This Virginia man is preparing to run his 40th Marine Corps Marathon

The 50th Marine Corps Marathon is less than a month away, and WTOP is highlighting some of the inspiring people getting ready to take part in what’s known as “The People’s Marathon.”

On Monday, WTOP spoke to a nurse who’s chosen to run the 26.2-mile distance for the first time. But this Virginia man is preparing to run it for the 40th time.

“I’ve run it in rain, I’ve run it in wind, I’ve run it with Oprah,” John Cox told WTOP while sitting at the Caboose Brewing Company & Tavern in Vienna, Virginia.

Cox has pretty much seen it all during the running of the Marine Corps Marathon over the past 39 years.

He started in 1986, running it with his father who was a Marine veteran of World War II and fought in Okinawa. He was a law student at the University of Virginia at the time.

“It’s fun