Joe Pierce is a retired Air Force officer and father of a
former Marine, Jeremy. One of Jeremy's best friends, LCPL
Eric L. Ward, was killed while they were on patrol
together in 2010 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The
Pierce family knew Eric because he spent several long
weekends at their home in Virginia. Eric had family near
Camp Lejeune; they similarly knew Jeremy from spending
time there. Later in 2010, Eric's aunt, Lori, brought
several of her friends to the DC area to run the Marine
Corps Marathon in Eric's memory. That inspired Joe to
finish his first marathon, the 2011 MCM. Joe focuses on
finishing in an official time rather than his pace,
claiming he doesn't RUN marathons: "I start, I finish,
everything between is open to debate." He typically
completes 3-5 marathons annually, plus occasional half
marathons and 5Ks, always "In Eric's memory and Jeremy's
honor."
