By: Samantha Rinkus 鈥�11
Published on
It didn鈥檛 take much to convince Josh Maarleveld 鈥�02 to join the group of 18 New Jersey
Police and Port Authority officers, and Marines, in their 600+ mile run from the Purple
Heart Memorial in Jersey City to the Beirut Memorial in Camp Lejeune, N.C.
鈥淭he Jersey City Police Department President contacted me asking if I wanted to reenact
what the Beirut Marines did in 鈥�85. I said 鈥極kay, what is it?鈥� And he said 鈥榃e鈥檙e
going to run from Jersey City to North Carolina鈥�,鈥� said Maarleveld, who served with
the Police Department President in the Marines. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 even need anything else,
it was exciting.鈥�
The 鈥淗onor Courage Commitment Run鈥� (HCC Run), named after the core values of the Marines,
was inspired by the 21 Liberty Marines of 1985. After returning from deployment in
Beirut, they ran from Camp Lejeune to Jersey City in 24 hours to raise funds for the
Statue of Liberty restoration. This time, though, the proceeds were split between
the Marine Corps鈥� Wounded Warrior Regiment and the Wounded Warrior Project.
鈥淎t the end of the day, we鈥檙e doing it for the men and women who came back injured,鈥�
Maarleveld said. 鈥淚 would say out of the 19 runners who went on the run, 15 of us
spent some time in Iraq or Afghanistan.鈥�
Maarleveld, who is a police officer for the Port Authority, Staff Sergeant in the
U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, and President of the Port Authority Police Marine Corps
Association, served in Iraq as part of the first phase of Iraqi Freedom. Before that,
though, he was a student at Aquinas, earning his Bachelor of Science in sports management
and administration while competing on the cross country and track teams.
鈥淚 wanted something new, and Aquinas was a great place for me,鈥� said Maarleveld, who
grew up in Hoboken, N.J., and admitted to not even knowing where Grand Rapids was
until he was recruited to run for Aquinas. 鈥淚 still have great friends that I talk
to all the time and I try to take a trip out there once or twice a year if I can.
Aquinas had that family culture, it was a really close-knit group, and Michigan was
like my second home.鈥�
Maarleveld enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserves in 2000 and since then has travelled
to Iraq, Norway, Japan, and Mongolia, just to name a few. But even his experiences
overseas can鈥檛 match that of the HCC Run.
鈥淏esides having my kids, [the HCC Run] is one of the greatest things I鈥檝e done in
a long time,鈥� Maarleveld said. 鈥淲ords can鈥檛 really describe it, the experience and
the camaraderie that you have with these guys sharing in the journey.鈥�
The 19 runners left New Jersey on April 16, 2012, for the six day, 600+ mile journey.
Set up like a relay, the group was divided into four teams. Each team ran a leg (with
each runner taking turns running 3 mile legs), before meeting up with the next team
and leap-frogging to the next checkpoint.
鈥淭he whole thing should have been a reality show. We slept outside most days in sleeping
bags or a tent, and then you woke up and got ready to run,鈥� Maarleveld said. 鈥淭here
were people on the side of the road who just came out of work and heard about us on
the radio and stood outside their offices cheering. You felt that sense of pride in
what we were doing.鈥�
And, as if taking part in the over 600 mile run wasn鈥檛 hard enough, Maarleveld frequently
jumped in with, or replaced, his teammates who were hurting or tired. By the end of
the six days, Maarleveld鈥檚 required mileage of 40 had jumped to 93, half of which
he ran in Marine Corps utilities, camo pants, a 40-pound pack and boots.
鈥淥ne wounded person is too many,鈥� Maarleveld said. 鈥淎nd I [ran in the boots and pack]
to pay homage to the guys who got wounded in their gear.鈥�
The HCC Run, which ended on April 21, 2012, raised $13,000 for the Wounded Warriors.
Although they are hoping to turn the Run into an annual event, Maarleveld is unsure
whether he will participate and try to duplicate the memories he made.
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 have had a better group of individuals to run with. It was a great experience
to share with those guys who I had never met before, who all chose to be in the brotherhood
of the Marines and police officers,鈥� Maarleveld said. 鈥淭hey are great friendships
that I hope to have for a long time.鈥�