Andrew Dumm, a graduate student in the School of International Service, said he really had no intention of winning the 33rd annual Marine Corps Marathon Oct. 26, though he emerged victorious from the race.
Dumm, who won the marathon in a total of 2 hours, 22 minutes and 44 seconds, said this was his first time running a marathon, but that he has been involved in competitive racing for several years.
"I ran four years of cross country and track and field for the University of Virginia, so a lot of that training really carried over," he said.
To prepare for the race, Dumm ran between 10 and 20 miles on a daily basis for three straight months, most of which he did without a companion. Compared to other runners, Dumm's three months of training was short, as runners usually take at least five months to train, he said.
"I spent the year between graduating from UVA and starting my graduate program at AU in Jordan," Dumm said. "[I was] researching digital news media on a Fulbright grant and my free time and the cultural context limited my ability to train while abroad."
Dumm said his father and brother influenced his decision to run.
"My older brother and father, who were already signed up for the Marine Corps Marathon, talked me into joining them so that it could be a family affair," he said. According to Dumm, the thought of his older brother, who was training for the marathon at his post in the United Kingdom, was enough encouragement to keep him running and training in the United States.
"I followed my brother into running in high school and was encouraged by his success at the collegiate level," he said. "He has been very supportive of me through the years."
Originally, Dumm's strategy on race day was to keep a close trail on his brother. Both Dumm and his brother ran at the same pace, and he thought running alongside his brother would keep him calm and would help him run the race evenly. However, Dumm's original plan fell through when the two were separated only a few miles into the course - the point at which he decided to attempt to win.
"Once we were separated a few miles in, I set my sights on the lead pack and just decided to risk it," Dumm said. "I made my move about 12 miles in at Hain's Point expecting a couple of the top runners to respond. When no one followed, I was pretty nervous to be alone up front in my first marathon but I drew on my college racing experience and just kept working."
Dumm said he was drained as he rounded out the finish, but that all of his pain and exhaustion went away for a moment as he crossed the finish line.
"I was so tired that I was just glad I could hang on - but any fatigue from the race took a backseat to my joy in those first moments," he said.
Dumm said his Marine Corps Marathon experience has taught him that hard work pays off - a motto he said he can apply to his personal life.
"This experience was a great affirmation for my ability to set goals and chase my dreams," he said. "In my personal, academic and future professional life, the marathon was just a good model of passion and hard work coming together at the right moment."
Dumm said he will definitely run more marathons and other long-distance races in the future. He is currently training for a race in February while he attends AU for SIS's Comparative and Regional Studies program.
You can reach this staff writer at atuman@theeagleonline.com.
