 winner (2:19:19).
All the athletes on the starting line had the potential to win. The winner was going to be defined by mental toughness to push through the hard parts of the course and to challenge the competition. As you read below, it will be evident why Kyle King ran into the history books of the Marine Corps. King is the first active-duty Marine to win the event twice.
What was your strategy going into the race?
Leading into the race, I knew based on my fitness, I’d need to take a much more conservative approach than 2022.
I visualized a race of attrition, doing my best to relax and hang off the back end of the lead pack, ideally not letting anyone get over 30 seconds in front of me throughout the first half of the race.
I averaged about 20-35 miles a week throughout the months of July and August because of being in the field six days a week at Integrated Training Exercise (ITX) 5-25 here in Twentynine Palms.
In September, I rapidly upped my mileage at the conclusion of ITX and immediately jumped from 35 miles per week to 65 miles a week and then 80+ miles a week the last two weeks of September.
With that being said, I did not have the confidence to make any big moves in the race and wanted to wait until mile 23 to make a bid for the win… if I was still intact with the lead pack.
Kyle King, the winner of the 49th Marine Corps Marathon with an unofficial time of 2:25:06, poses for a photo after completing the MCM course in Arlington, Virginia, Oct. 27, 2024. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Darien Wright)
How did you feel about the level of competition?
This was an impressive field this year with Air Force Capt. George Crist having a 2:19 PR, a Royal Navy runner who had run 69 minutes in the half marathon in early September, Capt. Luke Gilman (also ran 69 for the half in September) and LtCol Sean Barret posting impressive training workouts daily on Strava,
Jordan Tropf the 2019 MCM winner, as well as any likely dangerous runner from the greater District Maryland Virginia (DMV)! Going into the race, I thought there were about 10 people capable of winning.
What is your WHY for staying in the sport?
A big part of it for me is getting to represent the Marine Corps at our own marathon and suiting up for the armed forces championship.
Many of my close friends today are former teammates and competitors from my high school and college days, aside from a few who have made it to the professional level, the vast majority have not continued training at the elite level, so that I have a Marine Corps team around (although distantly) is likely the biggest reason I have kept at it. Other thoughts on this.
Training to race a marathon requires such a purposeful and intentional lifestyle it can feel terribly exhausting and painful in the moment, but when I reflect on periods of my life where I was less purposeful and intentional I feel so much happier, satisfied, content, and proud of the periods of life where I was training for a big race.
Running is also just a great way to get out and see the world. When you wake up and get out the door for a run, it’s just a great way to start the day feeling accomplished.
I will also add that I’m a very competitive person and running seems cemented now as my opportunity to be the best at something! When I’m deep in the trenches of a brutal tempo or progression run, I often think about how I wish I were better at golf or pickleball, something less painful, but I immediately replace those thoughts with a feeling of accomplishment at the end of the workout.
How does it feel to be the champion for the second time now?
It’s a great feeling to have all your hard work pay off in a big race. I’m even more proud to have won the Armed Forces Team Championship in 2022 and 2024. To me, the highest form of joy is when it’s mutually shared, so when you and your friends have to suffer for 2.5 hours and come away with a win, it’s an irreplaceable feeling!
Did you lead from the beginning or was there a pack?
There was a large pack. Looking back at the leaderboard from the race results splits, I didn’t even make the leaderboard until after 10K. I believe I was in 12th place for the first 10K of the race. I did not feel great in the first 10K and was even questioning my ability to keep up with the lead pack for the duration of the race.
I maintain a pretty strict mindset in marathons where I continuously push those negative thoughts out of my head though.
I repeatedly block out the remaining miles and ask myself, “Can you do one more mile at this pace?” or with the 2024 race, “Can you keep up with the pack for one more mile?”. The answer to that question this year was always yes.
I’ll add that I was not concerned with pace or splits at all this race, purely just staying attached to the lead pack.
At what point did you feel the win was within your reach?
My body finally calmed down and settled into the race at about the blue mile on Hains Point this year. At this point, I was feeling confident that I could cover moves made by the other competitors and would even have thoughts of winning creep into my mind. Similar to my negative thoughts earlier in the race, I do my best to immediately replace those thoughts about winning the race with, “Can you keep up with the pack for one more mile? Yes.”
I remember as a little kid one time watching tennis with my dad during the Andre Aggase and Pete Sampras era and one player blowing a big lead at the end of the match. I asked my dad how they lost when they were so close to winning and he responded along the lines of, “he started thinking about winning the match instead of beating his opponent at the current point.”
That point has always stuck with me. But to actually answer your question :)... At about mile 18, when the lead pack had dwindled down to three runners, I grew excited that at this point I was going to compete for the win.
Still lacking the confidence in my fitness to make a big move with over 10K left, I wanted to wait until mile 23 to make a move. At mile 19.5 I remained in 3rd place intentionally off the shoulder of 1st and 2nd when 2nd place made a move and I covered, the new race leader then hesitated and slowed up and I found myself in the lead by about 10 yards.
Despite my lack of confidence, I decided that this was an opportunity to break away, as the other runners clearly did not want to push it yet either. With that, I strapped on my metaphorical helmet for a painful last 10k and once again focused on keeping the pressure on one mile at a time.
I knew at this point I was competing for the win, but 6.2 miles is a long way to press, and I wouldn’t survive a massive blow up if the wheels fell off my wagon. Luckily, I held it together and ended up putting a little over a minute on a 2nd place in the last 10K.
What was your motivation for joining the Marine Corps?
I had wanted to join the military since I was in high school, mostly for the chance at non-standard adventures and to get to live in and see places I wouldn’t typically go on my own. Growing up on an island in NW Washington State, I wanted to work near the water but wanted the experience of the rigorous training of the Marine Corps, so it felt like the best fit for me.
How do you balance the Marine Corps along with your training?
I have to create my own opportunities to train for running. To me, it’s all about prioritizing your goals, living an intentional life, and minimizing distractions. Based on my work schedule for the week I’ll begin plotting on Sunday what time I need to go to sleep each night, when I need to wake up, what days I’ll actually have the proper time to do a complete workout, and then work the nutrition piece around it.
A typical day of training in the heat of the summer here really starts the evening before with meal prep. I’ll often run from 0530 to 0730, hygiene, eat breakfast on my commute, show up at work, eat a lunch prepared the day before, get home, and then go for a second run between 1800 -1900 when the sun isn’t as brutal.
Then it’s dinnertime, dishes, meal prep for the next day, shower, and by then I’m cutting it close to getting 7-8 hours of sleep, assuming I’m waking up between 0430-0500 for the next day’s run!
What changes have taken place in your life because of being in the sport? –
The biggest thing is the lifelong friends I’ve made through the sport. At this point, it feels like I could travel almost anywhere in the country and at the very least find a friend of a friend to go for a run with.
The sport has also given me many travel opportunities flying around the country in my college running days, and internationally for the Marine Corps and Armed Forces Sports.
I think running is one of the best ways to get out and really experience a new place, whether that is in a city or desolate wilderness. My younger brother and our college teammates do our best to annually select a marathon that we all get together for, which has been a great way for us to stay in touch and ensure we meet up once a year.
Similarly to the previous comment about seeing friends drift away from the sport after college, I’ve learned a lot about myself in that happiness might be best found in discipline and commitment (wow I really sound like a Major now) and that running has really brought a lot of joy in my life, whether it be in the sunrises I’ve been required to be out of bed for, the wildlife I’ve spotted outdoors, the scenic vistas, or the friends that have been by my side for the journey!
Kyle King, the winner of the 49th Marine Corps Marathon, is congratulated by his wife after completing the MCM course in Arlington, Virginia, Oct. 27, 2024. Participants from around the world raced on the monumental MCM course through Washington, D.C., finishing at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Darien Wright)
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