NEW ORLEANS -- Maj. Marcy is a 6’3”, 225 pound Marine. During his last Physical Fitness he did 29 pull-ups, 125 crunches in two minutes, and ran three miles in 16 minute and 40 seconds. But for Marcy a perfect score on the PFT isn’t an ambition, it’s a baseline.
Maj. Marcy is also part of a cadre of active duty Marines that support Marine Forces Reserve full time. He is the inspector-instructor for 4th Force Reconnaissance Company based in Alameda, Calif. His main job is to instruct and assist Reserve Marines year round through the grueling standards of being recon Marines. His mission is to keep Reserve Marines ready to augment, reinforce, and support the active duty Marines when called upon. These recon Marines are the first in the fight and he is constantly leading the charge for himself and his Marines.
Marcy demonstrates an endurance like no other. To be a cut above is good; but to be a cut above recon Marines speaks for itself. His dedication to fitness and athletic prowess started while he was in high school.
In high school, Marcy strived to be the best at his first passion: competitive rowing. His goal was to become a D-1 athlete as a competitive rower and dedicated time, every day, to achieving his ambitious goal. He got recruited to go and row for the United States Naval Academy after high school and competed every year for a national championship.
“I rowed all four years at the Naval Academy,” said Marcy. “We took 10th, 8th, 6th, and 4th in the all the national championships. We had a fast team and a pretty good group of guys.”
Marcy was not satisfied with his performances in high school or at the academy. He continuously performed and won but, more importantly for him, he had to beat himself.
“I’ve always wanted to be the best in the world at rowing,” said Marcy. “When you go out and compete and you’re training every day, when you compete you are putting your life’s work against someone else’s and showing what yours is worth.”
Marcy competed in competitive rowing and after his time at the academy, went on to the Olympic trials in 2015.
“I had been trying to make the Olympic rowing team and I failed to make it,” said Marcy. “I got second place in the four man, quadruple sculls. Also in 2015, my team competed in the Rowing World II and got 12th.”
Itching for even more challenges, however, Marcy recently added a new endurance challenge to his resume: triathlons.
Marcy recently qualified for the Marine Corps Triathlon Team and competed in the Armed Forces Championship that included the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps All-Star teams from June 7-11, 2017. He took 20th overall and finished as the 4th Marine across the finish line.
With the long list of fitness achievements, Maj. Marcy demonstrates what it means to be a physically fit Marine.
“There is a direct correlation with personal fitness and Marine Corps fitness,” said Marcy. “I always get 300’s on both of my fitness tests with a 3-mile time of 16:42. With Marine Corps fitness as well, like rucking, there is a direct correlation with that as well; the more endurance you have the longevity you have over these long events.”
In September 2016, Marcy also competed in the 2016 Superfrog in Coronado, Calif. and qualified for the 2017 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Chattanooga, Tenn. He is currently preparing for that race in September of this year.