Running: Captains America at the Philadelphia Marathon

I saw a lot of interesting costumes while watching the Philadelphia Marathon last Sunday: Santa Claus with real beard and jingle bells, Barney Rubble, Forrest Gump, and a lot of tutus (on men and women).

Then a woman dressed as Captain America ran by, smiling, holding a small shield in her hand. When a man dressed as Captain America ran by soon after, I thought it was a coincidence, especially given that the Captain America sequel is coming out in April.

I was wrong. Karl Leitz and Aya Takeichi-Leitz are a married couple from Jersey City. They met while running a half-marathon three years ago.

"Before I met him, I was a pretty normal runner," said Takeichi-Leitz. "After I met him, I began to race kind of frequently."

That may be an understatement. The Philadelphia Marathon was their 12th 26.2-mile race of the year.

They're part of the Marathon Maniacs, a national group of runners who run marathons like some of us run 5Ks. To become a member, a runner must run two marathons in 16 days or three marathons within 90 days. A lot of members do more. There are nine levels of membership, and to reach the highest - titanium - a runner must run at 52 marathons within a year; 30 marathons in 30 states, countries or Canadian providences within a year; or 20 countries within a year.

They're also members of the 50 State Marathon Club, which includes runners trying to run a marathon in every state. Leitz has 44 and Takeichi-Leit has 25.

The Philadelphia Marathon is special to the pair. They've both run it seven times, and it was their first marathon (2005 for Leitz and 2007 for Takeichi-Leitz). In 2011, Leitz proposed right after they crossed the finish line.

"I carried the ring the whole way in my fanny pack," Leitz said. "Whenever I went into the pack to get my Gu [energy gels] out during the race, I had to make sure I didn't lose the ring."

They come back to Philadelphia every year because they both like the course - that it's relatively flat, that it doesn't require a lottery to get in, and that "it's very runner-friendly," Takeichi-Leitz said.

Leitz likes that the course includes so many parts of the city. In marathons, they usually run together right through the finish line, and then compete with each other in smaller races.

As for Captain America, the Avengers is a common theme for the pair. Leitz has run marathons as Elvis, a Mexican wrestler, and Gene Simmons in full Kiss regalia, but they've both run as Thor and Iron Man as well, though Leitz prefers Captain America because he doesn't need to carry Thor's hammer, nor wear Iron Man's mask. Plus they tend to get a lot more cheers and encouragement from adults and kids when running in the red, white, and blue.

Their race year isn't over quite yet. They race just about every weekend, and have another marathon scheduled for next month. They don't think that this is a strange practice at all.

"We don't do drugs, but there's always a nice runner's high," Leitz said.

Mid-Atlantic Dairy Toss Your Turkey 5K, Pottstown campus of Montgomery County C.C., 8:30 a.m. Fee: $30, family rate of $120 for up to 6 members. Free running shoes to male/female who throws the provided frozen turkey the farthest. runtheday.com or lrechtin@pgsd.org.

Seven Summits 5K Turkey Trot for FLITE, 8:45 a.m. (Registration: 7:30). Wilson Farm Park, Chesterbrook.

sevensummitspt.com or runtheday.com. Fee: $20 by Monday, then $25.

Moorestown Turkey Trot, 5K, 1-mile fun run at Moorestown High School. Fee: $10 online at www.runsignup.com

/MoorestownTurkeyTrot. Race day registration 8:30 a.m. Fun Run starts at 9:15, 5K: 9:45.

Haddon Township Turkey Trot 5K and 1-mile walk/run, Westmont Fire Department, Haddon Ave., Westmont. 5K: 9 a.m.; 1-mile walk, fun run: 8:45. Fee: $20 pre, $25 post. dqtridu.com, dqtiming.com

Bucks County Running Club Series. Every Sunday through Feb. 16. Race-day registration: boathouse at Tyler State Park. Races: 9:30 a.m., except for the Cham-Pain 5K on New Year's Day (noon).

The Loop Race (8.4 Miles), 10 a.m., Online $25, Day of $30 More info: brynmawrrunningco.com

Winter Wonder Run 6K at the Institute Woods, Princeton Friends School. Check-in 8:45 a.m. 6K starts at 10. Limited to 150 participants. Walkers welcome. Day-of registration credit card only, $35.

Light Up Lansdale 5K & 1-mile Fun Run. Penndale Middle School, 400 Penn St. Lansdale. Registration: 7:45 a.m. Fun Run starts at 8:30, 5K at 9. Register at pennsuburban.org. $25 before 12/1, $30 after.

Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School Baseball Jingle Bell Jog 5K/1-mile. At the high school. Onsite registration begins at 7 a.m. Race at 9. Fee: $25 preregistration, $30 after Dec. 1. brynmawrrunningco.com

BCRR Winter Series: Covered Bridge 5K, Bucks County Running Club. The Boathouse, Tyler State Park, Newtown, 9:30 a.m.

Reindeer Romp, 5K, fun run/walk, 3 p.m. The Oakmont School Darby and Eagle Rds., Havertown. Fee: $25 adult, $10 children. reindeerromp.org/

Browning Ross Winter Series. 5K every Sunday, through Feb. 23. Rowan University parking lot on Bowe Blvd. Race: 1 p.m. Race day registration only. Age group awards. Contact Ringo Adamson 856-904-3543 or tuffgangrunning@yahoo.com

Freezer 5K run & 1-mile family fun walk. Horsham, along the power-line trail at Simmons Elementary School. Fun Walk, 9:45 a.m., 5K at 10. Online registration: $25 at Freezer5K.com, ends Dec. 11. $30 race day.

BCCR Winter Series: Jingle Bell 5.3-mile race. 9:30 a.m. The Boathouse, Tyler State Park, Newtown. Contact race director Steve Cickayat scickay@comcast.net or bcrrclub.com. Fee: $10.

Browning Ross Winter Series. 5K every Sunday, through Feb. 23. Rowan University parking lot on Bowe Blvd. Race: 1 p.m. Race day registration only. Age Group awards. Contact Ringo Adamson 856-904-3543 or tuffgangrunning@yahoo.com

BCRR Winter Series: Tyler Challenge 10K. The Boathouse, Tyler State Park, Newtown, 9:30 a.m. Contact Janet Lewis (janet.lewis@alumni.duke.edu) or bcrrclub.com $10 per race.

Browning Ross Winter Series. 5K every Sunday, though Feb. 23. Rowan University parking lot on Bowe Blvd. Race: 1 p.m. Race day registration only. Age Group awards. Contact Ringo Adamson 856-904-3543 or tuffgangrunning@yahoo.com

BCRR Winter Series Cham-Pain 5K. The Boathouse, Tyler State Park, Newtown, noon. Contact Janet Lewis (janet.lewis@alumni.duke.edu) or bcrrclub.com $10 per race.