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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 191 to 201]
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J. O. from San Leandro, CA
(10/31/2009)
"Nice run through the nation's capital" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Pros: It started on time; aid stations were on both sides; helpful Marines/military personnel; nice run through the capital - passing all of the major monuments and things that people want to see when they go to DC; and there was a nice, big expo that was fun and had neat stuff. Cons: The crowd was pathetic for over 30,000 runners - there was an entire two-mile portion with maybe 10 people on it to cheer you on; like most races, the PowerAde was watery at some stations and concentrated at others - one day it'd be nice to get consistency; tons of people werer clogging the way; getting to the race was more complicated than it needed to be - they didn't have an escalator open at the Arlington Station and it took 15 minutes to get off the train platform; and there were not enough port-a-potties (I went in the bushes twice). Overall, it was an enjoyable experience. I probably wouldn't do it again, but it was fun. I've got DC out of the way now. | |
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W. S. from Sunny Florida
(10/31/2009)
"Fantastic Marathon - Fantastic Organization" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Fantastic course and fantastic experience. On a crisp autumn day, running this marathon was more of an event for me than just a race. Beautiful course and great race. Very friendly people. | |
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j. m. from boston
(10/30/2009)
"great race; with improvements, could be awesome" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my third race and first MCM. Overall, it was a great race from fan support to the scenery. Logistically, it was a bit of a challenge. The metro was a mess to and from. The city should just open the lines. DO NOT GET off at Arlington if you take the train. We had to walk about a mile to drop our stuff off at the UPS trucks, and then rush back to the start line. I would recommend you get off at the Pentagon, although not many did. Post-race was worse than the start. Everyone was trying to enter the Metro and it took an hour on very tired legs for us to get on a train. It was just impossible to get around. As for the race, it was really crowded for almost six miles with runners of much slower pace seemingly ahead of us in the 3:40 shoot. Not sure how that happened, but I felt like I was dodging runners forever. I posted a PR, so I was pretty pumped and still am. Post-race, I never did find the food tents and just wanted a soda. I love a cold beer, but wasn't up for it after the run. Oh well, heard the tents were great, but couldn't locate them. Overall, DC and the MCM make for a great experience. I would recommend it, but they could use some logistical help to make it a first-class run. | |
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f. s. from East Coast US
(10/30/2009)
"Post-race needs work" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 The expo, start line, and course attention to detail could not have been better. These areas had flawless attention to detail. I was disappointed in the lack of coordination and general confusion post-race after exiting the restricted area. It was a mess and a mob scene. The walk from the finish line to the "finish festival" was way too long, and we had to fight a sea of spectators coming the other way. Then it was another 20-minute walk fighting crowds back to view the finish. We stood in a mob for 40 minutes trying to gain access to the Rosslyn metro station. I'm sure if the Marines concentrate more on the post-finish, they can make this a perfect event. | |
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P. L. from New York
(10/29/2009)
"Great experience for a large marathon" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Everything it is advertised to be. Pros: * Very well organized expo - no rugby scrum to pick up bibs and get chips registered like in NY. * Easy to get to the start via Metro. I stayed in Crystal City, which also made getting back on the shuttle easier at the end (and avoiding the legendary line for Roslyn Metro). * Great course with lots of views and enthusiastic fans. * Amazing enthusiasm of the Marines and other volunteers. Humbling to be given a medal and congratulated by such heroes. Even more humbling to see the many limbless Marines racing in the wheelchair division. What devotion! Cons (these are relatively minor but...): * The UPS truck sticker on the plastic bag seemed welded on and could not be removed. * The water stations were two miles apart (sometimes three). * The exit seemed to be some sort of goat path. Impossible for 30,000 people to be wedged through. * The wheelchair race seemed to overlap with the main race causing some havoc on the hills. Despite the above minor irritations, I would definitely run again. | |
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s. f. from atlanta ga
(10/29/2009)
"Got to run this one once, but that is enough." (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 2 Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 The course is fantastic, as are the Marines providing support. There are so many fans in some places that it makes you feel special. I know the Marines pride themselves on organizational skills, but for the second time the finish area was a mess - too long of a walk for food and water, and not enough of either. I've had more at a 5K race. I waited 40 minutes for a shuttle back. Even with that said, everyone should do this once; seeing the Marines and DC keeps you going. | |
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R. D. from Derry, NH
(10/29/2009)
"Great Race but Be Aware of Large-Race Pitfalls" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The race itself was well organized and had plenty of support throughout; that's the reason I gave the organization four stars. The confusion, congestion and long walk at the end should have taken more than one star off, but your volunteers almost made up for the loss. The course is spectacular; what else can you say when you run by the NATIONAL MALL and by awesome federal buildings? The finish was a little anti-climactic, since all you did was to keep on walking and cramping for a long distance in order to meet your family. I was quite surprised at how little was given to us at the finish as compared to the last time I ran this race in 2004. In 2004, there was a large tent at the finish with all sorts of foods. We had bagels with cream cheese, bananas and other items. This year at the finish was a small box of Cheerios, PowerAde; and in the goody bag there was a banana, a plain bagel and something else. I took the bagel and tried to eat it without any toppings and could not finish it. The bag and the rest of the stuff in it went over the fence to a child who looked hungry. I guess most of the large marathons no longer can afford to give quality replenishment after the race, since Boston was comparable in its meager fare. The volunteers and the Marines were awesome, to say the least. They were truly helpful and energetic, and by their energy, they spurred the runners along. GREAT VOLUNTEERS!!!! Since this was the second time I ran this race, I think I've gotten my fill of DC and its environs, and I will not run it again, since there are so many other races run around the same time. Besides, this time my wife came to see me and she will not ever let me run this race again. The major complaints she had were that this race did not have any places for spectators to get water and food, and she had to walk long distances in order to see me at mile 10, 16 and the finish. She was amazed that she had to walk to Rosslyn in order to link up with me, and that was quite a walk from near the finish. She and I were truly amazed at the number of people at the festival, and how few food and drink vendors were there to feed the tired runners . In fact, I never pass up free beer, but this time I wouldn't, maybe couldn't, wait in the line at the beer tent for free beer. The last MAJOR REASON she won't come to any future MCM's is that, after we finished, hooked up, and tried to get some food in my stomach, we couldn't get back to our hotel room. The Metro had a line that was reputed to be over an hour long, and the line for taxis went nearly around a building. So we walked around trying to figure out how to get back to the hotel. We finally went to Ruby Tuesday (we were a party of two and were able to get a table within 20 minutes; larger parties waited for quite a bit longer) to eat, have a few beers, and mostly wait until we had a chance to get transportation to our hotel. We were in the restaurant for over an hour, and it still took us about half an hour to catch a cab back to the Ballston area. Despite all of this, you have to run the MCM at least once to get a good feel for a large race with GREAT VOLUNTEERS! | |
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K. W. from Massachusetts
(10/29/2009)
"Kudos to the Marines" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Marine Corps Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The MCM is a great destination race, especially if you have a family. Washington DC is beautiful this time of year; lots to see with minimal crowds. We stayed downtown at a hotel near a Metro stop. Highly recommend if you have the option. I took the Metro over on race day solo in the dark (I am a petite female) with no qualms - there were lots of other runners walking to the Metro and on the subway. They opened the Metro early (at 5:00 a.m.); I hopped on at 6:30 a.m. and arrived at the start 15 minutes later, 75 minutes before the start. Piece of cake. Very relaxed start. The size makes it tough for a PR. If they stagger the start like Boston, it could change. The course is beautiful and humbling, and the crowd support was incredible. Also very family-friendly. My family (after sleeping in) saw me run by the Lincoln Memorial, went and toured Arlington Cemetery, and then headed over to see me finish. Fellow runners had raved about the MCM's fantastic organization and it is well deserved. Packet pick-up was so easy and course support was unparalleled. The finish itself was well set-up but congested once you cleared the finish area. Mostly the Metro was crowded. I skipped it altogether and walked back to my hotel (about a mile and a half), which is what you are supposed to do after ay marathon, so it was fine. The MCM is a great race and the Marines deserve so much credit. Consider yourself lucky if you have the opportunity to run this one! | |
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V. J. from Virginia Beach, VA
(10/28/2009)
"Repeat MCM Runner. GOD bless the Marine Corps!" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Marine Corps Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great organization. Good logistics - transportation, hotels, food, etc.... If you have an ounce of patriotism, the setting, race participants, and most importantly, the young Marines facilitating the race will make this one of the best experiences of your life. | |
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M. H. from Castle Rock, Colorado
(10/28/2009)
"Great Race; Great Course" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The day was perfect - the weather, the scenery and the Marines. The Marines giving the water and PowerAde were really awesome - they are so supportive and happy to be helping out. The course is really great. You run through smaller towns, along the river, past the monuments, etc. - awesome. The finish area does lack a little. It is a long walk to the finish tents. Also, it would be nice to be able to purchase beer at the beer tent since family is there with you. The lines to get out of VA were crazy via any mode - trains/cabs/bus. My brother HAD to leave immediately after the race and ended up walking back to Georgetown to catch a cab. There needs to be some changes or much greater concentration of buses to get people back. There should also be more things to do or eat or drink in the area around the finisher's area. There was a festival or something going on in Crystal City that would have been nice to move closer. It was hours for the lines to calm down to get back to DC. That was the only negative of the whole day, but unfortunately after 26.2 miles, that is pretty big. Overall: great job by the organizers and all of the Marines and volunteers that helped out. |
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