UMUC Grad, Triathlete Honored on Cheerios Box

Douglas Marocco, on his way to a top 25 finish in the 2003 Marine Corps Marathon, only eight days after swimming, cycling, and running more than 140 miles in the Hawaii Ironman triathlon.

By Alita Byrd
Special to FYI Online

Marine First Sergeant Douglas W. Marocco, a top triathlete and a UMUC graduate, is making history as the first-ever Marine Corps athlete to be pictured on a Cheerios cereal box. This honor follows years of athletic successes for Marocco, who represents the Marine Corps as a runner and triathlete in national and international competitions. Marocco trains and competes all over the world while continuing to work full-time as senior enlisted advisor at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia.

The commemorative Cheerios box salutes Marocco and four other athletes who represent the five different branches of the military.

“The men and women that participate in the Armed Forces Sports program, while still maintaining a full-time military career, should be an inspiration to us all,” said Mike Goetzmann, senior development manager for General Mills, maker of Cheerios. “Their enthusiasm, perseverance, and dedication are qualities that General Mills is proud to be associated with.”

This special edition of the classic Cheerios cereal box is being sold at base commissaries; more than 7,000 sold at Ft. Belvoir in September 2003 alone.

“The response has been great among Marines and my fellow athletes,” Marocco said. He has already made appearances in local commissaries to sign boxes and talk to commissary patrons. He also made one special appearance in Hawaii, where he was preparing for the Ironman Triathlon World Championship—his ninth.

Marocco believes that his dedication to training while maintaining a regular work schedule was a big reason the Marine Corps chose him for the cereal promotion.

“The Marine Corps has supported my competition in national and world championships,” Marocco said. “But they have not allowed any training time specified for me to prepare for events. That is done strictly on my own time or vacation days.”

Marocco uses a bicycle to commute the 24 miles to and from work every day. He swims and runs during his lunch hour, and often runs six to eight miles after work. He takes long rides and runs on the weekends, often training six to eight hours each day. In the months leading up to the Hawaii Ironman competition, he takes extra vacation days to give him more time to prepare.

“Managing time to get quality workouts in each event over the week is the most difficult thing about the triathlon,” Marocco said. He doesn’t have a coach, but says he keeps his eyes and ears open and isn’t afraid to try new things.

Marocco is well known in military sports circles, competing against other armed forces athletes as well as representing the United States in international competitions. He won the Military National Triathlon four times and was named Marine Corps Athlete of the Year twice. In 1994, he was honored as the Armed Forces Athlete of the Year and was nominated by his military peers to be flag bearer for the U.S. delegation at the first ever Military World Games, held in Rome.

Marocco ran, swam, and cycled through his first triathlon in 1986. Since then, the 39-year-old has competed in more than 250 endurance races. And he isn’t about to quit anytime soon. He plans to compete in the Military World Championships in 2004 and continue the marathons and triathlons. Marocco’s first race in the 40-and-older category will be next year’s Boston Marathon.

He’ll be ready. On October 18, Marocco competed in the Hawaii Ironman triathlon—the oldest and best-known of the Ironman events. He swam for 2.4 miles in the Pacific Ocean, cycled for 112 miles, and then ran a complete marathon of 26.2 miles—all in the space of about eleven and a half hours.

“I had a long day this year,” Marocco said. “[My time] was almost one and a half hours longer than my previous times. It was humbling—but at the same time a great achievement to get through the 140.6 miles while feeling sick and vomiting. I will be back for another year.”

Marocco competed against nearly 1,500 racers from more than 50 countries and all 50 states. The race is so popular that about 50,000 hopefuls apply to enter each year. Qualifying events, a strict lottery, and detailed rules regarding entry are employed to keep the field down to a manageable size. Marocco swam, cycled, and ran with some of the most elite endurance athletes in the world.

Incredibly, only eight days after finishing the Hawaii Ironman, Marocco ran the 28th Marine Corps Marathon in northern Virginia and Washington, D.C.—his home turf—and finished in the top 25 out of 23,000 runners.

Marocco has been in the Marine Corps for 20 years and has been married to his wife Sandy for just a little longer than that. The couple have three children.

“They have all been supportive and I couldn’t compete without their support and understanding,” Marocco said. “I try to do everything I can for them. Sleep is my loss.” Marocco says it is his family that gives him a reason to cross every finish line.

It was while Marocco was stationed at the Marine Corps Air Station at Iwakuni, Japan, from 1997 to 2000 that he took management courses from UMUC, graduating with his BS in management studies in January 2000. Not surprisingly, he did well in his studies, too, and was twice named to the Dean’s List.

His wife, Sandy, also completed her degree with UMUC in Japan.

“It was a great experience and we are very thankful and proud to have completed our degrees in the three years in Japan,” Marocco said. “All of our classes were at night and we stayed up late to complete our assignments. It is possible with planning!”