Runners and spectators for this Sunday’s 29th Marine Corps Marathon will have to cope with extensive new security measures. The Post reported yesterday that race organizers have implemented new measures in light of the race’s close proximity to the upcoming election and the American military presence in Iraq.
For the first time, there will be five screening points around the entrance to Zone 6, race organizers’ term for the area that encompasses the start and finish lines. Marines and law enforcement officers will examine runners’ bags at the checkpoints, and organizers are strongly discouraging spectators from bringing bags, coolers or glass containers to the start or finish areas.
In addition, jersey barriers will be set up on the course and there will be a noticeable increase in police presence.
As if the prospect of running 26.2 miles wasn’t daunting enough, racers can add the anxiety of a possible bomb threat, a chemical attack and/or natural disaster to their race. Though DCist wonders exactly what kind of “natural disaster” DC is prone to. Flooding from the Potomac? Earthquakes under the Capitol?
