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☰
Washington DC Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Washington DC Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.5 
Organization 3.6 
Spectators 3.9
Number of comments: 84 [displaying comments 61 to 71]
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A Runner from Silver Spring, MD
(3/26/2002)
 "Nice inaugural race in DC." (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Except for a few logistic problems, the marathon was great. It offered a very cultural view of the city and the spectators never stopped cheering. I am sure that next year the race won't be on a religious holiday and the organizers will fix the baggage pickup problem. I will definitely do this race again. | |
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A Runner from San Antonio, Texas
(3/26/2002)
 "World Class Race" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I came in from Texas for the race. I enjoyed many things about the race. Having run many marathons all over the world, I was happy that the Capital City of the USA has a World Class Marathon of its own now. For a first marathon, many more things could have gone wrong than just the baggage pick-up, I anticipate many more entries next year, in fact they might even reach their limits early! It was that good. I enjoyed going to the Capitol, seeing the White House, the Monuments, the Cherry Blossoms. We spent a lot of money, but it was well worth it. I for one will definitely be back and bringing the kids next year. lornae@aol.com | |
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A Runner from westminster, maryland
(3/25/2002)
 "A very very good marathon with a ton of potential." (about: 2001)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The course was easier than the Marine Corps Marathon. Having the metro open early for the runners was a huge bonus. For a first time event,excluding the bag claim area,this was a very good run. This was my 8th marathon,and I would do it again. It is better than the baltimore marathon which I will never do again. A few errors were made which I am sure will be corrected in time for next years race. | |
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A Runner from Silver Spring, MD
(3/25/2002)
"WDC Marathon #1- good and will get better." (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 WDCM was my first. I loved the course, you really got a great snapshot of the city. Although it gave me fits, the hill from M20 to M22 (or thereabouts) wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The crowds we're great. Again, not much to compare to, but they were very encouraging and plentiful around Smithsonian, Dupont, and Union Station to name a few spots. Bless all those caught in traffic due to the race, many of them had a 'if you can't beat them...' attitude and were honking their horns in support. Efficient and friendly water stations. Friendly volunteers- THANK YOU! The '3' for organization really comes down to that bag check debacle. That really stunk. It's too bad that the bag check situation was the last impression of an otherwise great event on a great day. But I had a fantastic time and would encourage those to come to DC next year and give it a shot. | |
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A Runner from Washington, DC
(3/25/2002)
"Very well done" (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon, and I wasn't sure what to expect. The weather turned out to be great, the course was very scenic (as a 6-year DC resident, it was cool to run through parts of the city I had never seen before, as well as by some of the tourist favorites), and the crowds that came out were a lot of fun. There were some parts of the course without a lot of spectators, but for the most part there were enough to keep your spirits up. And the uphills weren't as steep as I expected...though miles 19-21 weren't a piece of cake, it was great to end on a downhill. I thought the organization was very good--well-staffed water stations, a streamlined packet-pickup (and lots of helpful information beforehand from the organizers), good traffic diversion (even with lots of churchgoing traffic) and friendly and helpful volunteers. Looking over the other comments, I'm glad I didn't check a bag. Everything else was great! | |
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A Runner from San Diego, CA
(3/25/2002)
 "Bad Organization, Great Course" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 To start, the course was great. A wonderful overview of DC and enough hills to challenge but not overwhelm. Hopefully they can keep the course for years to come. I also have to say that the volunteers were great. There were plenty of them, and they seemed to have overall good attitudes when faced with the conditions placed on them by H2O Entertainment. As far as organization, H2O Entertainment proved to be pathetic. Where do I start? Has the company ever heard of Public Relations and Publicity. None of my friends who live in DC ever saw anything related to the race prior to race day. That probably explains the low spectator turnout. There were no H2O reps at the race start. The poor volunteers had no idea about any of the race details, including such basics as where the start line was. Not enough port-a-johns. No loudspeaker to get people lined up at the start. Most of the runners were stuck wandering around wondering where to start and if the race had actually started yet. Race course conditions were fine, with good water stops. Could have used a few more. If the weather had been warm, that might have been an issue. The finish area was awful. The advertised 'family reunion area' was not set up adequately, and not a single volunteer or H2O person I asked had even heard of it. Finding your friends at the end was just dumb luck. And, as noted by other runners, the bag check was a disaster. There were plenty of H2O people around the finish, but none dared to go over and help out the poor volunteers stuck in the bag check tent. Come on guys, this stuff is not rocket science. There really aren't excuses for glitches like that, especially with an $85 entry fee. It took 2.5 hours for my friend to get her bag. It took me over an hour, and there was no line when I finished. Even for the first few runners, finding bags was an ordeal. H2O should be ashamed of their organizationial efforts. The course was great, but the basics were sorely neglected. All the runners deserve a refund. If H2O bothers to update the web site for the race finish (not done as of 3PM EST on the 25th) and dares to congratulate themselves on their organizational efforts, they should all be caned. (Note, I specifically do not include the volunteers.) | |
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A Runner from Ashburn, Virginia
(3/25/2002)
"Great race, need to iron out a couple of wrinkles" (General Comments)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Excellent race. I was impressed with everything during the race with two exceptions. The gear pick-up was a disaster, considering this is the last thing you do before you leave the marathon, this was not a good send-off. The line was so long and disorganized, I sat down and had my wife wait for almost 45 minutes to get my stuff. Also there is a very steep downhill around mile 23 that is too steep for so late in the race. Would I run this race again, yes, and will hope to get another PR like yesterday. | |
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A Runner from Connecticut, USA
(3/25/2002)
"Great race with some problems" (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 There were 2 problems that I encountered after the race...Baggage claim and Reunion Area. The organizers should find ways to improve the system of handling the baggage. It was very frustrating that finishers had to wait for more than one hour to get their baggage. In the Reunion Area, I could not understand why a person had to hold the sign A-E, F-K, etc. Could the organizers just made a post to hold those BIG LETTER SIGNS? I must say that the food/drink was plentiful and a very good variety. My congratulations to the organizers and volunteers for a job well done. | |
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A Runner from Washington, D.C.
(3/25/2002)
"DC's First Marathon--My First Marathon" (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first, and having heard how efficient the MCM was and how well supported by the fans, I wasn't expecting so much from this, but I don't see how you could do a better race through DC. Baggage claim was a bit cumbersome, but I just went and had some lunch while the line shrunk. My sense of accomplishment and satisfaction is deepened having done this in DC, in this time in history, and having done the INAUGURAL run. | |
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A Runner from Charlottesville, VA
(3/25/2002)
"Perfect weather, Bag Disaster, Hotel Snobbery" (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 A big thumbs up to the H2O crew for their first effort at a big-time marathon. You'd have to expect it to not be flawless, and the bag check fiassco afterwards was horrible! Imagine running 26.2 miles and then standing in a line thirty people wide and complete chaos in a single tent with no order whatsoever for 1 hour and a half! Unbelieveable, but I'm sure the last time it will happen. The course was great, the hills that were there were ok, and the crowds were sizeable considering the time of day and the Palm Sunday overlap. The 'headquarters' Hotel at the Capital Hilton did a horrible job of hosting a packed house filled with runners. Not only was there no food offered in the morning before 6am, but they gave everyone a hassle about 'late check-out'. We needed food available as early as 4:30am and the hotel could have made a killing charging us for it, but decided against extending its hours for us, and then we were told that we would be allowed to get a late check out when we arrived, but they tried to charge us $75 for being after 1:30pm... If they are the race Hotel next year, I'm not shelling out $140 to suffer through that again. All in all, it was a life changing experience, I'll never forget it, and my wife and I will run it again. |
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