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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 151 to 161]
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J. M. from Fairbanks, Alaska
(11/3/2010)
"Beautiful course, great race!" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first time running this race, and I ran it with my daughter for her 2nd marathon and my 18th overall. Great course, with nice views of the Washington DC area. Some mild hills in the first 7 or 8 miles, then mostly flat until the uphill charge at the finish. We had perfect weather for the race, with a cool start and warming up to the finish. The crowd support was awesome, and the race is well organized with plenty of water, etc. A bit too crowded after the finish and hard to get back to our hotel with a jammed Metro station. Would definitely recommend this race to others. | |
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Brian Fenimore from Philadelphia suburbs
(11/3/2010)
"Hilliest flat course I've ever run!" (about: 2010)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Great race, but huge bottleneck through the chutes at the end, and a long walk and a long time standing just to get to the bag pickup and family meeting point. Need more room to spread out immediately after the finish line in order to sit and rest. | |
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R. D. from Gainesville, FL
(11/3/2010)
"Lived up to all" (about: 2010)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Cannot imagine a better way to start my marathon career. I have run several "supersize" races before (Bay-to-Breakers x4, Disney x2, Gate River Run x7) so I knew what to expect as far as longs waits for porta-potties, transportation, medals, food, etc. But the Marines blew most of that out of the water. I never felt like I didn't belong with the "real" runners (5:33 finisher) and all the spectators deserved their own medal! Every Marine who handed me water acted like he or she had just started, as opposed to doing it for hours and being up since midnight. Some specific surprises: loved not seeing any 10K runners or having a course merge that messed things up. I knew the family meet-up would be a bit crowded (haha) but there were so many other places to meet, since the information received at the expo was so detailed. Friends remarked that day-of-race website "runner stalking" was like nothing they'd ever seen. Race fee was a bargain for the amount of support (pre-, during- and post-race). Afraid the upcoming Disney is going to be a letdown, haha.... OOOOHRAH!!!!! | |
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David Trevino from Arlington, VA
(11/3/2010)
"The Big Show" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This year makes number 10 for me - I have run the MCM 10 times, and this moves up my total number to 31 marathons completed. This is by far one of the best organized, if not the best, marathon events in the USA, or on this planet. The Marines are the best in the world - not only in defending our great country, but as leaders, and role models. From the EXPO to crossing the finish line, the MCM is a great marathon to run. For those who want to run this marathon - just do it. You will not be disappointed. Go, Marines!!! | |
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s. b. from saint louis, missouri
(11/3/2010)
"Ooorah!" (about: 2010)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Terrific organization - water stops ran smoothly, with plenty of Marines passing out water/PowerAde so that there were no bottlenecks. The bridge was dull, but traffic on the other side offered support and other runners were great. The crowds in Georgetown were very excited, even when we back-of-the-packers were coming through. Didn't like waiting almost 30 minutes to cross the starting line, but with 30,000 runners I guess that's to be expected. Handing out medals and goody bags at the finish also ran smoothly, but what else would you expect from the Marines? I definitely plan to do this one again. | |
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M. j. from Boston, MA
(11/3/2010)
"great experience" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I had a great Marine Corp experience. I PR'd by 17 minutes! I am thrilled to death. The course and the organization of such a large race were commendable! Pros: 1) beautiful course 2) aid stations were well stocked 3) organized start Cons: 1) the finish sucked - walking a mile to get your bags, then another mile to get on the Metro was not fun 2) lackluster start: I guess I was expecting a flyover or something. I don't know but for the "'Marine Corp" Marathon the start was much less dazzling than Boston. 3) someone else mentioned this and it bears repeating: I *wish* they had had Diet Coke at the finish. i know this might sound like a quirky request, but actually many of the races I have run in the past have had Diet Coke run out because it is so popular. It settles the stomach (unlike crappy PowerAde). | |
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T. F. from Davenport, Iowa
(11/2/2010)
"Extremely well organized and D.C. is a must-see" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 If you have never been to D.C., you must spend some time there after the marathon to see the sites. (Take note: all of the Smithsonian museums, and the zoo, which is part of the Smithsonian, are free). This marathon is extremely well organized, with plenty of spectators and porta-potties at the runners' village start. The water and Gatorade stops are well manned and long, so you don't have to rush over to get rehydrated for fear of passing them. My nitpick-y negative comments: It seemed like a long walk from the subway station around the Pentagon to the marathon start line. Although there were plenty of porta-potties at the start, I thought they were scarce along the course. There were large crowds of spectators with clanging cow bells, which I thought was too noisy at times. We had very good weather, but you should note there are some long segments of open roads or bridges to cross. If it happens to be windy, rainy, or hot and sunny, you will feel it at times. Don't expect a PR on this course unless it's your first marathon. This is a great marathon and the only things I think they could do to make it better would be to have more porta-potties along the course and in some places make the mile markers more noticeable. I was continuously looking for the mile markers, and there were two or three I didn't notice. | |
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B. W. from Reston, VA
(11/2/2010)
"Great Race. Crowded." (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This is a great race for beginning marathoners. The course is a little hilly in a couple of spots during the first 8 miles, but not egregiously so. I will say that it seems to be a little more congested than in years past. People aren't as spread out by the time you get to Haines Point as they were in years past when you ran around the mall first. Also, the spot behind the Lincoln Memorial was so narrow and crowded that everyone around me slowed from 8:30 to an almost 10:00 pace. Luckily it was only for a quarter-mile, but it was a real choke point. This year's race hit another choke point on the Mall where the runners were forced up on to the pedestrian path, but presumably that won't happen again. The bridge and Crystal City are as soul-sucking as ever. It'd be nice if there were a way to add mileage on the DC side and have the race run over Memorial Bridge and straight to the finish. They also have the runners a little too constrained after the finish. Trying to get from the memorial into Rosslyn took about 20 minutes, and it always felt like people were on the edge of starting a stampede. They might want to rethink a little of the finish area organization. But all in all, it's a great marathon and one that anyone - especially mid-packers - should try to do at least once. | |
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J. G. from Cleveland OH
(11/2/2010)
"Fantastic First MCM" (about: 2010)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This year's MCM was a wonderful event. The weather was absolutely perfect: 50s at the start line and up to 60s by the end of the race. I was just fine in shorts and t-shirt even at the start line, and never felt cold or overheated during the run. The course was great, though the early hills made the rest of the race a little more difficult. I had no problem with the final hill - I found it very motivating to see the finish and passed many people who were slow going up the hill. The course and fan support were great - my only complaint is that between mile 24.5 and 25.5, we were on a highway with zero fans, which was not what I needed at that point. After 25.5 to the finish, however, fan support was great. Georgetown was also filled with fans, as was the push to the final bridge. If you run this, do keep in mind that getting to and from the race can take forever (25000 is a BIG race) so alot tons of time for both. | |
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B. P. from Derwood, MD
(11/2/2010)
"Fantastic course, fantastic crowd support" (about: 2010)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first MCM and I really loved it! I thought the entire event - from expo to marathon to finish - were very well organized. If you really want to enjoy the expo, try to get there on Friday (rather than Saturday) before the race. Be aware that this is the 4th largest marathon in the country, so if you hate crowds, maybe this isn't the marathon for you. However, if you plan to run a sub-4:00 marathon, the spread of runners on the course is very comfortable and I had no problems whatsoever in hitting my planned paces (I ran a 3:39 marathon). The crowd support along the course was fantastic. The gauntlets of screaming spectators really gave me a boost, especially along the mall and in Crystal City (where I needed it!). There were a few desolate places, but the quiet run along Hains Point is very nice. Tips: 1. Get to the expo early (either on Friday or early Saturday morning). 2. Get to the race early. It is a bit of a walk from the Pentagon metro to the Runner's Village (where you drop off your baggage prior to the race). It is another fairly long walk from the village to the start (and it is a long corral, so if you plan to get near the front - sub-4:00-hour), you will definately need to give yourself time. Summary: I had a fantastic time at this race and will do it again next year. |
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