This month, WTOP is spotlighting participants in the 2019 Marine Corps Marathon events who are running with purpose and plan to finish with pride.
Renee Brooks, of Silver Spring, lives a busy life. She鈥檚 married, has kids, works and plays in the Redskins Marching Band. But there鈥檚 only one thing you鈥檒l ever see her doing the last Sunday of October, and if you have anything else happening 鈥� no matter how important you think it is 鈥� she won鈥檛 be there for it.
That’s the day of the Marine Corps Marathon, and it鈥檚 still the only thing she鈥檒l ever consider doing that day.
鈥淚t鈥檚 my destiny,鈥� said Brooks, 53. This year’s Marine Corps Marathon will be her 23rd in a row.
鈥淚鈥檝e grown up in Montgomery County and lived in Montgomery County the majority of my life,鈥� said Brooks, who ran most of these races as Renee Hudson before getting married a few years ago.
Her mom also grew up in the area, first living in D.C. before moving to the suburbs. When Brooks and her brother were kids, their mother would pack them into a Volkswagen Beetle and drive into the city. But they got lost a lot. And pretty much every time, she said, “We鈥檇 end up at the Iwo Jima Memorial.”
That’s the finish line of the Marine Corps Marathon. “I figured it鈥檚 my destiny to always end up at the Iwo Jima Memorial,” Brooks said. “Every year.鈥�
‘I’m right back out there’
She had to be prodded into running her first marathon in 1997, and when she was done she had no desire to run another. A week later, she changed her mind and has never looked back since.
鈥淎t this point, if I stopped running marathons I think my body would fall apart,鈥� said Brooks. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just what my body is used to. I鈥檝e trained for a marathon every single summer for 22 years. I just can鈥檛 even imagine my life not 鈥� I鈥檓 pretty much in constant training. I usually run a spring marathon as well, so I rest for Marine Corps about a month or so, and sometimes not 鈥� and then I鈥檓 right back out there.
鈥淚 think if I stopped I don鈥檛 know what would happen.”
Which is not to say that her body hasn鈥檛 challenged her. She won鈥檛 call them injuries 鈥� they’re 鈥渋ssues.鈥� But her biggest challenge came not during a race, but a few days after one year’s marathon.
鈥淚n 2008, a week after Marine Corps, we were hit by a drunken driver on the Baltimore beltway,鈥� said Brooks. She was diagnosed with whiplash, but the pain never stopped. After an MRI she was told to see a neurosurgeon.
鈥淗e said I had a herniated disc, and he didn鈥檛 understand why I wasn鈥檛 paralyzed from the neck down,鈥� said Brooks. 鈥淗e said most people who had films that looked like mine were going into surgery.鈥�
鈥淚 kind of looked at it like 鈥楬ey, I鈥檓 really lucky, because my accident happened the week after Marine Corps, so I have the most possible amount of time to train for next year.’鈥�
And that鈥檚 how she approached it. Brooks went on to have surgery and didn鈥檛 waste much time sitting around.
鈥淭he next day I started walking up and down the street as long as I could with my neck brace on,鈥� she said.
‘Seven different spots’
She didn鈥檛 stop then and hasn鈥檛 stopped now. And on the last Sunday in October, her husband puts in a few miles just cheering her on.
鈥淢y husband comes down 鈥� wearing a Clinton Portis football jersey and runs all over D.C.鈥� supporting her, said Brooks. 鈥淚 see him in like seven different spots. So if anybody ever goes down there and sees someone in a Clinton Portis jersey, that鈥檚 my husband.鈥�
It helps her to have that cheerleader on the course, and also afterward when she鈥檚 finished and feeling miserable.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard. It hurts; it always hurts, no matter how fast you are,鈥� said Brooks. 鈥淲hen I was fast it hurt; when I鈥檓 slow it hurts. But it鈥檚 a good hurt. If it stopped scaring me, I鈥檇 stop doing it. It鈥檚 still a challenge. I like a challenge.鈥�
So what has she learned from all this running? A lot, apparently.
鈥淚 guess it has taught me to be persistent and determined,鈥� said Brooks. 鈥淧ossibly very stubborn and maybe a little stupid.鈥�
But she鈥檒l keep running anyway. She does it with pride, too. After all, it鈥檚 always been her destiny to finish at the Iwo Jima Memorial.
