Navy crooner hits pitches, runs marathons For some runners, details of their first marathon can be tough to remember. For Eric Makovsky, though, his debut at the Marine Corps Marathon will be difficult to forget.
Makovsky, 36, is a public affairs assistant for the Navy Band, so the race in late October 2001 — just a month and a half after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon — was particularly poignant for him. Many runners stopped near the Pentagon mid-race out of respect for the fallen, the D.C. resident said.
“It was very emotional running around the Pentagon,” he said. “Very powerful.”
Even more impressive — he sang the national anthem before the race. He sings “The Star-Spangled Banner” before races frequently, but that attempt was his first foray into the sing-run combination.
Singing the national anthem at the Marine Corps Marathon is an official Navy job, so when his number was called, Makovsky obliged. Still, a lot of pressure was riding on the performance.
“Singing the national anthem is always a nerve-wracking experience,” he said. “Musically, it’s a very difficult piece to sing, let alone a cappella.
“I was very much worried. It’s paying tribute to our country and those who have served and [the] many who have died defending it. I had so many different things going on in my head at the time.”
Makovsky is tapped from time to time to sing before local races. And he’s much more than a mere novelty act. He has run in about 20 marathons and won the Lehigh Valley Marathon in September while raising money for the group Autism Speaks.
He pitched the idea of starting last at Lehigh Valley and raising money for each runner he passed during the race. By the end, Makovsky had passed all the individual runners and all but three of the relay teams, finishing in 2:48:15 and raising between $500 and $600.
“It was certainly not my best marathon time … but that meant so much at the finish,” he said.
Makovsky’s best time is, in fact, a 2:40 marathon — not bad for someone who didn’t start racing until 2000.
“I would love to run a 2:30 marathon — [but] that’s asking a lot,” he said, adding, “It’s not impossible.”
Makovsky runs between 90 and 100 miles a week during training season and tapers down the mileage before a marathon.
“It’s often a balance,” he said. “I’m blessed that I have a job and a [family] that is willing to indulge me in my athletic pursuits.”
Indeed, Makovsky said his family — wife Melanie, 6-year-old daughter Ida and 4-year-old son Daniel — provides much of his inspiration for training and running.
“I’ll drop the 10 seconds or so, whatever it takes, to stop and kiss them every time I go by” during a race, he said. “They’re great, and I couldn’t do it without them.”
While Makovsky acknowledged that he would love to get his best time down to 2:30, he also maintains a philosophical attitude about the pursuit.
“Every run could be your last, and so I try to enjoy each one that I do, regardless of the weather, regardless of what time of day it is,” he said.
