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Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon) Runner Comments
Back to Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon) Information & Reviews
Course 3.9 
Organization 3.5 
Spectators 3.4
Number of comments: 286 [displaying comments 261 to 271]
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JImmy Dean from Washington, DC
(3/28/2006)
 "Stop Complaining and Run" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 A few thoughts on this race: 1st: To all the complainers about how tough the course is, suck it up and run. If you want a flat course... run on a treadmill. (By the way, the male winner of the race had previously set the world record for running a marathon on a treadmill.) 2nd: The volunteers, cops, and what spectators were there were awesome, especially in staying positive with the traffic backups. 3rd: To the organizers... improvements for next year: More bathrooms both at the start and on the course, better post-race food (keep the beer truck for next year!), and run a bit more into downtown. But KEEP THE HILLS... they are a blast! | |
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T. B. from North Carolina
(3/28/2006)
 "Run the half; skip the full" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I ran the full and set a PR, so do not take this as sour grapes but, in short, the full course sucks. The first six miles are flat and nice if you are into scenery (capitol, Mall, etc.). Miles 6-11 are flat but tour some pretty tough neighborhoods. Miles 11-26 are hilly and also in pretty unsavory neighborhoods. The hills on miles 21-25 are brutal. I would not run this race again unless I were local. The logisitics are too tough for travelers (no hotels close to the start or finish; no mass transit due to the early start). But, on the good side, the few fans who were there cheered enthusiastically and the race organization (water stops, registration) was top-notch. | |
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M. L. from Thompsonville, NY
(3/28/2006)
 "Needs lots of work" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 The on-course support and volunteers were great and the water stations well stocked with Gatorade. The gels were a nice touch. The last hilly miles need more water stations. One every 2 1/2 miles is not enough. The map did not seem to reflect the severity of the hills from mile 20 to 25. In fact, I was expecting a descent! The post-race refreshments and food were pathetic. After 4 hours, there was nothing left but bananas and two girls apologizing profusely for not having any more food to give me. How do you run out of bagels when pre-registration gives you a very good count of what to expect is beyond me. Overall, I give a thumbs way up to the volunteers and the few spectators that came out to cheer but thumbs down to the non-existent expo, hilly course and the lack of food at the finish. | |
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M. B. from Washington, DC
(3/28/2006)
 "good first marathon" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 It was my first marathon, so I don't have another one to compare this race to. I enjoyed the course and thought it was well-organized. It would have been nice if more people were there to cheer us on, but I still had fun. | |
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A. H. from Columbus, OH
(3/28/2006)
"Challenging Spring Marathon" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The race director's assessment of the course - which mixed flat, fast segments with hilly challenging ones - was absolutely accurate. The hills through the second half of the race made for a very challenging race. The course was well marked, volunteers were abundant, and the weather could not have been better; although the course took its toll on me, I had a great time. I hope the race can expand in the future. That might provide a bigger/better expo and improved refreshments at the finish. | |
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The Preacher from Booneville, MS
(3/27/2006)
"Fantastic to run through Washington" (about: 2006)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I really enjoyed this marathon. To run through the city with so much history and current events was fantastic. The organization was not fancy but is was well done in all respects. It had all one could require for a marathon. The logistics were great. I could park within 50 yards of the start and finish. No problem. Aid on the course was as good as one could need. I am just sad that no more runners were there to enjoy this event. To the organizers - keep up the good work. | |
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D. R. from Virginia
(3/27/2006)
 "unorganized and unsafe" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 Small, first-time, unorganized, streets were UNSAFE in Anacostia, uncomfortable, too hilly, too much traffic, and a very small spectator crowd. | |
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D. D. from Alexandria, VA
(3/27/2006)
"Want some hills? Run DC!" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I never thought a town as flat as DC could have so many hills! And 75% come in the last 6 miles. If you're up for the challenge I hope they run this next year. For a first-year race, the events other than the run could have been better, but the course support was great and the fans/cops were very friendly.... I advise not driving the course at night however. | |
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R. T. from Washington, DC
(3/27/2006)
 "A National Scourge" (about: 2006)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 If there's one place in the United States where you aren't actually in a "state," it's Washington, D.C. And if there's one city in the United States that can't organize a decent marathon, it's.... Well, you get the picture. Not surprisingly, security concerns and general city reluctance make a race in D.C. a difficult one to manage. But each race in the nation's capital seems to be centered around the fact that "Ooohh! It's the capitol!" or "Look! There's the Washington Monument!" while basic things like general race sensibilities take a back seat. I know. I've dealt with the madhouse conditions of the Marine Corps Marathon multiple times, and ran the ill-fated inaugural Washington D.C. Marathon before the seams quickly burst. I live, run, and work in the area. I should have known this one would be no different. The packet pickup was held under a tent in a stadium parking lot on the opposite side of the stadium from the mass transit station; it was an effort to get to a place that could have been held on a street corner. You don't need a stadium parking lot to have a table of bibs, a table for chips and some commemorative merchandise. Trust me, things don't get any better once the race starts. With the race beginning before mass transit opens, and no hotels within safe distance, the only option to the start is in a gas-guzzler, and then you snake through parking lots or cross traffic. The start is a one-mile loop around the exterior of the stadium. The end is in the parking lot of the stadium. The race was clearly so strapped for cash that they cut back on port-a-potties, delaying the start while throngs waited their turn in line for the restroom. And in the words of Karen Carpenter, we've only just begun. Taking you through some of the most depressing and desolate areas of any marathon course, the last 20 miles of the route don't offer inspiration close at hand. The monuments, the memorials, the cottony cherry blossoms? You'll be done with them in the first 10K. After that, you'll be treated to plenty of desolation, plenty of hills, and we're just getting started. The race course, which happens to block several major thoroughfares, created backups rivaling those of Thanksgiving weekend. There was a two-mile backup, and another four-mile backup, with only a small grassy median separating you from angry drivers who wished you nothing but the worst. "Fall!," "Stop walking!" and "Stupid runners!" were only some of the things that were shouted from car windows, except I've left off the bitter four-letter words that accompanied nearly all of them. The bigger backup came on a series of demoralizing hills, a painful dose of ups and downs for the last six miles. No sooner had you conquered a hill and headed down the opposite side than you saw the next rise coming straight at you. Meanwhile, you're breathing car exhaust and listening to drivers curse you out. It's a lethal combination. Then there's the little issue with water stops, a potential calamity the race was spared because it was a surprisingly chilly spring day in Washington and not one of those early-spring scorchers. You might get through the 2-1/4 mile break between water stops from mile 4.2 to 6.5, and the even more dreadful 2-1/2 mile break between water stops from mile 12.75 to 15.4, but the best (?) is yet to come and you better pray the sun stays behind the clouds. The last five miles of the course had exactly two water stops - one at mile 23, the last at mile 25. And when you're all said and done, in the parking lot, as I mentioned earlier, you get a surprisingly cheap medal, bananas and bagels, and age awards in 10-year increments. If the last 10 miles failed to leave a stinking taste in your mouth, this pathetic ending sure will. The sparse crowds that were out do deserve some praise, and the police officers deserve hazard pay for keeping the runners safe while angry drivers peppered them with curses. The organizers, however, deserve no such commendation. I guess we should be happy that they didn't run off with the entry fees like the last D.C. Marathon organizers did. No bonus for being honest. They still deserve a rousing thumbs down. If you want an enjoyable spring marathon, there are plenty to choose from. And if you still want to come to Washington, D.C. next March, you will have a much better time sitting by the tidal basin, taking in the cherry blossoms. Those are a national treasure. The National Marathon, however, is a languishing bud that deserves to wither on the vine. | |
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J. S. from Washington, DC
(3/27/2006)
"Not a bad experience for a first marathon" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon (formerly the National Marathon)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Going into my first marathon, I heard a ton from more experienced runners that this was the most disorganized inaugural marathon they'd ever seen. Aside from the major issues with the port-a-potties at the start, I couldn't disagree more. The water stops were plentiful and the volunteers were great. Then again, this could have been the worst marathon ever put together, and me being a newbie, I would never know. Overall, I give the event organization, the course, etc., a solid B or B+. The only major drawback was the lack of fan support, though this being the first year of the race, I reckon that is to be expected. I also never realized that there were so many hills in PGC, and given the number of runners absolutely staggering towards the last five or six miles, I'm guessing a lot of people didn't realize it either. I had a blast, and I'd recommend the race to anybody else (assuming they have it next year). |
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