Courtesy: USATF

After becoming the first Marine ever to win the Marine Corps Marathon back in 1983, Farley Simon hoped it wouldn't be long before he won the title again.

Now a retired gunnery sergeant, the 46-year-old Simon from Honolulu, Hawaii, became just the third two-time race champion in the event's history on Sunday. Simon's winning time of 2 hours, 28 minutes, 28 seconds bettered runner-up Juan Lopez, who finished in 2:29:31.

Attorney and concert pianist Lori Stitch Zimmerman easily won the women's competition in 2:48:13, more than five minutes ahead of runner- up Tara Pointin of Raleigh, N.C. A former resident of the Bayou City, Zimmerman has claimed top spots in such Texas races as the Sunmart Texas Trail Run 50K and the Cowtown Marathon. Recently she finished fourth at Austin's Downtown Classic 10K.

Security was high throughout the course that brought the 15,011 entrants past many Washington, D.C. landmarks, including the gaping hole in the Pentagon from the September 11 terrorist attack. The race was dedicated to the victims of the attacks on the Pentagon and New York's World Trade Center.