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☰
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 81 to 91]
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M. H. from New York
(10/28/2013)
 "Great Race....Pre Race Organization a Mess" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 I'll keep this simple. The race including the whole race day experience was top notch. Course, spectators, and most of all the Marines were phenomenal. Leading up to race day was a mess highlighted by the expo. I spent more time on line than I did running the race. First a line to get my bib. Not a normal line but a long winding line. Then I had to go to the armory to get to the expo. Total mess. About a 1 hour wait just to get in. Probably because there was 3 people checking people through security when you have 30,000 runners attending an expo. Then about a 1 hour wait to check out of the Brooks merchandise booth. And that was Friday before the masses really came. I was later told Saturday was worse highlighted by the expo losing power. I've run many large city marathons before (NYC, Chicago, London etc...) but organization was a head shaker. Overall great race but the organization of the expo and bib pickup was mentally and physically exhausting. | |
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S. T. from LA,CA
(10/28/2013)
 "Why did the Marine Corps run out of medals" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 I was one of the many runners, and former Marine, to get to the finish line and be told that there were no more medals. Not sure who was in charge of placing the order, but the finish line was subpar. I was given a MCM 10k finisher as something to be acknowledged, but to me it was a lame gimmick. I was disappointed, but nothing to the level of the ladies crying or the 87 year old yelling. They had all trained so hard. I feel like the Marine Corps took a serious social black eye on this one. In addition all the beer ran out, and according to a fellow runner a server or two were drinking beers with the runners. That might be part of the reason it ran out quick. Shame on the organizers for the poor finish line experience. | |
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B. S. from New York, NY
(10/27/2013)
 "An American Classic" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my sixth marathon, and all the others were small to mid-sized affairs. I was nervous about being part of 30k+ crowd, but those fears were misplaced. The Marines do a phenomenal job of organizing this race. Other than a 10 minute longer than normal porta potty line, there were no big race negatives. Meanwhile, the course does a very scenic and patriotic run through the nation's capital. Crowd support, especially from the Marines, is outstanding. Water stations, medals and other logistics were well done. If I need to offer some critiques, I would say the expo was underwhelming, and the post race food was ho-hum. Best race I have run. | |
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Viwe Mtshontshi from South Africa
(9/17/2013)
"Awesome" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and at 37, I was a true novice but the crowd support was amazing. I ran with my boss Phil Hesser! I would love to run it again now that I am more experienced, having over a dozen since then! | |
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J. S. from Chicago, IL
(5/30/2013)
"If you run one race, make it MCM" (about: 2012)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran this race in 2012 as my second marathon. Pros - 1) Social media - MCM is unmatched when it comes to integrating social media into the overall marathon experience. The facebook page in particular kept the training period interesting with ongoing posts and countdowns. I think it really enhances the sense of community in the buildup to the event. 2) Theme - the Marine Corps will inspire you to run your best marathon yet. We had an osprey helicopter fly overhead at the start line and cannons to send us off. The theme was pervasive throughout the course and culminated at the finish with the Iwo Jima memorial and a Marine placing a medal around your neck. You just can't beat that. 3) The course - this is a pretty flat course overall. There's a bit of a hill before you hit Georgetown, but it's nothing major. The killer is the baby hill in the last 385 yards, but of course the Marines are going to make you earn that finish!! You also can't ask for a course more stacked with landmarks than MCM. 4) Spectators - we were on the brink of Hurricane Sandy hitting, but these people came out in full force. The community makes a real effort to participate, and it makes a huge difference in the overall experience. 5) The medal - I am pretty sure this is the best medal I will ever receive at a marathon. 6) Organization - top knotch, from the water stations to the web site to the runner tracking system, everything was very well managed. 7) Post race - MCM gives you a box (or in my case they handed me 2) stocked with much-needed food to refuel. They also handed me protein-fortified gatorades and waters. I was very well taken care of!! Cons - 1) The course - there are just a couple of small stretches of highway toward the end (after mile 20), with no crowd support. Though I will say that the contrast between the highway and Rosselyn (mile 23) and the highway and the finish (mile 26) is phenomenal. So that could be deliberate planning. That's really all I have for cons, this is a truly awesome marathon. If you run one race, make it MCM. | |
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A. H. from NJ, USA
(1/28/2013)
"One of the best marathons in the world." (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is one of the best marathons that you will ever run. The course is fast and visually interesting. There are activities and music and fans and celebration the entire route. A U.S. Marine in uniform awards you your medal. There is something to keep you going through out this race. This is a disciplined veteran field of runners. Water and aid stations are well placed. The positive atmosphere lifts you up; makes you feel proud. | |
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A. H. from New Jersey
(12/9/2012)
"Very good race" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my first Marine Corp, 19th overall. The course is pretty hilly for the first couple of miles and then it is pretty flat. With the coming storm it was pretty windy. I went on Thursday to the expo and it took about 30 minutes to get into the expo because of the security. My biggest complaint is the baggage pickup. Other races I have run the runners are sorted by alphabetical order. For some reason they thought it was a good idea to sort people by race number which is determined by finish time. So when I went to pick up my stuff I stood in a line for 45 minutes at truck 2 while every other truck had no line. The expo was okay, the shirt was real nice as was the medal. | |
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E. M. from Canada
(11/12/2012)
 "Hated the food at the end" (about: 2012)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Course was good but the Mall cut-off was too soon and totally unexpected. Food stations on the course were poor. America may run on Dunkin but not marathoners. No Gatorade at finish line and the packaged food was disgusting. I'd rather have bagels, bananas, oranges. The best thing was the jacket at the finish line. | |
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S. B. from NY, USA
(11/10/2012)
"Beautiful course...lackluster logistics..." (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This is a 'MUST RUN' race for any enthusiast. The Marines do an outstanding job on the course and receiving my finishing metal from one was a truly memorable experience. That said, the logistics leave MUCH to be desired. I walked 2 miles to the start, and the finish was a clogged up mess. The finishing shoot was slammed, the line to the Metro was another mile away and was a wreck! For such a great race in such a terrific city, this was a real disappointment. If the race directors get this right, this could easily be a top 5 marathon in the country if not the world. My advice is RUN THIS RACE...just prepare for the difficult logistics. Thanks again Marines. You made this one day I wont soon forget. | |
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F. K. from New York, NY
(11/8/2012)
 "Great marathon experience!" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The Marine Corps Marathon was my first MCM and my 12th overall marathon. I stayed at the Marriott Courtyard in Roslyn, which made a huge difference after the race as it is literally only 4 blocks from the finishers village in downtown Roslyn. The Good: Great organization at the expo and before, during and after the race. Nothing like having the Marines organizing and overseeing the race from start to finish. Packet and shirt pick up at the expo was quick and easy. Nice selection of local and national vendors. The Hurricane Sandy held off and our race was overcast, a bit windy, but rain free. The crowds ere eagerly enthusiastic and plentiful along most of the route. My friends and I walked a little over a mile from the hotel to the start line and that took about 30 minutes due to the darkness, runners and a bus being backed up which blocked the road for a bit. Individual volunteers handed out beer and chocolate or candy along the route, but most appreciatively at mile 20 at Beat the Bridge. Lots of portapotties everywhere. The Dunkin Donuts aid station by mile 24 featured chocolate munchkins, but they may have run out for those back of the pack runners. The course was very nice. We passed most of the monuments and ran in front of the capitol, through Georgetown, Crystal City, Roslyn and along the Mall. Most of the time we ran on pavement and roads. One significant hill by mile 1.5 and another hill after miles 2 or 3, then it was fairly flat to the finish. There is a wicked hill by mile 26 for the last .2 miles, and it was fairly narrow, but well worth it as it signals the finish. It was awesome seeing runners wearing signs honoring active duty, retired or fallen Marines. It was humbling to have a Marine hang my medal, stand to attention and salute me at the finish while he thanked me for supporting the Marines. The Bad: Having the expo at the stadium/armory area was a minor pain to get to. The corral start was disorganized. Runners were allowed to line up in the corral they thought was appropriate to their anticipated finish time based on the honor system. Everyone crowded in as the corrals were merged together. This caused me to lose contact with the Cliff Bar pace team in the crowds. They also allowed family and friends into the corrals. This meant strollers, some doublewide, and people standing along the road as we tried to run around them. I admit 99% were in the side of the road by the time I got to the start, but I remember having to side step a non runner more than once. It did a bit lonely alone some parts of the route, but I run alone and without music so it didnt bother me. The hill from the finishers village to the hotel was brutal. I resorted to walking backwards up the driveway, but it was a lot better than standing in Disney-like lines for the Metro to shuttle buses back to DC. The Ugly: Not much to talk about as this was a well run event (pun intended). |
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