The Marine Corps has published the planning and execution guidance for its two major 2026 running events: the Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon (MCHH) on May 17 in Fredericksburg, VA, and the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) on October 25 in the Washington, DC area. The MARADMIN establishes command relationships and assigns supporting commands, most of them in the National Capital Region (NCR). For most reservists, the relevant piece is either runner registration or whether your unit falls under one of the designated supporting commands.
Heads up: If your command is NCR-based, watch for the LOI and planning bulletins. If you just want to run, registration opens April 6 at
https://www.marinemarathon.com.
Who it affects
Primarily active-component and reserve commands physically located in the NCR. A long list of HQMC-area organizations are designated supporting commands and will be tasked to provide personnel and resources for both events. Those commands include Marine Barracks Washington, Marine Corps Recruiting Command, Wounded Warrior Regiment, and roughly a dozen others listed in the MARADMIN.
Reserve Marines not attached to an NCR command are not directly tasked. That said, any Marine can register to run the MCM as a participant.
What you need to do
If you are in an NCR supporting command:
- Watch for the MCHH Letter of Instruction (LOI), due within five days of this MARADMIN's posting (around March 24, 2026). It will identify your command's Special Project Officer (SPO) and key leader requirements.
- Watch for the MCM planning bulletin, due no later than April 24, 2026. It will include dates for planning, training, rehearsals, and execution.
- Watch for the MCM operations plan and manning requirements document, due no later than June 5, 2026.
- Provide personnel and resources as directed by those documents.
If you want to run as a participant, registration opens April 6 at https://www.marinemarathon.com.
If you are not in an NCR command and do not plan to run, no action required.
Key dates
- March 24, 2026 (approx.): MCHH LOI published (five days after MARADMIN posting)
- April 6, 2026: MCM runner registration opens
- April 24, 2026: MCM planning bulletin published
- May 16, 2026: Semper Fred 5K (day before MCHH)
- May 17, 2026: Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon, Fredericksburg, VA
- June 5, 2026: MCM operations plan and manning requirements document published
- October 24, 2026: MCM Kids Run and Armed Forces Marathon Championships Opening Ceremony
- October 25, 2026: Marine Corps Marathon
The official version
Full guidance is in MARADMIN 116/26. POC is Alex Hetherington, MCMO, at alexander.hetherington@usmc-mccs.org or 571-437-6729.
This is written by a reservist, for reservists. It is not an official publication of HQMC or MARFORRES. Always verify guidance with your command or unit S-1 before acting on any article or summary.