Photo By Cpl. Joaquin Carlos Dela Torre | Runners participate in the Quantico 12K on Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, Aug....... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. – Base commands have a chance to win a $500 prize to go toward their 250th Marine Corps birthday ball at the Quantico 12K’s The Crossroads Cup, Aug. 22.
"The Crossroads Cup is our way of saying thank you to the outstanding Marine Corps Base Quantico commands and Marines who tirelessly support the Marine Corps Marathon Organization missions year-round," said Amber Traunero, the marketing, media and sponsorship manager for the Marine Corps Marathon Organization.
The Crossroads Cup is a race within a race, where teams of four from commands on Quantico compete during the Quantico 12K. The winning team is determined by the lowest cumulative finish time of all four members. The race is held on the rigorous training grounds of the Officer Candidate School. The defending champions? Appropriately, OCS itself.
"At OCS, our motto is Ductus Exemplo — lead by example. We don't just train leaders; we set the standard across the board," said Sgt. Maj. Carl J. Jacobsen, the command senior enlisted leader for OCS. "We've taken home the Crossroads Cup every year since 2023, because we bring the same intensity to this competition as we do to our training.”
Commands looking to https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/risetothechallenge must meet the following team qualifications:
“If [Training and Education Command] or any other command on base thinks they have what it takes to break our streak and take that $500 for their ball, we challenge them to step up and prove it on the course,” said Jacobsen. “We'll be waiting for them at the finish line."
This year marks the 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps, raising the stakes for both the prize money and the prestige.
"As we approach the historic 250th Marine Corps Birthday, we wanted to offer an opportunity to directly support unit birthday ball funds and foster some healthy, high-intensity competition on the trails," added Traunero. "We encourage every command to build their teams, represent their unit, and let us help fund their celebration for this milestone anniversary of our Corps."
For a full list of eligible commands, please visit: https://www.marinemarathon.com/the-crossroads-cup/.
To register, please email mailto:mcmcustomerservice@usmc-mccs.org by July 29 to secure your team’s spot.
Will your unit be the one to finally outpace OCS? Step up, build your team, and prepare to hit the trails this August.
| Date Taken: | 07.21.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.21.2026 14:05 |
| Story ID: | 570416 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 32 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Run for the Ball: Quantico 12K Crossroads Cup offers $500 prize, by Shaehmus Sawyer, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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