The 50th Marine Corps Marathon is less than a month away, and here at WTOP we are highlighting some of the inspiring people that are running to that start line and what brought them there.
One father is running the People’s Marathon as a Blue Mile Runner. It will be his first time running the streets of D.C. and he’ll be doing it to honor his son, a Marine who died by suicide.
“I have an image of Caleb receiving his globe and anchor in San Diego, one of the proudest days of my life. I have another date, in 2007, of two Marines dressed in their dress uniforms, presenting me with the flag that was on his casket,” Loren Murfield, 70, told WTOP.
His son, Caleb, was transitioning out of active duty to become a reservist Marine when he died by suicide.
“He was terribly smart, but I think he was plagued with depression. Never diagnosed, but that’s what we kind of suspect. And I think he was joining the Marines, the toughest of the (military’s) units, to exercise those demons,” Murfield said.
Murfield still vividly remembers Caleb’s quick wit and his intelligence, “and I want to honor that, because we can’t afford to lose these young minds, these young lives, they’re too valuable.”
He is not only running to honor his son but to also focus on advocating for the mental health of veterans. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, around 17 veterans die by suicide each day in the U.S.
“Each one of these veterans … if they understood the value that they provided. And I think Caleb struggled with that, and I think that’s one of the first places we start,” Murfield said.
Murfield didn’t start running marathons until his 60s, but has now raced in World Marathon Majors in Tokyo, Chicago and New York.
“But there was always one missing. And I knew I wanted to run one for the Marines in honor of Caleb. And then to run the Marine marathon, I would have to run it faster than I’d run any other marathon, and I thought this is fitting because I have to push myself beyond what I have pushed myself before,” he said.
Murfield told WTOP that he sees this marathon as a metaphor for the struggles in life, having to put one foot forward.
“I want to encourage people, say, just do one more. Just one more step. Just one more minute. Make one more phone call. Just keep going,” Murfield said.
The Floridian has had to use this mindset as he wakes up to train in his home state’s heat and humidity, often waking up just after 2 a.m. to beat the blazing sun for his longer runs.
“You know what? Life is a marathon. It’s an endurance test, and we have to do it. We have to keep going. We can’t quit. And that’s a marathon. You can’t quit,” Murfield said.
Murfield, a writer, also shared his own thoughts on the Marine Corps Marathon in a recent blog post on his website.