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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 891 to 901]
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A Runner from Alexandria, VA
(10/29/2001)
 "God bless the USA!" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 MCM 2001 was an emotional experience and full of good cheer and positive energy, coming short on the heels of the 9-11 tragedies. It would have been much easier for them to simply cancel the race, as did the Air Force Marathon and Army Ten Milers this year shortly beforehand. But not the Marines! Helicopters circled overhead the *entire* race, and I was confident they would have been ready in an instant to swoop down on any security problems. Incredible to run past the shattered Pentagon, 35 yards away, and see a construction worker waving a flag for US -- we should be waving one for HIM! 2001 notes: The start took 18+ minutes to get over the mats. If you are up against the time limit of crossing the bridge (scheduled for 2PM in 2001) be sure to factor a BIG starting delay in your pace, because they DON'T! If you can't keep up a solid 13 minute pace for 22 miles, think twice before you enter! (I got on the bridge at 2:04 and felt very lucky to have made it). The Rock Creek Parkway loop was a nice addition (instead of Haines Point), but why, oh why, did they let themselves run out of water!? We went from mile 9 to mile 14 without a drop. When Haines Point reopens I'd recommend including both that loop and Rock Creek and get rid of the endless loops in the Pentagon parking lots (good for logistics, boring for runners). Special thanks to ALL the Marines who took park, plus special mention for the Potomac Striders who added good cheer those last few tough miles. The folks in Georgetown were also great. Wonderful that a retired Marine won the race this year - how fitting! | |
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A Runner from Washington, D.C.
(10/28/2001)
 "This is the greatest marathon I have ever run." (about: 2000)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the Marine Corps Marathon three times: in 1992, 1996, and 2000. The latter was the best and will always be special for me for a number of reasons. First, it was the 25th (silver) anniversary of the 'people's marathon', and I was very lucky to have had the honor to run it. Second, I ran it for the memory of my two sisters, Karima and Touriya, who died at the early age of 3 and 1 respectively; and for all the children of the world who met untimely deaths because of illness, accidents, war, famine or other tragedies. Third, it was a salute to our armed forces - here and all over the world - who give their lives to protect our great nation. As usual, the Marines were great in their unlimited support throughout the race, the fans sacrificed their own free time to encourage the runners and cheer them on, and the Marine Corps was the top winner, once again. It was an unusually hot day for October but it was worth it. I will run the Marine Corps as many times as I can and I will always support it. Rachid Jaafar. | |
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A Runner from Philadelphia
(10/28/2001)
 "Very poor organization" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 I will start by stating an injury prevented me from running in the 2001 MCM. This review address pre-race organization and deferment policy. 1. After running in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York, Las Vegas and San Diego (Rock n Roll), I was scheduled to run in 2001 MCM. Based upon prior races, the pre-race organization was the absolute worst. The lottery system used by the MCM for entry is horrible. To be selected, one must log on the MCM website at an appointed time and be one of the first of X people to enter information. As one might expect, the website was by no means capable of handling the number of people logging on. This ridiculous process goes on twice before there is an open lottery for selection. Suggestion: do away with the 'first to log on format' and make the entry an open format (i.e., everyone submits entry information by a certain date - via web or mail - and all entrants are then selected at a later date). Don't waste everyone's time with the 2001 process. 2. After hurting myself two weeks before the race, I contacted the race directors by phone to defer my entry until 2002. I was told that I missed the deferment deadline date of September 5. Get with the times and in line with other big time marathons - allow deferment up until the day before the race. In addition, when asked about the location of the deferment policy I was told it appeared in two places: (1) the Washington Post (great for all those not living in DC or reading the Post) and (2) on the Media portion of the Website. Suggestion: Put cancellation policy on FAQ section. I need to confess after much discussion/complaining to a race director, I was granted the deferment for 2002. With that said - I will run the race next year and hope that the directors will take some constructive criticism to make the race organization better. | |
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A Runner from Long Island, New York
(10/26/2001)
"A definite repeat marathon." (about: 1997)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the MCM in 1997 in the cold pouring rain. I had a wonderful time and recommend this race to everyone. The marines were present throughout the race, both cheering and running, and their enthusiasm was the inspiration that I needed to help get me across the finish line. I will definitely repeat the MMC and run proudly past the Pentagon just as I will run proudly in NYC this Nov 4, 2001. | |
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A Runner from Great Falls, VA
(10/22/2001)
"Good for First Timers" (about: 2000)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 A great race for first timers. Crowds are excellent, and is run pretty well considering the number of competitors. Don't run this trying to qualify for Boston unless you can fight the crowds to get up front for the start. The markers set up for your pace prior to race are ignored and you will get stuck behind slower runners if you follow them. Water and aid stations are very nice. Crowding is the only problem. | |
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A Runner from Washington, DC, USA
(8/21/2001)
"FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first official marathon and I must say that it will go down in my book as the best experience of my life. Not only was the course manageable for the first time marathoner, but the crowd was fantastic and supportive, and the Marines were nothing short of saintly in their attention to detail (in ALL respects). I am signed up for my second MC marathon on October 28 and it promises to be just as good as, if not better than, the 2000 MC marathon. Thanks to all the Marines for their good work on this. I LOVE YOU ALL! | |
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A Runner from Manlius, New York
(8/20/2001)
"I couldn't have asked for more for a 1st timer...." (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon, and I couldn't have asked for a better one. The fan support and organization were excellent. Having the Marines remove my computer chip at the end was a Godsend! The course is not easy; the long stretch around the 16-19 mile mark was brutal, and the last bridge seemed like it went on forever. But, the crowd and Marines were inspiring. My father was a Marine stationed at Quantico, and seeing him at the finish line along with the rest of my family capped a great race. | |
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A Runner from Raleigh NC
(8/2/2001)
 "skip it." (General Comments)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 Ran this one twice, 1999 and 2000. 1999 wasn't bad, probably because of the 'smaller' field; 2000 was a NIGHTMARE. I decided to drop out at 16 miles because the course was way too crowded, to that point I had run back and forth across the course about 300 times trying to get through the crowd, for the high-dollar entry fee, it just wasn't worth it. The course is very fair, a few rollers, quite a bit of flat, occasional steep-ish uphill. The crowd is big, which is good. They don't stay off the course, VERY bad, I ran into people three separate times as they stepped off the curb or tried to cross. Organization suffers from the size of the field. Cut to 12000, this would be a great race. Serious runners looking to run a decent time, avoid this one like the plague. Sightseers, sign up. | |
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A Runner from Washington, D.C.
(6/9/2001)
"Still the best" (about: 2000)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon, and after doing Disney in January and just finishing the Rock n Roll marathon in San Diego, I have to say - the MCM is still the best!!! The organization, the fans, the course are all super. No one does anything like the Marines and DC. I agree with other commenters about the lack of water stops (after running other races with water about every mile and plenty of gels for us slow pokes) but I run with a water bottle and my own supply of gels, so I guess it didn't impact me as much. But, if you are thinking of doing a marathon - this should be the one. (Yes, the registration for 2001 was a nightmare that they need to fix). The course is pretty flat and the sights are great! The race was really big last year, but I liked the wave start and I didn't feel too crowded after about 2 miles. If you are thinking of doing just one race, this should be it! | |
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A Runner from Washington, DC
(4/19/2001)
"Just Do It!!!" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Outstanding race and the fan support is unbelievable!!! I have run a number of marathons, but the MCM makes you feel like you are in the Olympics. There are fans everywhere cheering you on. Some people complained about the lack of water, but they have scaled back the 2001 race by over 9,000 applicants. Semper-Fidelis!!! |
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