Original Cartoon Art Featured on Crossroads 17.75K Bib – All runners will receive commemorative bib at Saturday, Sept. 17 race in Prince William County

QUANTICO, Va. – The Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) is unveiling a commemorative bib designed by military cartoonist Jeff Bacon for the Crossroads 17.75K road race on Saturday, Sept. 17. Bacon's original design comically displays participants running in the Crossroads 17.75K through Prince William Forest Park, which makes up a large portion of the 11.03-mile course through Prince William County, Va.

Bacon is a retired U.S. Navy captain and celebrated military cartoonist of the "Broadside" and "Greenside" cartoons that depict the men and women of the Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. All those participating in the Crossroads 17.75K will receive the artistic bib that includes a B-Tag timing device that captures accurate finishing time, a free runner's vest and for those of legal age, a coupon for a beer from MCM partner Michelob Ultra.

Registration for the Crossroads 17.75K is available online at www.marinemarathon.com

"This is the first time the Marine Corps Marathon has offered this type of keepsake cartoon design on a runner's bib," says Rick Nealis, MCM director. "Jeff's bib design humorously reflects the unique challenge offered by the Crossroads 17.75K, which is not unlike the type of PT rigors Marines tackle every day."

Bacon's cartoons, which are published weekly in Navy Times and Marine Times newspapers, also have been displayed in the Navy Art Gallery and U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. and are the subject of his three books, "The Best of Broadside," " Book II: the Rest of Broadside" and "20 Years of Broadside."

Crossroads 17.75K distance refers to the year the U.S. Marine Corps was established. The September running event honors all of the men and women in uniform past and present.

Starting at 7 a.m. at the intersection of Rt. 234 and Van Buren Rd. in Manassas, the Crossroads 17.75K course will run through Prince William County streets and along the scenic twists and turns of Prince William Forest Park.

Runners and spectators will enjoy a spectacular finish at the National Museum of the Marine Corps, located across from Marine Corps Base Quantico's front gate in Triangle, Va.

The 2011 MCM Event Series is sponsored by Brooks, Geico, Navy Federal Credit Union, Washington Area Chevy Dealers, MarathonFoto, USO-Metro, Hampton Inn, JK Moving Services, Mix 107.3 FM, VA Runner, the Quantico Sentry, News & Messenger, MARSOC and the Prince William County /Manassas CVB. No federal or Marine Corps endorsement implied.