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May 13, 2024

Marine Corps Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Marine Corps Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.5

Organization 3.9

Spectators 4.6

Number of comments: 937 [displaying comments 71 to 81]

More Comments: [ < 1 .. 6 7 8 9 10 .. 94 > ]

L. P. from New London NH (11/3/2013) "Excellent, well supported!" (about: 2013) 1 previous marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My name is Lynn Petry and I had a coach's bib, pushing my friend a retired marine inflicted with MS,Richard Batiste in a road race wheelchair. The support and encouragement was outstanding and the race was such a rewarding experieince for all the hard training that accompainies the training involved. the medals are beautiful, along with the scenic views. But to actually run for RUN MS, raise money and have a reason to run was the most inspiring of all. If you ever want an inspirational, well supported marathon, do this one and run for a charity! Thank you Richard, for honoring me to run with and for you, it all began when you said YES! Lynn Petry
C. A. from Colorado (11/2/2013) "The" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Marine Corps Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 I had high expectations for this race based on personal recommendations from well-traveled marathons (Boston, Chicago, NYC, etc) and the race organization ruined the experience of a beautiful and course. Unfortunately, the execution of the expo and the pre-race organization was horrible. At the expo, we had to wait in a one hour line that wound around a tent for about a mile. I should have had my Garmin tracking my mileage. Then we had to go stand in another line to get into the actual expo building which was another 45 minutes long. Security people were barking orders the entire time. The whole experience was like being at the airport and the air was full of stress. No marathoner wants to be on their feet for over 2 hours the day before the big race. We've all raced too hard. By the time we got our t-shirt in the expo, my family and I were tired and not in the mood to 'go shopping' at the tents. It was lame. I've run 6 large scale marathons (2 Boston, LA, and Chicago) and over 35 half marathons. I have a pretty good idea of what an expo should feel and operate like, however the MCM expo was a disaster. On race morning, I got to the finish line security gate check point 2 hours before the start time and got thru security just fine. Unfortunately where I entered was about 3/4 of a mile to the bag drop. It was a good warm up for me, however, this is where the ridiculousness with security started again. As I approached the bag check, police officers stopped me and around 20 other runners saying that we couldn't enter this way. Keep in mind we are about 100 yards from the UPS trucks and other runners are going through this 'check-point' in the opposite direction (aka a TSA style check point). We told the cops we had been screened, but it didn't matter and they wouldn't check our bags. They forced us to walk AROUND the PENTAGON! They didn't budge and we ended up going 1.5 miles around the Pentagon. It was TOTALLY ridiculous. The course was NOT flat, but nothing crazy. The fans were nothing like Chicago or Boston, but were very supportive and running through DC was impressive. They closed down freeways and major roads to put on the race. I even saw Bart Yasso near the Water Gate Hotel. That was cool. My family got to travel to four different spots on the course, but it was too hard for them to get to the finish line. The finish line area was sort of cool, but once again, the Marines and police were on high alert. They made me feel like I should leave. Once again, disappointing. In conclusion, the heightened security made me feel like I was infringing on the race and didn't feel welcomed at all. I ended running a solid 2:43, but won't be coming back.
T. R. from MA (11/1/2013) "Great event for my first marathon" (about: 2013) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Marine Corps Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The weather was perfect, although cold at the start. I truly enjoyed all but one part of the course, and throughout the city the crowd support was amazing. Coming from a much hillier area, I found the course quite flat with just one hill I remember clearly. Up to and through the out-and-back is tight quarters, but there was more personal space after this point. I found the quiet of Haines Point a nice change of pace and a good reflective time (especially with the tributes to the fallen Marines). Highlights were running around the mall with the tremendous DC scenery to take in, and the friendly and courteous Marines all over. Our group stayed right near Iwo Jima so we were able to walk to start/finish. We also attended the Expo on Friday and the longest line was the gear shop. We did not have to wait long to get our bibs or enter the Expo. That said, it sounded like overall organization had some problems this year, none of which I experienced personally. Hopefully this was just a glitchy year. I would definitely recommend this race and hope to do it again someday.
M. L. from Baltimore, MD (10/30/2013) "Amazing Event" (about: 2013) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Marine Corps Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I've participated in several different kinds of races (cycling, triathlon, running) but this one beats them all, hands down! Pros: The course - challenging but doable with the right training. And you get to see the nation's capitol in a completely different way than others. The spectators - one word: AMAZING! There were people almost everywhere cheering for friends, families and complete strangers. If you do this race, find a way to put your name on your shirt - the crowd will yell for you! The medal - if I could wear it daily as a piece of jewelry, I would. It's that gorgeous. The Marines - gracious, courteous, motivational, inspirational. The emotional factor: between miles 11 and 12 there were 'placards' commemorating Marines killed in action. The placards showed their DOB, date killed, age at time of death, rank and a photo. It kind of helped keep things in perspective that day, at least for me it did. Cons: trying to get home after the race along with 30k people and their friends/families. Traffic will not be great, the Metro lines WILL be long and walking anywhere will have no appeal after 26.2 miles. Tip: take the Metro. It makes the morning trip in hassle free. After the race, take the circulator near the Roslyn metro into DC and hop on the Metro from there instead of standing in the line in Roslyn. It will be so MUCH faster. Or...stay at a hotel near the race site. I may do that next year. Final thought: If you are going to do one marathon - make it this one. You will not regret it!
A. M. from TN (10/30/2013) "Unorganized race" (about: 2013) 4-5 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 We arrived in town on Saturday and went straight to the expo. We were told by the marines that we had to wait in line an hour to get our bib and then get in another line to get our shirt. I could not believe that they wound you through a field and made you continuously walk in circles the day before a marathon. We ended up waiting 30 min. for the bib# and 1.5 hours for the shirt. They had 4 people for security you to get into the expo. Once we got into the expo they had ran out of UPS drawstring check bags. We were told by other runners that they had 'goodie' bags for runners; guess they ran out of those too. We had to tie our UPS bag (like a grocery bag) due to them not having enough bags. We arrived at the race 2 hours early like they suggested to get through security. There was no real security: you walked by the marines and they checked your bib#. So we sat on the concrete in the cold waiting. Once we made our way to the start line there was no marked off corrals. You had to weave your way to the front and you could really start wherever you wanted. The gun went off and people who started at the 3:20 pace were walking by mile 2. The course was very crowded especially trying to weave around the wheelchair racers. You would pass them on the up hills and then would have to jump out of the way so they could pass you back on the downhill. I saw one man get his heals ran over by the wheelchair racer. They should've started them a lot earlier. The course was some what hilly. The out and back section was crowded because on the way back the slower runners were running on both sides of the road. It was nice to run by the capitol, but I was pretty shocked that we did not run by more popular monuments and the white house. Many men decided it was okay to use the bathroom right along the race course and nothing was done to stop this. The best part was crossing the finish line and having a Marine place your metal around your neck and saluting you. It was the nicest metal I have received at a marathon. I would not run this marathon again, but overall I did enjoy it. I did run a PR on this course.
D. L. from TX (10/30/2013) "Glad I was able to scratch this one off the list" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Marine Corps Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I had high expectations for this one, but unfortunately my body didn't cooperate. That being said, the weather was ideal...the course was good (there was one out and back stretch I could really have done without and the hills were a bit challenging), the spectators and water station support were really good. The expo was another story. I waited in line for 1 hr to get my bib. After that, when I saw the line for the packet pick up, I bailed and blew off my shirt. I cannot believe it was set up that way. I won't run this one again as I don't tend to repeat, but I would hope they'd improve on that situation for future races.
B. C. from Atlanta (10/29/2013) "Don't look now, there is a hurricane behind you." (about: 2012) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Marine Corps Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Okay, I'm a year late, but I wanted to quickly post that this was a fantastic race that, unsurprisingly, was very well organized. Our capital is a beautiful city and I feel like it is almost a civic duty to see at least once in our patriotic adult lives. So go to DC, spend the weekend see the sights and run a great race!
K. S. from Goode, VA (10/29/2013) "Good but not great" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Marine Corps Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Personally, I had a fine experience, although I did not quite hit my goal time but that was my own fault. Enjoyable course, fantastic spectator support, and a wonderful military presence to keep you energized throughout the race! The only negatives: No wave/corral start for 25000+ runners; Ran out of finisher's medals; Ran out of beer. If you are going to take in 30,000+ race registrations then you need to adequately prepare for 30,000 participants! The post-race food was about the worst I have experienced at a marathon. Still, a wonderful experience and a race I am glad I ran in!
Mike Enright from Portland, Connecticut (10/29/2013) "Spectacular event and a great run" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Marine Corps Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 9th marathon finish, and I couldn't be happier with the event. The marines were awesome all around, the sights are spectacular, and the patriotism and respect for courage are so imbedded in this event that it is inspiring. The course is not easy and like any big marathon is crowded and you will have to wait in lines to do things. Transportation around DC on the Metro is terrific. This is a great marathon. It is worth it just for the opening ceremony! I must say that it seemed clear to me that two miles were mismarked (mile 8 was too long; mile 19 was too short). It all comes out in the wash, but is confusing when you are trying to evenly pace splits. My advice to anyone reading this is to find a way to run this marathon.
G. W. from CT United States (10/28/2013) "Terrific 1st time experience" (about: 2013) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Marine Corps Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 It was a beautiful weekend to be in DC and the wind from previous days died down for Sunday. Temps were nearly ideal. I had trouble getting to my desired pace group (3:15) because I left the village late. Security wasn't a huge hassle for the runners. Fan support was great along almost the entire course. I was surprised the course measured long according to my Garmin. Did anyone else find the course measuring around 26.49?

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