First of all, thank you to all the Marines for your service and your support. As for the marathon itself, I loved the course(with the exception of that hill at the finish,'wow',always earned-never given for sure),but if it was easy then everyone would do it. To those getting a hotel for the race I highly recommend staying in Arlington to avoid the Metro and shuttle log jam. Residence Inn by Marriot Arlington/Rosslyn is where I stayed and will stay again if I come back next year(great room/nice free breakfast).

I would say that the expo was a little disappointing for a marathon of this size but still nice, and they do need to add more water stops along the course. Other then that, and the final hill of course 'ha ha' I really enjoyed the marathon, the crowds, the monuments, and the fantastic marines throughout the race. I don't normally repeat out-of-state marathons(I live in Ohio), but I will definitely consider repeating this one.

If your looking for a fun marathon,this could be the one for you, but if you don't like crowds,you might want to think twice about this one.And one last thing,if you run the first half conservatively, I think you can set a P.R. on this course. I came into this one injured,so I ran it for fun and was only 20 minutes off my P.R. of 3:01:00, and laughing and dancing to the band after the race. Thank you Marines-Hoorah!

This was my first marathon, and I thought it was awesome. The crowds were great! The course Beautiful! I carried water with me, but I did hear some other people say they wish there was more water. Having the marines there was very special. I thought the race was very well organized, I might even do it again next year because it was just a great race.

I ran this race in 2006 and had a blast and was extremely impressed by the organization. However, I felt like the 2011 race did not live up to my expectations. A few changes that need to be made:
1. Wave starts. I was running about a 3:25 pace, and it was crowded for much of the race.
2. More water stops. There were only 12 water stops, and at one point, there were almost 3 miles between stops.
3. The crowds are great, but they need to stay off the course for the entire race.
4. The Expo needs to be in a bigger location. Waiting outside in the rain was not enjoyable.

The race is good overall, but I would much rather run NYC, Chicago, or Boston if I want to do a big race.

P.S. Did anyone else find it weird that there were only about 20k finishers, 21k starters, yet the race sold out to 30k runners in only 28 hours?

This was a great run and really enjoyed the spectators along the course. If you are in this race to get your PR you should look for a different marathon. This is for enjoying the sites of DC and running down streets that are usually full of cars. Great job Marines! You made me feel very important along the course and especially at the finish when you congratulated me, shook my hand and put the medal around my neck. This is a fun, well organized race.

This was my 12th Marine Corps Marathon,and I plan on running it till I can not run any more. What can you say about the course,but WOW,to run in the Capital of this great country is an HONOR. To be supported by the Brave young men and women of the Marines and navy was the best.I hope that the Expo can move back to the Washington Convention Center next year,it was alot nicer then the Armoury.That being said,the Volunteers did a fantastic job,great going to all of you.
I think the MCM has tried to make the finish area move as smoothly as possible,but lets face it,this area was never made for this many people. I found the shuttle wait to be alot less then last year. I will put up with being inconvenienced to finish at the War Memorial any day.

This is my first time running the Marine Corps Marathon and my 4th large marathon. The course is nice and the Marines were fantastic with the support during the entire course. However, there is a need for improvements.

1) The expo needs to be moved to a larger facility. I was there 3 hours before closing on Saturday and the expo was still packed. It would have been nice to have had a bigger selection of vendors but there is no room in the Armory.

2) The race needs to implement corral or wave starts. Having all 25,000 runners start at the same time resulted in a bottle neck for the first 8 miles. Other major races spread out the start.

3) Same issue as other commenters with too many spectators in the finish area so it was difficult to cross the bridge to exit the area.

The race went well with one exception. It seems every year the finish line and pick-up area changes and becomes increasingly difficult for family to meet you due to the changes. It would be nice if you would keep things consistent.
As far as race bib and pick up of bags. Keep the two in the same area, this year it was like chasing your tail and especially with the inclement weather. We all know the Saturday before the race is usually raining or nasty, keep us inside please. If needed don't have as many vendors, seemed like it was just pete and repete vendors anyways.

The Marines, course, spectators on the course were first rate. For all that was done right went wrong after you finished.
Spectators/family should NOT be let in the finish area. There were spectators going to the finish and marathoners trying to go away from the finish....gridlock! After a marathon the last thing you want is a hassle to get to your things and refreshments.
Then our shuttle bus driver got lost returning us to the parking garage! What should have taken 10 minutes turned into 45 minutes.
Then in the Crystal City parking garage that we were told to park in by the marathon organizers a long line of cars was formed because only 2-3 vehicles were let out at a time!
This is not the first year this has happened, don't they learn?

This was my first marathon. The course was amazing. The crowd support was amazing. The runners and the Marines were inspiring. Overall, this was an incredible experience. I am still smiling, although I was crying at the end. That hill would have been the death of me, but thanks to a Marine calling me out and tell me to hustle, I did run right up the hill to the first marathon finish I've ever achieved.
My only complaint would be the lines to get into the expo. It was pouring rain and freezing and we had to wait to get through security to get indoors. I have read about transportation problems and I did witness them, luckily my hotel (which was not on the websites list) was blocks away from the finish. I was able to walk back and avoid the long lines and wait that everyone else seemed to endure.
OK, well the other complaint I would have is that it was hard to get out of the race after the finish. It was too crowded and all I wanted to do was get out of a crowd. The food given out at the end was disappointing as well. This is not the only race I've run with this issue. Personally, I like lots of room to move around, but I did know what I was getting into signing up for such a BIG race.

I signed up for this race for the scenery, but it's the runners and the Marines that would bring me back.

The MCM was my 4th Marathon, and absolutely my favorite so far. The spectators, the views, the fly overs,the Marines, the pictures at Iwo Jima... I only have one complaint. My timing chip did not work, so there is no record of me finishing. I ran for the Semper Fi Fund, so I had about 15 donators trying to follow my progress, but unfortunately the updates never came. Not only do I not show as a finisher, but there is no way for me to access my photos. I was really looking forward to the picture in front of the Iwo Jima memorial. In previous Marathons, there is a timing strip at the expo that you walk across that confirms your chip is working, MCM did not have that, so the non-functioning chip could not be replaced. Overall I loved the Marathon, just disappointed that officially I am not considered a finisher. I'm curious if others had similar problems.