May 17, 2010

Robert Magin, Marriott accountant and versatile runner, dies at 39

Robert E. Magin, 39, an accountant for Marriott International and an accomplished runner known for athletic versatility and persistence, died May 6 at Casey House hospice in Derwood. He lived in Olney. Doctors diagnosed a malignant brain tumor in Mr. Magin in 2008.

After a successful career running track and cross country at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, where he graduated with a degree in computer science in 1992, Mr. Magin continued running competitively in the Washington area. In 2007, Washington Running Report ranked Mr. Magin as the top male runner between the ages of 35 and 39.

He participated in races of a range of distances -- one mile, marathon, 50 miles -- and was known for being competitive in all of them. Among his fastest times were a mile in 4:26; 10 miles in 51:30; and a marathon in 2 hours, 34 minutes. He once ran a 50-mile trail race over rough terrain in six hours and 49 minutes, bettering the average course time by almost four hours.

One balmy June evening in 1996, Mr. Magin took part in a special Midsummer's Night Mile race with the Montgomery County Road Runners Club. After a day behind his desk in Bethesda, without any preparation, he ran the event in 4:32.

Robert Eugene Magin, a native of Westminster, Md., received a master's degree in business from the University of Maryland in 1995. Before joining Marriott, Mr. Magin worked for Black & Decker and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores. Mr. Magin was a member of the Gaithersburg Presbyterian Church, where he taught Sunday school for many years.

Survivors include his wife of 13 years, Jennifer Kuta Magin of Olney; three children, Mary Beth Magin, Paul Magin and Christine Magin, all of Olney; his parents, Edwin and Charlotte Magin of Westminster; his grandmother, Virginia Osterhus of Westminster; and a sister, Dolores Amonick of Westminster. SOURCE: Washington Post

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